[~Song Recommendation: Where We Come Alive by Ruelle~]
*BOOM!!!*
By instinct, Cammy swiftly wrapped Dylan in her arms and instinctively ducked, mirroring the response of many others in the airport upon hearing the deafening explosion. Amidst the chaos, screams of astonishment and fear echoed. When she finally raised her head, a scene of panic unfolded – people were rushing towards the glass wall facing the runway.
"Oh my God!" she gasped, covering her mouth in shock as she witnessed flaming debris cascading onto the runway. A glance further revealed a plane, or at least part of it engulfed in a wild blaze.
The ticketing agent she had spoken to earlier stood beside her and uttered, "That was your flight, ma'am. It was Flight AC 273 that just took off. You're so lucky you missed it." The agent patted her shoulder before departing to assist in crowd control.
Cammy's knees turned to jelly, and she slumped to the floor. The tears she held back when Dylan was missing, now streamed down her face. Her hands trembled as she pulled Dylan into a tight embrace.
Relief washed over her that they weren't on that ill-fated plane, yet a deep sadness lingered for those who had boarded it. The woman and the boy she bumped into came into her mind who had their boarding passes, and she couldn't fathom if it was really an accident or fate.
"Did you get hurt, Mommy? Didn't the woman say we are lucky, please don't cry, we are safe!" Dylan asked innocently, his eyes fixed on her.
"You're right, Mommy is just happy that we are safe," Cammy replied. Slowly, she rose, propping her hands on her quivering knees to push herself up.
"Come on, let's get out of here," she said, maintaining composure and calmness in front of Dylan, though deep inside, she yearned to run and hide from that traumatic situation. It could have been them in that tragic accident after all.
Leading Dylan to a less crowded area, she aimed to keep him away from the panic unfolding around them. Despite being shaken by the incident, she felt a need to be brave, not for her, but for her son.
Her desire to escape from Duncan persisted, but she found herself without a destination and unsure of what to do at that moment. Retrieving her phone from her bag to call her mom, she intended to prevent them from worrying unnecessarily since she would surely see the plane incident on the news.
'Damn! My phone is in Dylan's backpack!' she cursed inwardly upon realizing her work phone was the one in her bag and not her personal phone.
The only contact numbers in there were her boss' and the manager of the resort where she is working as a web developer.
"I can't contact Manager Ellie; she must be asleep with her husband and kids right now," she murmured to herself, deciding to reach out to her boss instead. "I'll ask for forgiveness after explaining that it's an emergency."
And so, she quickly tapped on her boss' number and patiently waited for her to answer.
[Cammy? It's quite late. Is something wrong?] Felicity Cane answered her phone call. She is the owner of Pearl Resort and Restaurant and Cammy's boss, she is also well aware of the events in Cammy's life.
Despite being her boss, Felicity often served as a source of advice on marriage and raising kids, playing a more maternal role in Cammy's life than her own mother.
Cammy found herself at a loss for words and remained silent on the other end. Felicity sensed that something was amiss after hearing emergency sirens. [Where are you? It sounds noisy in the background.]
"I'm at the airport. We missed the flight, and that plane just exploded a few minutes ago... I... I..." Her voice trembled as she struggled not to cry in front of Dylan.
Cammy covered her mouth as she whispered on the phone, "I'm scared, Felicity. Dylan is with me, and I am shaking. Something happened, and I don't want to go home, but I have nowhere to go."
[Stay where you are. I'll send him over to pick you up. He's in his penthouse right now. Don't go anywhere,] Felicity swiftly instructed.
"No, don't. I don't want to bother him. He might be sleeping already," Cammy protested.
[What are you saying? You know he would do anything for you whether he is sleeping or awake, you are family to us. So, stay put. I'll call you back; I'll call him first.] Felicity ended the call, leaving no room for Cammy to decline her offer any further.
*********
Cammy didn't have to wait long. In less than an hour, their ride arrived earlier than expected.
