I turned around, startled. “What do you mean, sweetheart?”
He shrugged, eyes fixed on the terminal entrance. “I don’t know. Just… watch him.”
Children say strange things. I knew that. But something in his tone—quiet, serious—made my chest tighten. I told him to buckle up and wait. I didn’t start the car.
I watched the automatic doors.
A few minutes passed. Then Daniel appeared again.
My heart skipped—maybe he forgot something? But instead of heading toward the departure gates, he walked straight outside, scanned the area, and climbed into a yellow taxi waiting near the curb.
I felt my hands shake.
Without thinking, I pulled out of the parking spot and followed at a distance. The taxi didn’t head back toward our neighborhood. It drove across town, away from the airport, away from anything that made sense.
After twenty minutes, it stopped in front of a modest suburban house. Blue shutters. Neatly trimmed lawn. A child’s bicycle lying on its side near the driveway.
Daniel stepped out.
Then the front door opened.
A woman stood there—young, blonde—and beside her was a little girl who looked about three years old.
The girl ran straight into my husband’s arms.
Daniel lifted her effortlessly, laughing, kissing her hair like it was the most natural thing in the world.
And that was the moment my blood froze in my veins.