Chapter 9: The Race Against Time
The private jet tore through the night sky, flying at maximum speed toward Mexico. Inside, Arthur sat beside Leo and Mia. The children were dressed in warm, comfortable clothes, their faces pressed against the window, looking at the stars.
"Are we really going to get Mom?" Mia asked, clutching a brand new teddy bear.
"Yes, sweetheart," Arthur promised, holding her small hand. "We're bringing her home."
When they landed, a heavily armed convoy was waiting for them, organized by David. They drove through the dusty, impoverished streets of the border town, finally arriving at a crumbling stone building with a faded red cross painted on the door.
Arthur’s heart hammered against his ribs as he pushed open the wooden doors. The smell of bleach and sickness hung heavy in the air.
A tired-looking nun led them down a dark corridor to a small room at the very back.
"She is very weak," the nun whispered in Spanish. "She stopped eating two days ago. She said she was just waiting for a sign."
Arthur pushed the door open.
Laying on a narrow cot, pale as the sheets beneath her, was Elena. She was terrifyingly thin, dark circles bruising her eyes, her beautiful hair tangled and dull. But it was her. The woman who had consumed his thoughts for six years.
"Mommy!" Mia screamed, breaking away from Arthur and running to the bed.
Elena’s heavy eyelids fluttered open. She looked confused, thinking she was hallucinating in her fever. But then she felt the small, warm weight of her daughter, and the tears began to fall.
Leo ran in next, burying his face in her neck, crying for the first time since he had arrived at the wedding hall.
Arthur slowly approached the bed, falling to his knees beside it. He took Elena's frail, trembling hand and pressed it to his lips. He was sobbing, the billionaire who had just ruthlessly destroyed two empires, crying like a child.
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"You found them," Elena whispered, her voice barely a breath. "You kept your promise."
"I'm so sorry," Arthur choked out. "I didn't know. I swear to God, I didn't know. I'm taking you home, Elena. I've brought the best doctors in the world. You are not going to die. Do you hear me? I am never letting you go again."
