Chapter 164

Chapter 164
Elena's POV

The quiet of the late-night airport terminal surrounded us like a vacuum, stealing away all comfort. Max dozed on my shoulder as we sat in the nearly empty waiting area. Only a few other travelers dotted the vast space, each absorbed in their own worlds.

William had gone to handle our boarding passes, leaving us alone under the harsh fluorescent lights.

My thoughts kept returning to Kathy and Lily. How would they feel waking up to find me gone? Again. The guilt twisted in my stomach like a knife.

"Mom, I'm hungry," Max mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he stirred from his half-sleep.

I scanned our surroundings and spotted a convenience store still open at the far end of the terminal. "William is handling our tickets, let's get you something to eat."

The store was brightly lit. A bored clerk glanced up from his phone as we entered.

"What would you like, sweetie?" I asked, guiding Max through the aisles.

His eyes lit up when we reached the refrigerated section. "Milk!" he declared, pointing to a small bottle of fresh milk.

I reached for it, suddenly feeling an inexplicable chill run down my spine. Something felt wrong. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.

Before I could process the feeling, a powerful gust of movement swept through the store. In an instant, Max was snatched from my side, swept up by a pair of strong arms.

"Mommy!" Max's scream pierced the air.

I whirled around, my heart nearly stopping as I recognized the tall figure holding my son. Richard stood before me, his face contorted with fury, eyes blood-red with rage. He held Max against his chest with one arm, the boy's legs dangling as he struggled.

"Richard?" My voice came out as a breathless whisper, my face draining of all color. "How did you—weren't you supposed to be back home?"

His lips curled into a sneer, revealing teeth that seemed too sharp under the fluorescent lighting. "Is that your question?" His voice was dangerously low, almost a growl. "Didn't expect to see me, did you? Did I interrupt your escape plan?"

"Mommy!" Max cried again, reaching for me with outstretched arms.

I stepped forward, trying to keep my voice calm. "Richard, please, you're scaring him. This isn't what you think—"

"No?" His expression twisted further. "Then what is it, Elena? Because it looks exactly like you're running away with William. Again."

I shook my head. "You don't understand. We just have urgent business in Elysium—"

"And you expect me to believe that?" he cut me off.

His tone made me tense all over, anger and fear coexisting. "Richard, you're being completely unreasonable!"

I lunged forward, reaching for Max. "Give him back to me!"

Richard effortlessly sidestepped. "You have no right to touch my child."

"Your son?" I felt my own anger flaring. "So now you know the truth? Where were you this afternoon when he nearly died in that ravine? Where were you when he was calling for help?"

His face flickered with something—guilt, perhaps—before hardening again.

"Even if I were leaving with another man, it's none of your business!" I snapped.

Something dangerous flashed in Richard's eyes. His entire body tensed like a predator preparing to strike. In that moment, his eyes filled with gold, veins bulging at his temples.

"Leaving me?" he whispered, the words barely audible yet somehow filling the entire store.

Before I could react, his free hand shot out, wrapping around my throat. With terrifying strength, he slammed me against the wall, glass bottles rattling with the impact. His fingers tightened, cutting off my air.

"You want to leave?" he hissed, his face inches from mine. "Fine. But you'll leave as a corpse."

I clawed at his hand, panic flooding my system as my lungs burned for air.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Max's screams echoed distantly as consciousness began to fade.

The store employees were frozen in terror, no one daring to approach.

Just as the darkness was about to consume me, I heard a familiar voice cut through the chaos.

"Richard, stop!"

The pressure on my throat suddenly disappeared as William grabbed Richard's arm. I collapsed to my knees, gulping air into my burning lungs, coughing violently.

Richard's shock passed quickly, and as he looked at the crying child in his arms, then at me on the floor, a glimmer of rationality returned to his eyes.

Max was sobbing uncontrollably now, desperately reaching toward me. "Mommy, mommy," he cried, his little hands grasping at the air between us.

William stepped forward, arms extended. "Richard, give me the child."

Richard instinctively backed away, a low growl rumbling from deep in his chest. "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm saving your child. Don't you realize what you were just doing? Your condition..." William realized he had said too much.

Richard's voice turned coldly calculating as he stared at William. "So, you know my secret? Who exactly are you? Always showing up at the perfect moment. Tell me, William, is this just about getting Elena? Or are you planning something against me?"

William's body visibly tensed.

I looked between them, confusion cutting through my fear. "William?" I questioned, my voice raspy from the injury to my throat.

William's eyes met mine, filled with unmistakable guilt. "Elena, I can explain—"

"William," Richard interrupted, his voice now eerily calm. "Did you really think stealing my wife and undermining my company would make her fall for you?"

The betrayal hit me like a physical blow. I stared at William, the man I had trusted.

A heavy silence fell over us, broken only by Max's quieting sobs.

"Enough," I finally said, my voice cold and hard despite the pain in my throat. "William, we need to board now."

Both men froze, clearly not expecting this response.

Richard stood immobile, shock paralyzing him. "What?" he managed, his voice barely audible.

I faced him directly, my eyes flint-hard. "You heard me. We're leaving."

"You're choosing him?" Richard asked incredulously.

Richard lunged forward, grabbing my arm and turning me to face him.

"Why?" he demanded, his voice breaking with an emotion I'd never heard from him before. "I told you what he's doing. I said... isn't it clear enough?"

I looked at him, taking in his disheveled appearance and the desperation etched across his features.

"Because compared to what your family has done to me," I said, my voice deadly quiet, "his betrayal is nothing."

The words hit Richard like a physical blow. His hand fell from my arm as if burned, his face draining of all color. For a brief moment, I saw something shatter behind his eyes.