Chapter 4
1269 Words
Elena did not look back until Vale Tower disappeared behind the other buildings.
The car moved through the quiet streets of Silvercrest City. Rain had begun to fall, covering the windows with thin lines of water.
Elena sat in the back seat with both hands wrapped around her handbag.
Her body was still inside the car, but her mind remained in the penthouse.
She could still see Adrian standing outside the lift.
She could still hear him calling her name.
For one painful moment, she wondered if she had made a mistake.
Then she remembered his phone ringing.
Vanessa’s name on the screen.
Adrian’s eyes moving toward it.
Even during Elena’s final goodbye, Vanessa had found a way to stand between them.
Elena closed her eyes.
She could not return.
The driver glanced at her through the mirror.
“Are you comfortable, ma’am?”
“Yes,” Elena answered.
Her voice sounded weak.
The driver did not ask another question.
He had been sent by Maya, the only person who knew Elena’s plan. Maya had helped her book a flight under her maiden name and had found a small apartment for her in another city.
Everything had been arranged carefully.
Elena had wanted to leave before Adrian understood what was happening.
Now she wondered whether Vanessa already knew.
The cameras in Adrian’s building had gone dark at the exact time she entered the garage. Elena did not know why. She had been too upset to notice anything strange.
Perhaps Maya’s driver had used a service entrance to avoid attention.
Perhaps the building system had simply failed.
Or perhaps Vanessa’s message had not been sent by mistake.
He still doesn’t know, does he? Make sure it stays that way.
The words returned to Elena’s mind.
What was Vanessa talking about?
And why had she mentioned Elena’s test results at Crane Medical Centre?
Elena searched her memory.
She had visited Crane Medical Centre once, more than a year ago, after fainting at a charity dinner. Adrian had been out of the country. Vanessa had insisted on taking her to the hospital because the Crane family owned it.
The doctor had said Elena was tired and needed rest.
Nothing more.
Could Vanessa be talking about that old visit?
It made no sense.
Elena opened her handbag and searched for a bottle of water.
The movement caused a sudden wave of sickness to rise inside her.
She pressed one hand against her mouth.
“Please stop the car.”
The driver quickly moved to the side of the road.
Elena pushed open the door and leaned forward.
Her stomach tightened painfully, but there was almost nothing inside it. She had barely eaten all day.
When the sickness passed, she sat back, breathing slowly.
“Should I take you to a hospital?” the driver asked.
“No.”
“You do not look well.”
“I’m only tired.”
“Are you sure?”
Elena nodded.
The last place she wanted to enter was another hospital.
“Please take me to the airport.”
The driver continued the journey.
Elena rested her head against the seat. She had been feeling strange for several days. At first, she blamed stress. She had suffered headaches, tiredness, and a strange dislike for the smell of coffee.
That morning, even Adrian’s perfume had made her uncomfortable.
She had ignored every sign because her mind was focused on leaving.
There was no reason to think it was anything serious.
By the time they reached Silvercrest International Airport, the sky was beginning to grow lighter.
The driver carried her suitcase inside.
Elena thanked him and walked toward the check-in area.
The airport was busy despite the early hour. People pulled suitcases across the bright floor. Children cried. Workers called out instructions. Screens showed flights leaving for cities around the world.
Elena stood beneath one of the screens and searched for her flight.
Flight 712 — On Time.
A small feeling of relief entered her chest.
In less than two hours, she would be gone.
She joined the line at the check-in desk.
The smell of food drifted from a nearby café.
Elena’s stomach turned again.
She gripped the handle of her suitcase.
The room seemed to move.
Lights became too bright. Voices grew distant.
Someone behind her said, “Miss, are you all right?”
Elena tried to answer.
Her knees weakened.
A woman caught her arm before she fell.
“Someone call the airport clinic!”
“I’m fine,” Elena whispered.
But she was not fine.
Cold sweat covered her forehead. Her heart was beating too quickly, and a sharp weakness spread through her body.
Two airport workers helped her into a wheelchair.
“My flight,” Elena said. “I cannot miss it.”
“You need to be checked first,” one of them replied.
They took her to a small medical room near the departure hall.
A doctor named Dr Patel examined her while a nurse brought water.
“Have you eaten today?” the doctor asked.
“Not much.”
“Have you been under stress?”
“Yes.”
“Any fever?”
“No.”
“Stomach pain?”
“Only sickness.”
Dr Patel checked her blood pressure and asked more questions.
Then he looked at her carefully.
“When was your last monthly period?”
Elena blinked.
The question seemed to empty the room of sound.
“I…”
She tried to remember.
The past few weeks had been filled with arguments, lawyers, secret plans, and sleepless nights.
She counted backwards in her mind.
Her breath caught.
It was late.
Very late.
Dr Patel noticed the fear on her face.
“Is there a chance you could be pregnant?”
Elena looked down at her empty ring finger.
A pale mark remained where her wedding ring had rested for three years.
“I don’t know.”
“Have you had any other signs? Tiredness? Changes in appetite? Strong reactions to smells?”
Elena thought about the coffee.
The perfume.
The sickness in the car.
“Yes.”
The doctor’s expression remained gentle.
“These symptoms can have many causes. Stress alone can make someone feel very unwell. But pregnancy is also possible.”
Elena’s hand moved slowly toward her stomach.
Pregnant.
The word filled her with fear and something softer.
Something she did not dare name.
She imagined a tiny life growing inside her while she signed the divorce papers.
Adrian’s child.
No.
She could not think about Adrian now.
“Can you test me?” she asked.
“The airport clinic only has a limited supply of tests, but the nurse is checking.”
Elena nodded.
Her handbag began to ring.
She froze.
Only Maya had her new number.
She pulled out the phone.
The screen showed Unknown Caller.
For a moment, she considered ignoring it.
Then she remembered Vanessa’s strange message.
Elena answered carefully.
“Hello?”
No one spoke.
She could only hear breathing.
“Who is this?”
A woman’s frightened voice finally whispered, “Mrs Vale, do not give your name to anyone at that airport.”
Elena sat straighter.
“What?”
The woman began to cry.
“I worked at Crane Medical Centre. I know why Vanessa called your husband tonight.”
Elena’s fingers tightened around the phone.
“Tell me.”
Before the woman could answer, Dr Patel returned holding a small sealed test.
At the same moment, the voice on the phone whispered four words that made Elena’s blood run cold.
“They are already watching you.”
- Writer
