The wrong way out
1024 Words
Ava POV
I heard a loud knock that made me jump from the bed. My heart slammed hard against my chest immediately. For a second, I just sat there frozen while my mind raced through every terrible possibility.
Could that be someone from management? Or worse… Ethan?
I swallowed hard and slowly got down from the bed carefully not to wake Leo who was still sleeping peacefully beside me.
Another knock came, louder this time.
I flinched.
God. What is happening to me?
The missing document had turned me into someone I barely recognized, I'm now so anxious, restless and constantly afraid.
I walked toward the door slowly and placed my trembling hand on the handle.
The moment I opened it, my eyes widened in shock.
“Aria?”
“Good morning, ma’am,” she said though confusion was already written across her face probably because of how pale and startled I looked.
I released a shaky breath and stepped aside quickly.
“Come in.”
She entered slowly, her eyes moving around the apartment before settling back on me.
“What brought you here this morning?” I asked tiredly.
“I just came to check on you,” she replied softly. “Last night when I called, you suddenly hung up and I got worried.”
Guilt twisted inside me.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “Everything is just… overwhelming right now.”
“I know.”
Silence stretched briefly between us, then she stepped closer
“Ma’am,” she lowered her voice carefully, “I have a plan.”
I frowned immediately.
“A plan?”
She nodded quickly. “But we can’t discuss it here ma'am, just get ready for work first.”
“Will this plan bring back the document?” I asked desperately.
Her hesitation lasted barely two seconds but I still caught it.
“What kind of plan is this, Aria?”
“Please trust me first,” she said quietly. “We are running out of time.”
I rubbed my forehead slowly. “The final meeting is tomorrow.”
“I know.” she said softly.
“And if we fail this project, everything I worked for…” My voice cracked slightly.
Aria looked at me sympathetically. “That’s exactly why we need to act fast.”
I stared at her for a long moment before finally nodding weakly.
“Fine, give me a few minutes.”
She nodded. “I’ll wait.”
I turned and walked back into the bedroom.
Leo was still asleep, he was curled up under the blanket with one tiny hand beneath his cheek.
I sat beside him gently and brushed my fingers through his hair.
“Baby,” I whispered softly. “Wake up.”
He turned slightly before blinking sleepily at me.
“Good morning, mommy…” he murmured.
“Good morning, sunshine.”
He stretched lazily then suddenly wrapped his little arms around my waist.
“You didn’t leave.”
Pain stabbed through my chest immediately.
“No,” I whispered. “I told you I wouldn’t.”
He smiled sleepily against me and for a moment, I wished the world could stay this small, just me and him, no pressure at all, no missing documents, but reality waited outside the bedroom door.
I got him ready quietly, helped him to brush his teeth while he yawned dramatically every few seconds.
By the time we left the apartment, my nerves had already returned.
Aria drove us silently to the nanny’s house first.
When I kissed Leo goodbye, he held my hand for a little longer than usual.
“You’ll come early today?” he asked hopefully.
I forced a smile. “I’ll try my best.”
“Promise?”
The word hit differently now after last night.
“I promise.”
He smiled and ran inside.
The moment the door closed behind him, the silence inside the car became heavy, I turned slowly toward Aria.
“Now tell me about this plan.”
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel before speaking.
“We can… we can recreate the document.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“We still have copies of some reports, old drafts, emails and meeting summaries,” she explained quickly. “If we work through everything today, we can rebuild most of it.”
Relief rushed through me so fast that I almost collapsed against the seat.
“Yes…” I breathed. “Yes, we can do that.”
But Aria still looked nervous.
“What?” I asked slowly.
She avoided my eyes. “There’s one problem.”
My stomach twisted again.
“What problem?”
“The final signed approval pages.”
Cold fear slid down my spine.
The approval pages carried official signatures, financial authorization and original verification stamps and they are impossible to reproduce illegally.
I stared at her slowly as realization dawned on me.
“No, Aria, no!”
“Ma’am…”
“No, Aria.”
“It’s the only way.”
“You want to forge company documents?” I whispered in disbelief.
“We don’t have another option!” she snapped suddenly before lowering her voice again. “If the management finds out the original file disappeared under our watch, we’re both finished.”
I felt sick instantly.
“This is insane.”
“Is losing your career better?” she shot back emotionally. “Because that’s exactly what will happen if we walk into that meeting empty-handed.”
I looked away sharply, my chest tightening painfully, everything inside me screamed that this was wrong, illegal, dangerous and unethical but another voice whispered something uglier.
‘What if this is the only way to survive?’ I closed my eyes briefly.
“No…” I murmured weakly. “No, I can’t do this.”
Aria exhaled shakily. “Miss Ava,
sometimes survival makes people do desperate things.”
The car fell silent after that and for the first time since this nightmare started, I realized something terrifying, this situation wasn’t just threatening my career anymore, it was threatening the kind of person I was becoming.
- Writer
