AT THE AIRPORT: WHEN THE WORLD STOPPED TURNING
David still stood dazed in front of the boarding gate, his empty gaze piercing through the glass separating him from the runway. Singapore Airlines flight SQ 346 had already moved, slowly drifting away, carrying half his soul with it. The blood on the bandage around his head was beginning to dry, but the wound in his heart was opening wider.
"Mr. David?"
Robert arrived beside him, his face full of concern. He saw David's condition—tattered clothes, wounds on his face, the wrecked car abandoned in front of the terminal.
"Robert," David turned, his voice hoarse. "She's gone."
"We need to get you to the hospital first. These wounds need stitches."
"Not now. Take me to your car. There's something I need to discuss with you."
IN ROBERT'S CAR: THE CONFESSION
On the way to the hospital, David sat in the passenger seat with his eyes closed. But Robert didn't take him straight to the hospital. His car turned into a quiet rest area.
"Robert, this isn't the way to the hospital."
"We need to talk first,David. There's something that can't wait."
Robert turned off the engine. The sound of the beginning rain filled the silence inside the car.
"A few hours ago, when you were chasing Elara to the airport," Robert began carefully, "I received a call from an unexpected person."
David opened his eyes. "Who?"
"A cleaning staff member at Natasha's apartment building.He works part-time for the building management company, and also... occasionally acts as a spy for those who pay well."
"Get to the point, Robert."
"That staff member saw something last night.Natasha had a visitor at her apartment. A woman."
David sat up straighter. "Elara?"
"No.But he recognized her from socialite magazines. It was Sofia, Elara's close friend."
David's heart beat faster. "What was Sofia doing there?"
"According to the staff,they argued. Their voices were loud enough to be heard in the corridor. Sofia said something about 'not letting you destroy their family.' And Natasha... Natasha laughed. Then she said something that made Sofia leave with a pale face."
David took a deep breath. "Anything else?"
"Yes.This morning, before Elara left for the airport, a courier package arrived for her. From Natasha."
THE LETTER AND THE THREATS
Robert took out his tablet from his bag. "I have a copy of the CCTV footage from the villa where Elara was staying. Look."
On the screen, Elara was seen opening a small package. The contents: several photos. David froze. Not photos of him and Natasha, but... photos of Alisha.
Photos of Alisha playing in the schoolyard.
Photos of Alisha in the car with her driver.
Photos of Alisha eating ice cream with her nanny.
And the last one—a photo taken from extremely close range,as if the photographer could touch Alisha at any moment.
"Natasha threatened Alisha," David whispered, his voice trembling with anger.
"More than that."Robert swiped the screen. "There was a letter. Handwritten by Natasha."
The writing was clear and cold:
"Elara,
You have two choices:
1. Leave David forever. Take Alisha far away, and never return. I will ensure David remains intact, and Alisha safe.
2. Stay with him, and I will destroy everything. David's business will collapse. His reputation will be shredded. And Alisha... small accidents can happen anytime to poorly guarded children.
You have 24 hours.
-N"
David felt nauseous. "Elara left... to protect us?"
"It seems so.She sacrificed her own happiness to save you and Alisha."
THE DELIBERATE CLUE
David remembered something. Elara's last words at the airport: "David... if you really want to fix this... find proof. Real proof that Natasha manipulated you. Not words. Proof."
And before that, at the villa, Elara had said: "Give me the photo." When Natasha showed the photo of David and Natasha in bed.
"Robert," David said suddenly. "Elara asked for the original photo from Natasha. But Natasha refused to give it to her."
"That means there's something in that photo that could expose her lies."
"Or...there's metadata in the digital file that can be traced. Time, location, even the device used."
David took out his cracked phone. He opened the message from Natasha—the photo sent to Elara. He zoomed in, examining every detail.
"Look here," he said, pointing to a corner of the photo. "The mirror in the background. There's a reflection."
Robert took his tablet,zooming in on the area David indicated. In the mirror, Natasha's reflection was visible... holding a phone with her left hand. But in the original photo, she was sleeping facing the other direction.
"This is Photoshopped," said Robert. "She combined two photos. One of you sleeping alone, and one of her in the same bed, but at a different time."
"But we need the original files. The raw files with metadata."
"Which are in Natasha's cloud,"Robert concluded.
CHANGE OF PLANS
David looked at Robert. "The plan to secure Natasha... we're changing it."
"What do you mean?"
"We won't kidnap her.But we'll take what we need: access to her cloud, the original files, and all evidence that she manipulated the photos and threatened my family."
Robert nodded. "That's riskier. But more honorable."
"And we need proof that she threatened Elara.That letter. Recorded conversations. Anything."
"There's one more thing, David." Robert paused briefly. "Sofia. She knows something. But she's afraid. Natasha threatened her too—threatened to ruin her husband's career in banking."
"We need to meet Sofia. But first..." David pointed to the bandage on his head. "The hospital. I need stitches so I can think clearly."
THE HOSPITAL: AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER
In the emergency room, while the doctor was stitching his wound, David received a call from an unknown number.
"Hello?"
"David."The voice made his blood run cold.
"Natasha."
"You survived the accident.What a shame."
"You're insane.Threatening my wife and daughter?"
"She's not your wife anymore,David. She chose to leave. And you know why? Because she loves you more than she loves herself. She's willing to suffer as long as you and your daughter are safe."
David clenched his free hand. "I will destroy you."
"You can't.I have everything. Photos, videos, even... I have access to your company's financial systems. Remember the merger with Lim's company last month? I arranged everything. There's a backdoor in your IT system now."
David felt a cold chill. "What do you want?"
"I want you.Like before. But since that's impossible... I want everything you have. Your company. Your wealth. Your reputation. And finally, when you have nothing left, you'll kneel and beg me."
"You're sick, Natasha."
"You made me like this,David! You threw me away like trash! After everything we went through!"
The doctor finished the last stitch. David stood up, walking to a more private corner of the room.
"This conversation is being recorded, Natasha. And the police will hear it."
Laughter from the other side."Record it, David. No one will believe it. I've prepared everything. Even if you die, I'll still win."
The call ended.
A NEW AWAKENING
David returned to his seat, his body trembling—not from fear, but from boiling anger. Robert approached.
"Who?"
"Natasha.She claims to have access to the company's systems."
"We need to move fast.My team is ready. We can enter her apartment tonight."
"No," said David. "We'll do it legally. We'll gather evidence, then hand it over to the police."
"But time—"
"Elara gave me a clue.She believes I can do this right. I won't disappoint her."
David stood up, his head freshly stitched but his mind clear for the first time since this scandal began.
"Contact our best lawyers. And digital detectives. We'll track Natasha's every move. Every transaction. Every communication."
"And Elara?Alisha?"
David looked out the window,toward the sky where Elara's plane might be passing.
"They're safe for now. But not forever. I will bring them home. But first, I need to clean the house. Exterminate the rats gnawing at its foundation."
In his heart, David promised: Elara, you sacrificed yourself for me. Now it's my turn to prove your sacrifice wasn't in vain. I will become a man worthy of you again. I will clear our name, and welcome you home with clean hands.
But the road ahead was still long. And Natasha, like a spider in the center of her web, was still waiting for her next prey.
That night, David didn't return to his empty house. He went to the office, gathering his trusted team. An open war would begin tomorrow. And this time, he wouldn't use dirty methods.
Because Elara believed in him. And for that belief, he would prove that a second chance at love was indeed possible—as long as it was fought for the right way.