Chapter 1 - The Fall
The elegant, multi-million-dollar American family mansion was a cinematic display of flawless, untouched perfection. Warm golden light poured from heavy crystal chandeliers, illuminating the crisp white paneled walls and the exquisite dinner table set for six wealthy guests.
But the sophisticated, high-society atmosphere was violently shattered by a sickening crash.
Nora, a beautiful thirty-two-year-old woman with long wavy chestnut-brown hair, was lying awkwardly across the lower steps of the polished dark-wood basement staircase. She wore a cream knitted cardigan and dark-blue jeans, her chest heaving with desperate, ragged breaths. A heavy white ceramic casserole dish had shattered into jagged pieces right next to her, scattering baked food all over the pristine wood.
Standing at the very top of the stairs, radiating pure, toxic superiority, was Judith.
The sixty-five-year-old matriarch wore an incredibly expensive cream-colored textured dress and heavy pearl earrings. Her voluminous blonde hair was perfectly styled. She didn't look horrified that her daughter-in-law had just suffered a terrifying fall. Her face was twisted into a mask of cruel, unadulterated disgust.
"You turned my son against me!" Judith hissed aggressively, entirely ensuring her venomous voice didn't carry into the dining room.
Nora groaned in agonizing pain, desperately reaching out with a trembling hand to grab the wooden banister. A faint, reddish bruise was already forming on her left cheek where she had struck the hard edge of the step.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed rapidly from the dining room.
May you like
Judith's vicious glare completely vanished. In a fraction of a second, her natural micro-expressions shifted into a flawless mask of absolute, calculated innocence. She dramatically threw her hand over her mouth, gasping in fake horror.
👉 Graham rushed toward the staircase, entirely unaware of the monster standing at the top.
