Chapter 30 LEAVING ?😳

Chapter 30 LEAVING ?😳
Sophia's cab pulled up to the airport, and she paid the driver, stepping out with her bags in tow. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She could do this. She had to do this. As she walked towards the terminal, she felt a strange mix of fear and exhilaration. She was taking control of her life, something she hadn't done in a long time.
Inside, she checked in for her flight and made her way through security, her eyes darting around nervously. She half-expected Callum to appear at any moment, to drag her back to that prison of a contract marriage. But as she sat at the gate, waiting for her flight to be called, she began to relax. She was really doing this. She was leaving. Martin and Mira were here too, but they were waiting somewhere else to avoid suspicion or any sort of surprise pictures from a paparazzi. They will meet up after they land in their destination.
After some time, Sophia's flight was called, and she boarded the plane, finding her seat and settling in. She looks out of the window, watching as the ground crew moved around, preparing for takeoff. She felt a sense of finality as the plane began to taxi down the runway. This was it. She was leaving.
As the plane lifted off, she closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, feeling the weight of the past few days start to lift off her shoulders. She didn't know what the future held, but she knew she was ready to face it on her own terms.

Callum arrived at the airport, his heart pounding. He rushesinside, frantically scanning the departure board for any flights that could be taking her away. He ran to the ticket counter, flashing his ID. "I need to know if Sophia Bennett is on any outgoing flights. It's an emergency."
The attendant looks up, startled by his urgency. "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't give out passenger information."
Callum leans in, desperation in his eyes. "Please. It's an emergency." He begs.
The attendant hesitated, then nodded slightly. "I'll see what I can do." She typed quickly into her computer, her eyes scanning the screen. "There was a booking under that name on a flight that just took off. I'm sorry, sir. It's already in the air."
Callum's heart sank. He was too late. She was gone.
Only minutes after she had left did he realize what a big mistake he was doing by letting her go. How had he allowed himself get so riled that he did not think straight enough to stop her when she said she was leaving? He should have stopped her from leaving, no, he should not have let her leave after she followed him to where his private plane was parked.
After their talk at the office, she had waited around the office for him until he was done, then together, they had headed down to the garage and Max had driven him to his building where his private plane was parked. She had gotten out of the car with him and even climbed into the plane with him. That is when he should have stopped her, but he had not. A foolish thing, now he was thinking of it. No matter what it took or how angry it would have made her, he should have ensured she never made it out of that plane. He should have given the order for the plane to leave, and then he should have faced whatever fury she would have thrown his way, but he had foolishly let her leave. And only after she was gone for minutes did his eyes open to what he foolishness he had just made.
He had immediately run down his plane and gone in search of her, but no one had seen her. Even Max said he had not seen her come into the garage or exit from there. In a frenzy, he had gone back into the building and up to the rooftop to search, but she was no longer in the building. Only when he was coming down to the garage again did he meet a cleaner who told him he had seen a lady, an exact description of Sophia, ask one of the delivery bus for a ride out.
Smart move, even for her, because that was the only way she evaded Max so easily, and now she was gone. He had rushed into the car and asked Max to head with speed for the nearest airport, but here he was, and it was already too late. Not even all the money he had would make that plane stop at this very moment when it was already in the air.
“Damn it!” Callum screams mentally as he stood watching all the planes that were taking off at that time.

Sophia looks out the window as the plane soared higher, the city below shrinking into a patchwork of streets and buildings. She felt a pang of sadness mixed with relief. She had cared for the deal, maybe even begin to care about the man involved in her own way, but she couldn't stay in a marriage built on lies. She would find a way to start over for herself, while thinking of the best way to annul this marriage when the time was right. She would take this honeymoon time off, try to think and put her priorities straight, and then build a new life for herself.
As the plane leveled out, she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, turning it on. She hesitated for a moment, then sent a single text to Mira.
"I'm okay. I'll explain everything to you two later. Please don't tell anyone where we are."
She turned the phone off again, not wanting to risk any calls or messages from Callum. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and let herself drift off, hoping that the next chapter of her life would be kinder than the last.

Callum stood in the middle of the bustling airport, feeling a crushing sense of defeat. He had lost her. For the first time in his life, he felt completely powerless. As he turned to leave, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, hoping against hope that it was Sophia.
But it was Ethan.
"Callum, where are you? We need to talk." Ethan says.
Callum sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Not now, Ethan. I have bigger problems."
Ethan's voice was urgent. "It's about the last San Francisco dealwe talked about. There have been some... complications. We need to meet. Now."
Callum clenched his jaw, the weight of the world pressing down on him. "Fine. I'll be there soon." He ended the call and walkstowards the exit, his mind a storm of emotions. He had to find a way to fix this. To fix everything.