Chapter 1 - Trapped on the Tracks
Elena came to in the passenger seat of her own car, her head pounding. Her wrists were bound tightly behind her back, and thick cord bit into her ankles. She was eight months pregnant, every breath a heavy effort.
Beside the open car door stood her mother-in-law, Victoria.
"What... what are you doing?" Elena whispered, a wave of icy terror crashing down her spine.
Victoria didn’t bother answering. With a cold, contemptuous glare, she slammed the door shut, hit the central lock, and tossed the metal key deep into the overgrown grass lining the railroad tracks.
"It’ll look like a tragic accident," the older woman said smoothly, turning her back without a second glance.
Elena gasped, her eyes darting to the windshield. In the distance, the blinding headlights of a massive freight train cut through the daylight. The iron beast was lumbering forward, locked onto the tracks—and heading straight for her.
"Let me out! My baby!" Elena shrieked, slamming her bound hands against the glass.
From the safety of the asphalt road, Victoria watched with cold satisfaction. Just days ago, Elena had unearthed the true last will and testament of her late father-in-law. The document was explicit: the firstborn grandchild would inherit the controlling stake in the family empire. The moment Elena gave birth, Victoria’s reign over the company would end, and years of offshore embezzlement and illicit wire transfers would come light.
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Elena had threatened to go to the DA. So Victoria had engineered the ultimate train wreck.
The locomotive blew its horn—a deafening, metallic roar that shook the car’s frame. Elena thrashing wildly, but the ropes only dug deeper into her skin. She threw her shoulder against the window, screaming into the empty air, as the countdown to impact ticked away.
