Chapter 7 - The Hostage
Arthur's heart completely stopped as he realized exactly where the desperate woman was heading.
"No!" Arthur shouted, sprinting up the remaining stairs two at a time.
Isabella was right behind him, the maternal instinct overriding all her fear and exhaustion.
They reached the nursery hallway just in time to hear the heavy oak door slam shut, followed by the terrifying click of the deadbolt.
Arthur threw his entire body weight against the door, but the solid wood barely even groaned.
"Vanessa, open this door right now!" Arthur bellowed, pounding his fists against the frame.
Inside the nursery, the twins began to cry hysterically, terrified by the sudden violence and shouting.
"Stay back, Arthur!" Vanessa shrieked from the other side, her voice completely unhinged.
"If you try to break this door down, I will open the balcony window and take them with me!"
Isabella let out a gut-wrenching scream, collapsing against the door and pressing her face to the wood.
"Please, Vanessa, do not hurt my babies!" Isabella begged, crying with the fierce agony only a mother could feel.
"They have done nothing wrong, punish me, but please let them go!"
Vanessa laughed, a high, maniacal sound that chilled the blood in everyone's veins.
"You took everything from me, Isabella!" Vanessa yelled through the door.
"I loved Arthur first, I deserved this house, this money, this beautiful life!"
"I am not going to rot in a prison cell while you get your happy ending!"
Arthur backed away from the door, his mind racing through the blueprints of his massive estate.
He looked at Isabella, grabbing her shoulders to ground her in the chaotic moment.
"Keep her talking, Isabella, keep her distracted," Arthur whispered urgently into her ear.
"There is a hidden service panel in the adjacent guest room that connects to the nursery closet."
Isabella nodded frantically, wiping her tears and turning back to the locked door.
She began to speak loudly, pleading with the madwoman, apologizing for things she had never done, anything to buy Arthur time.
Arthur sprinted down the hall, kicking open the door to the guest bedroom.
He tore away the heavy velvet drapes and smashed his fist through the drywall where he knew the old service hatch was hidden.
He ignored the blood dripping from his knuckles as he ripped the wooden panel away, revealing a dark, narrow crawlspace.
He crawled into the dusty darkness, moving as fast as his large frame would allow, praying to every god he knew that he would not be too late.
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He could hear his daughters screaming on the other side of the wall, and the sound gave him the strength of a hundred men.
He was not going to lose his family a second time.
