The bright fluorescent lights of the international airport terminal buzzed over the gleaming white tiled floors. Passengers rolled their suitcases past the massive floor-to-ceiling glass windows, completely ignoring the scene unfolding near the departure gate. Evelyn knelt on the cold floor, her bright red coat pooled around her as she held her seven-year-old son, Leo, in a desperate, tearful embrace.
Evelyn: DON'T CRY! WAIT FOR ME!
Leo clung tightly to her neck, his small body shaking uncontrollably against her chest.
Leo: I WILL NOT GO WITH YOU! PLEASE LEAVE ME! I WILL STAY WITH MY MOTHER!
A tall man in a sharp brown suit stepped forward. Marcus had a harsh, angry expression on his face as he reached down and forcefully grabbed Leo's small arm.
Marcus: THAT'S ENOUGH! YOU ARE COMING WITH ME!
Marcus yanked the young boy away from Evelyn's arms. Leo reached his hand out in total panic, crying as he was dragged across the polished floor.
Leo: MOMMY! HELP ME!
Evelyn scrambled forward on her hands and knees, tears streaming down her face as she reached out toward her child.
Evelyn: Marcus, please! He's just a child! Don't do this to him!
Marcus stopped abruptly. He turned around and brought his open hand straight down, delivering a harsh, stinging slap directly across Evelyn's face.
The sharp crack echoed off the glass walls. Several nearby travelers gasped in shock. Evelyn reeled back, collapsing onto the cold marble floor as she clutched her reddened, burning cheek.
Evelyn: NO! PLEASE DON'T TAKE HIM!
Marcus didn't even look back. He gripped Leo's small hand tightly, pulling his rolling suitcase behind him as he marched toward the international boarding gate.
Leo: MOMMY!
Evelyn stretched both arms out on the floor, her vision blurring as her son disappeared into the crowded terminal. But Marcus had no idea that the flight ticket in his pocket was about to trigger a trap Evelyn had spent three long years preparing.