"Cammy!" called the tall man with a tan complexion and Spanish-Italian descent. All eyes shifted to the sprinting figure, appearing as though he had just stepped out of a salon with his impeccable appearance.
He sported a tailored long-sleeve shirt, with the top three buttons casually undone, revealing a glimpse of his well-defined chest, much to the fascination of onlookers.
"Ric, I'm so sorry to be a burden. I really don't want to bother you but Felicity ended the call before I could say no and she was already on another call when I tried to call her back. But thank you so much for coming. You can just drop us off at the bus station, and we could ride the bus going to the resort," Cammy quickly informed Ricardo Rossi, a famous entrepreneur turned celebrity chef and part-owner of the restaurant in Pearl Resort.
"That's rubbish Cammy, you and Dylan are not a burden to me and you know that. Come on, let's get you out of here," Ricardo said before draping his jacket around Cammy's shoulder and carrying Dylan after seeing how tired and sleepy the boy looked.
While they were walking to the parking lot, two sets of eyes were watching them closely.
"Isn't that the chef I see on TV?" the man in a gray suit asked his boss.
"I have no idea, Harry. I don't have time to watch such things," the boss replied nonchalantly.
"Maybe he is the father of that boy, that's why he is cute. What a lovely family, he is surely one lucky man to have a wife like her."
"Stop staring at them. There's no point in staying here when all flights got canceled. Drop me at my penthouse, let's go…"
"Got it, Mr. Cross."
**********
Ric guided Cammy and Dylan into his car in the airport's parking lot and thought, 'Her bastard husband must have done something stupid again and that's why her eyes are red and puffy, just like always.
He doesn't deserve her. She deserves me more than him. I'll be able to capture her heart one day, just wait and see, Duncan. I am going to steal your wife and make her mine. All you have to do is keep doing what you have been doing to her all these years.
Go and f*ck as many women as you want and in the end, it's me who's going to win. Don't think that no one knows what you have been doing all these years. I will expose you soon once the timing is right.'
Throughout the journey, Cammy remained silent, her thoughts scattered. She couldn't shake the disbelief that missing their flight turned out to be a stroke of luck, sparing their lives.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Ricardo interrupted her thoughts, and gently squeezed her upper thigh to catch her attention, flashing a smile that could easily captivate any woman.
Instinctively, Cammy drew her legs together, discreetly signaling for Ricardo to remove his hand from her thigh. Thankfully, he complied, returning it to the steering wheel where it belonged.
"Why head to the resort instead of going home? Does your husband know you're going elsewhere? If I were him, I'd be frantic seeing news of your plane exploding; it could give me a heart attack. Have you informed him of what happened?"
Thankfully they already reached the resort and Cammy found an excuse not to answer Ric's question after seeing Felicity and Manager Ellie as they parked. As much as possible, Cammy does not want Ric to know what happened last night until she finally decides what she will do next.
Ric gave Cammy's hand a light squeeze as he turned to her after parking the car. "Go ahead and talk to them, don't wake up Dylan anymore, I will carry him," he said with a reassuring smile.
Felicity walked towards Cammy with her arms widely spread, ready to give her a comforting embrace the moment Cammy opened the door of the car.
"Welcome home, Cammy. You know that this is your second home right? Stay here as long as you like," Felicity greeted as she hugged her tight.
Cammy felt a deep sense of belongingness and safety in Felicity's arms. Just when she thought she had no more tears left to shed, more came. The warmth of Felicity's embrace was exactly what she hadn't realized she needed most.
She felt vulnerable, but it was okay, because the support she had longed for from her mother, she found in Felicity.
Her sobs grew louder, unable to contain the overwhelming pain. The image of her husband, naked with another woman in their bed, flooded her mind, draining her completely. She was exhausted, overwhelmed, and on the verge of breaking.
She had reached her limit. Her breaking point. Her vision darkened, and her mind went blank. The pain suddenly vanished, leaving her feeling weightless, as if she were floating.
"Cammy! Oh my God! Ric, help!" Felicity cried out in panic. Ric, who had been carrying Dylan, froze and looked back at his aunt's distressed voice.