Trapped Beneath the Cover
Chapter 02 - Trapped Beneath the Cover
Under the pool cover, Daniel pushed upward with one hand, but the reinforced fabric would not lift. Olivia clung to him, shaking as the darkness closed around them.
“There’s an air pocket,” Daniel said. “Stay close to me.”
They found a narrow space between the water and the cover, barely enough to breathe. Olivia gasped and held her stomach.
“The baby,” she whispered. “Something’s wrong.”
Daniel shouted for help, but the cover muffled his voice.
Above them, Evelyn rushed toward the control panel. She tried to reverse the mechanism, not because she regretted what she had done, but because the notification terrified her. If video of the push had been sent, the deaths would no longer look accidental.
The remote did not respond.
Someone had disabled it remotely.
Inside the mansion, housekeeper Rosa Martinez watched a live security feed on her tablet. For weeks, she had suspected Evelyn was planning something. That morning, Olivia had quietly asked Rosa to back up the pool cameras to a private cloud account.
The moment Evelyn shoved her, Rosa pressed the emergency upload button.
She also triggered the pool system’s security lock, preventing Evelyn from opening or closing the cover without a manual key.
Rosa called emergency services and ran outside.
Evelyn intercepted her near the patio.
“Give me the tablet,” she demanded.
Rosa held it behind her back. “The police already have the video.”
Evelyn slapped her.
Rosa stumbled, but she did not fall. “Mrs. Carrington, they are still alive. Help me open the cover.”
For a moment, Evelyn looked toward the pool. Fear and pride fought across her face.
Then she turned away.
“They made their choice.”
Beneath the cover, Daniel felt Olivia’s body weaken. He remembered the maintenance hatch near the deep end—a small opening used by technicians to access the cover track. If he could reach it, he might tear the fabric loose.
But swimming there meant leaving Olivia alone.
“You have to go,” she said.
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You’re not leaving me. You’re saving us.”
Daniel kissed her forehead, then took a deep breath and disappeared beneath the water.
Olivia floated alone in the darkness, counting seconds and whispering to her unborn child.
On the deck, sirens sounded beyond the gates.
Evelyn looked toward the mansion entrance.
May you like
Instead of running, she picked up a heavy metal pool tool and walked toward Rosa.
“If that video disappears,” she said, “this can still be fixed.”
