Three gold coins lay on the marble table when I told my maid’s three-year-old daughter she could have any three wishes she wanted. Ellie ignored every toy around her and asked only one question: “Why does Mommy have to say sorry when she didn’t do it?” The moment she said it, I stopped looking at the child and looked at my brother Dante.

I did not hesitate for a single second when I saw the deadly red laser sights.

I grabbed Clara and Ellie and violently shoved them behind a massive marble pillar.

The deafening sound of suppressed sniper fire instantly shattered the glass ceiling of the train station.

Screaming commuters scattered in absolute panic, turning the terminal into a chaotic nightmare.

Victor's enforcers immediately returned fire with heavy automatic weapons, dropping two of the mercenaries.

I drew my dual handguns and stepped out from behind cover to protect our flank.

I fired with lethal precision, taking down three heavily armed attackers rushing toward the lockers.

The smell of gunpowder and blood completely replaced the aroma of morning coffee in the terminal.

I yelled at Victor to secure the perimeter while I found an extraction route for the women.

Clara clutched the black ledger tightly to her chest, her eyes wide with sheer terror.

I told her to follow me exactly and not to stop running until we reached the subway tunnels.

We sprinted across the polished floors, dodging bullets that chipped the marble all around us.

I covered our retreat, laying down heavy suppressive fire to keep Dante's men pinned down.

We finally reached the dark, maintenance stairwell leading down to the underground transit tracks.

I kicked the heavy metal door shut and jammed it securely with a steel pipe.

We stood in the dim stairwell, gasping heavily for air in the sudden, eerie silence.

I checked my weapons and realized I was running dangerously low on spare ammunition.

Victor radioed my earpiece, stating that his men were holding the main hall but suffering heavy casualties.

He told me to take the ledger and the family to the extraction point at the harbor.

I promised Victor that his sacrifice would not be forgotten when this war was finally over.

I turned around to lead Clara and Ellie deeper into the dark subway maintenance tunnels.

My heart suddenly stopped completely when I looked at the concrete landing below us.

Clara was standing there, but her hands were entirely empty and trembling.

I frantically asked her where she had put the little girl.

Clara fell to her knees and began sobbing hysterically into her bloodstained hands.

When my newborn 'passed away,' my mother-in-law leaned in and said

My Husband Left Me Alone in My Car While I Was in Labor

“You’re Dead When We Get Home,” He Snapped

A silver serving fork was lying on the ground, pinning a small, handwritten note to the floor.

Dante had managed to snatch Ellie through a side door during the chaotic gunfight.

Chapter 6 - The Terminal Gunfight