Chapter 4 - A Race Against Time
Catherine stared at Victor, tears instantly welling in her eyes. She looked past him and saw Annie, who ran forward and threw her small arms around her mother.
“Mommy! I found Daddy! He didn't forget us!” Annie cried.
Catherine held her daughter tightly, her eyes locked on Victor. “Victor... why are you here? Your mother... she said if you ever found out where we were, you would take Annie away and destroy me. She said you hated me.”
“She lied, Catherine. She lied about everything,” Victor said, his voice cracking with emotion. He gathered both Catherine and Annie into his arms, holding them as if he could shield them from the past three years of misery. “I never stopped loving you. I thought you abandoned me. I’ve been sending fifty thousand dollars every month, thinking you were living comfortably in another country. My mother kept all of it. She stole our lives.”
Catherine let out a ragged, heartbroken sob. The weight of three years of terror, starvation, and isolation finally broke her. “I didn't want to leave, Victor. I loved you so much. But she threatened to take Annie... I couldn't lose my baby.”
“I know, my love. I know everything now,” Victor whispered, kissing her hot forehead. “But that’s over. I swear to you, no one will ever hurt you again.”
Suddenly, Catherine gasped, her eyes widening as she looked past Victor toward the open door.
Standing in the doorway was a burly, aggressive-looking man holding a clipboard. It was Hector, the notorious, ruthless landlord of the building. Behind him stood two men holding crowbars.
“Well, well, well,” Hector sneered, looking at Victor’s expensive suit and then at Catherine. “Looks like the deadbeat finally brought a wealthy client home. I don't care who you are, mister. This woman owes three months of back rent. That’s fifteen hundred dollars, plus late fees. Pay up right now, or she and the kid are sleeping in the rain tonight.”
Victor stood up slowly. The grief on his face instantly hardened into pure, unadulterated rage. He stepped between the landlord and his family.
“You dare threaten my wife and daughter?” Victor’s voice was dangerously low.
“I don’t care if she’s your wife, your mistress, or your queen,” Hector spat, stepping forward aggressively. “This is my building. Pay me, or get the hell out.”
Victor didn't argue. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick wad of cash—nearly ten thousand dollars he had kept for emergencies. He threw the entire stack of bills directly at the landlord's face. The cash exploded in the air, bills fluttering to the dirty floor.
“Take it,” Victor snarled. “Take it and get out of my sight before I buy this entire building just to have the pleasure of firing you and throwing you into the street.”
Hector’s jaw dropped. He and his thugs immediately dropped to their knees, desperately scrambling to grab the scattered hundred-dollar bills.
Victor didn't waste another second. He turned back to Catherine, who was shivering violently from her fever.
“Brian!” Victor called out.
May you like
Brian immediately entered the room. “Yes, Mr. Williams?”
“Help me carry her. We’re going to the best private hospital in the city. Now!”
