Chapter 3 - The Race Against Time
Adrian dropped the television remote and rushed toward his children.
He gently took baby Noah from Lily's tired arms and looked down at his son's face.
Noah was unnaturally pale, his tiny chest barely moving as he took shallow, uneven breaths.
Panic exploded in Adrian's chest like a bomb.
He pulled out his cell phone to call for an ambulance, but the screen displayed a bold message saying there was no signal.
Vanessa had activated a cellular jammer somewhere inside the house.
"Give me the keys to the jammer, Vanessa!" Adrian roared, his calm demeanor completely vanishing.
Vanessa stood by the front door, crossing her arms with a cold, triumphant smirk on her face.
She told him that it was too late and that the poison was specifically designed to mimic a natural heart defect.
She boasted that she would inherit everything once he was arrested for neglecting his own children.
Adrian realized he had no time to fight her or search the massive house for the jamming device.
He carefully placed Noah on the soft sofa and instructed Lily to hold his hand.
Then, Adrian grabbed a heavy brass candlestick from the mantle.
Without a second of hesitation, he swung it directly at the reinforced glass of the living room window.
The glass spider-webbed but did not break, reminding him of the hurricane-proof upgrades he had purchased last year.
Vanessa began to laugh maliciously, telling him there was no escape from his own fortress.
Adrian ignored her laughter and ran to the kitchen to grab his emergency fire axe.
He sprinted back to the living room and swung the heavy axe with all of his strength.
The glass shattered outward, allowing the cool evening air to rush inside.
Adrian scooped up his children, wrapped them in a blanket, and stepped through the broken window into the yard.
But as he ran toward his car, the headlights of a dark SUV suddenly illuminated the driveway.
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A man in a police uniform stepped out of the vehicle, but Adrian recognized his face instantly.
It was the exact same man from the hidden security footage.
