The heavy boots of the armed security guards echoed against the polished marble floor of the airport terminal.
Victor stopped right in front of the kneeling, trembling woman.
He looked down at Elena with eyes that held no warmth, only a cold, calculated fury.
“Get up,” Victor commanded, his voice slicing through the tense silence of the terminal.
Elena looked up, tears streaming down her pale cheeks as she clutched her pregnant belly.
“Please, Victor, you have to listen to me,” she sobbed, her voice cracking with desperation.
Sarah, standing just a step behind Elena, tightened her grip on Elena’s shoulder.
She leaned down, pretending to offer comfort, but her fingers dug painfully into Elena’s flesh.
“Don’t make a scene, Elena,” Sarah whispered, her voice laced with venom.
“You brought this on yourself,” Sarah added, a cruel smile playing on her lips.
The crowd of onlookers watched in absolute silence, their phones raised to capture every agonizing second.
Victor gestured to the two guards flanking him.
“Detain her,” Victor ordered, pointing at Elena.
“She is trying to flee the country with stolen corporate assets,” he declared to the crowd.
Elena shook her head violently, her eyes wide with terror.
“No! That is a lie!” Elena screamed, her voice echoing off the high glass ceilings.
“Sarah set me up! She is the one who took the files!” Elena cried out, pointing a trembling finger at her friend.
Sarah gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her heart as if deeply wounded.
“How could you say that, Elena?” Sarah whimpered, looking at Victor with pleading eyes.
“I tried to help you, even after I found out you were betraying Victor,” Sarah lied effortlessly.
Victor’s jaw clenched, his gaze shifting from Sarah to the broken woman on the floor.
“I trusted you, Elena,” Victor said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
“I gave you my heart, my home, and you sold my company’s secrets to our competitors,” he said, his voice trembling with a mix of rage and betrayal.
“And now, you try to run away with my unborn child,” Victor added, his fist tightening at his side.
Elena felt a sharp, agonizing contraction ripple through her abdomen.
She cried out, collapsing further onto the cold, hard tile.
“Ahhh! No, Victor, please… the baby,” she gasped, her face turning pale.
The crowd gasped in unison, murmuring in shock at the sudden medical emergency.
One of the security officers stepped forward, looking uneasy.
“Sir, she might be going into premature labor,” the officer warned Victor.
Victor’s eyes flickered with a sudden, momentary panic, but he quickly masked it with steel.
“She is faking it to avoid arrest,” Victor snapped, though his voice lacked its previous certainty.
Sarah quickly stepped in, trying to redirect Victor’s attention.
“He is right, Victor. She did the same thing last week to get out of the meeting,” Sarah lied, her eyes darting nervously.
On the floor, just inches from Elena’s trembling hand, lay the blue United States passport.
It had fallen during the struggle, its pages slightly splayed open.
Elena saw it and realized this was her only chance.
She reached out with her weak, shaking fingers, dragging the passport closer to her.
Sarah noticed the movement and immediately tried to step on the passport to hide it.
“Don’t touch that!” Sarah hissed under her breath.
But Elena was faster, her fingers gripping the edge of the blue booklet.
With a final burst of strength, Elena pulled the passport open, revealing a folded piece of paper tucked inside.
It was not a visa, nor was it a plane ticket.
It was a printed document, stained with Elena’s tears.
“Victor… look at the passport,” Elena choked out, holding it up with a trembling hand.
“Please… just look at what is inside,” she begged, her voice barely a whisper.
Victor stared at the passport, his brows furrowing in confusion.
Sarah panic-stricken, lunged forward to grab the passport from Elena’s hand.
“Don’t listen to her, Victor! It’s just more of her lies!” Sarah screamed, her composure completely shattering.
But the security officer quickly stepped between Sarah and Elena, blocking Sarah’s path.
“Step back, ma’am,” the officer commanded, his hand resting on his holster.
Victor stepped forward, his eyes locked on the folded paper protruding from the passport.
He reached down and snatched the passport from Elena’s hand.
He unfolded the paper, his eyes scanning the text rapidly.
The terminal fell into a suffocating, breathless silence.
The paper was a certified medical laboratory report.
It was a prenatal DNA paternity test, bearing the official seal of the state laboratory.
Victor’s eyes widened as he read the results.
The probability of paternity for Victor was 99.9%.
But that was not all.
Tucked behind the DNA report was a printed transcript of a text message conversation.
The messages were between Sarah and an unknown number, discussing how to frame Elena.
One message from Sarah read: “The fake visa is in her bag. Once she gets to the gate, call the anonymous tip line. Victor will think she is running.”
Another message read: “Once she is deported, Victor will have no choice but to turn to me. The baby will be mine to raise.”
Victor stared at the paper, the words burning into his mind.
The truth crashed over him like a devastating tidal wave.
He had believed the lies of a monster, while the woman he loved was subjected to unimaginable cruelty.
He looked up from the paper, his face pale, his breath catching in his throat.
He looked at Sarah, who was staring at him with a frozen, guilty expression.
“Victor…” Sarah whispered, her voice trembling.
“It’s… it’s a fake. She forged that to save herself,” Sarah stammered, backing away slowly.
Victor’s voice was barely a growl, filled with a terrifying, quiet rage.
“You did this,” Victor said, his eyes drilling into Sarah.
“You set her up. You tried to steal my family,” he said, his voice rising in anger.
Sarah shook her head, her face turning white as she realized she had lost.
“No, Victor, I did it for us! She doesn’t deserve you!” Sarah screamed, completely losing her mind.
Victor turned to the security guards, his voice booming through the terminal.
“Arrest her,” Victor commanded, pointing directly at Sarah.
“She is the one who stole the files, and she has committed identity fraud and human trafficking conspiracy,” he declared.
The guards immediately lunged forward, grabbing Sarah’s arms and twisting them behind her back.
“No! Let me go! Victor, you can’t do this to me!” Sarah shrieked, struggling violently.
The crowd erupted into murmurs and gasps as Sarah was handcuffed and dragged away, her screams fading down the corridor.
Victor didn’t watch her leave.
He dropped to his knees on the cold, hard floor, ignoring the damage to his expensive suit.
He gathered Elena into his arms, his heart breaking at the sight of her tear-streaked face.
“Elena… oh my god, Elena, I am so sorry,” Victor sobbed, pulling her close to his chest.
“I was so blind. I was so incredibly stupid,” he cried, kissing her forehead.
Elena clutched his jacket, another wave of intense pain washing over her.
“Victor… the baby… it’s coming now,” she gasped, her eyes squeezing shut in agony.
Victor looked up at the remaining guard, his voice urgent and commanding.
“Get an ambulance! Now!” Victor yelled.
The guard immediately spoke into his radio, requesting emergency medical services.
Victor looked back down at Elena, holding her hand tightly, pressing it against his chest.
“I’ve got you, Elena. You’re safe now. I’m not leaving your side,” he promised, tears streaming down his face.
Elena looked into his eyes, seeing the genuine love and remorse there, and felt a sense of relief wash over her.
The nightmare was finally over, and a new, hopeful chapter was about to begin.
