Chapter 6: The Landing
Clara’s world spun into a chaotic blur of polished wood and blinding pain. She struck the first few steps hard, her shoulder taking the brunt of the impact as she tumbled downward into the suffocating darkness. She desperately flailed, her fingers finally hooking around the thick oak balustrade of the midway landing. The violent jerk tore a scream from her throat, but it stopped her momentum just before she could plummet down the longest flight of stairs.
Below, the heavy double doors of Ethan’s study burst open, spilling warm yellow light into the pitch-black foyer.
"Clara!" Ethan shouted, sprinting up the stairs two at a time. He reached the landing and dropped to his knees, his hands hovering over her as if terrified she might shatter. "Clara, look at me. Are you alright?"
Above them, the chandelier flickered back to life, flooding the staircase with blinding light. Victoria stood at the top of the stairs, barefoot, a look of manufactured horror plastered across her flawless face. The rhythmic clicking Clara had heard had been a cruel trick—Victoria tapping a single heel against the floorboards to disorient her.
"Oh my god, Ethan!" Victoria gasped, clutching the railing. "I was just coming out of the bedroom and she—she just tripped! The clumsy fool must have missed a step in the dark."
Clara winced, tasting blood where she had bitten her lip. She looked up at Ethan, whose eyes were darting between the vicious woman at the top of the stairs and the bruised maid on the landing.
"I'll call for a doctor," Victoria offered smoothly, already turning away.
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"No," Clara rasped, her hand shooting out to grab the lapel of Ethan’s jacket. She pulled him in close, feigning a swoon, and violently shoved the small, leather-bound notebook deep into the inner pocket of his coat. "Don't let her leave," she breathed directly into his ear. "Read it."
Ethan’s posture stiffened. He felt the weight of the book against his chest. His eyes met Clara’s, and in that silent exchange, the horrifying reality of his wife's deception crystallized into absolute certainty.
