Chapter 1: The House of Lies
Chapter 1: The House of Lies
The sound of sirens shattered the silence outside the mansion.
Paramedics rushed toward the unconscious pregnant woman while uniformed officers sealed every entrance.
The blonde woman, Vanessa, immediately rushed toward the first officer.
"It was an accident!" she cried, mascara running down her cheeks. "She slipped! I tried to save her!"
Several guests nodded uncertainly.
From where they stood, it had looked believable.
The housekeeper wiped away tears.
"I saw Miss Vanessa trying to help," she whispered.
Then another convoy arrived.
Not police.
Detectives.
Leading them was Detective Miguel Ruiz.
He didn't ask anyone what happened.
Instead, he walked directly toward the woman on the floor.
Her eyes opened.
Without a word, she sat up slowly with the help of the paramedics.
Vanessa froze.
"What...?"
The detective crouched beside the pregnant woman.
"You all right, Mrs. Carter?"
She nodded.
"The baby's fine."
Every face in the foyer turned pale.
Vanessa stared in disbelief.
"You... you were awake?"
The pregnant woman looked directly at her.
"I've been awake the entire time."
Silence.
Detective Ruiz stood and faced everyone.
"For the last four months, Mrs. Carter has been assisting an active criminal investigation."
Gasps echoed through the mansion.
Vanessa's tears instantly stopped.
Ruiz continued.
"We suspected someone inside this family had been attempting to murder her while disguising each attempt as an accident."
The detective slowly removed a small body camera from inside the pregnant woman's coat.
"And today..."
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"...we finally got exactly what we needed."
Vanessa's face lost every trace of color.
