Chapter 10 - The Sentence That Broke My HeartI replayed the recording.
David's voice was unmistakable.
“Once the baby is gone, Claire will finally be safe.”
My hands began to shake.
Maya stood beside me, tears sliding down her cheeks.
“Maybe there's an explanation,” she whispered.
I wanted to believe her.
But the recording sounded clear.
The cabin manager listened carefully and asked where the audio had come from.
Maya explained that her tablet had accidentally begun recording when she pressed the camera button at the airport.
The voice came from a call Victoria had made near the charging station.
David had been speaking to someone about Leo.
The woman was holding the phone at a distance, but the words had been captured.
“Perhaps the recording lacks context,” Denise said cautiously.
I almost laughed.
Context.
A stranger stole our seats. Another man carried my baby's blanket. A woman claimed my dead mother was alive. My husband had known someone was coming for our son.
And now I was supposed to believe a missing piece of context would make everything normal again?
I requested another call with David.
This time, he answered immediately.
“Claire, are you safe?”
“Did you say that once Leo was gone, I would finally be safe?”
Silence.
Then he whispered, “You heard the recording.”
“Answer me!”
“I was talking about a plan to get you and the children out of danger.”
“What plan involves taking my baby?”
“Not taking him permanently.”
The words made me recoil.
“That's your explanation?”
“Claire, I was trying to protect you. Someone had threatened to kill all three of you. I thought if I cooperated, they'd leave you alone.”
“You cooperated with the people who threatened our son?”
“I thought I could control it!”
My chest ached.
I had spent eight years believing David was the one person who would never betray me.
Now I wasn't sure whether he was trying to save our child or hand him over.
Then he whispered something that changed everything.
“Claire, listen. The woman on your plane isn't the person who arranged this.”
“Then who did?”
David's voice trembled.
“The person who arranged it is sitting beside you.”
I slowly turned.
Victoria was gone.
May you like
Her seat belt hung loose.
And the cabin door near the rear galley was open.
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