3 : An Impossible journey

Adam did not look back as he walked through the glass doors of the airport building.

The small bag hung over his shoulder, while he had hidden his acceptance letter and passport inside a black handbag, as though they were the most valuable things he owned in this life.

He stopped for a moment in front of the flight board, searching for his flight number with his eyes.

There it was.

There was only a short time left before departure.

He took a deep breath and whispered to himself,

“I made it… Only the final step remains.”

He headed toward the departure hall, but his heart had not stopped pounding since he left the mansion.

He knew his father well.

If he discovered that Adam had run away, he would not simply stand by and do nothing.

Adam pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at the screen for a few seconds.

Dozens of missed calls appeared on it.

All of them were from home.

He turned the phone off completely and placed it inside his bag.

He no longer wanted to hear any voice that might pull him back.

He sat in one of the seats near the gate and took out his acceptance letter.

He smiled as he read it for what felt like the hundredth time.

He remembered the long nights he had spent studying until dawn, the competitions he had participated in, and the letters he had written to university professors until he finally earned the opportunity he had dreamed of for years.

He did not want his family’s wealth.

He wanted to make a name for himself.

At that very moment…

A servant opened Adam’s bedroom door at the mansion.

He looked around in confusion.

The closet was open.

Some of the drawers were empty.

And the bed was made in an unusual way.

He hurried downstairs.

“Sir… Mr. Adam is not in his room.”

His father slowly raised his head.

“What did you say?”

“We searched throughout the mansion… His car is gone too.”

Silence fell.

His father rose from his seat and went to his son’s room himself.

He opened the closet, then noticed that the passport and some clothes were missing.

It took him less than a minute to understand the truth.

He said in a cold voice that frightened everyone present,

“He ran away.”

He looked at Uncle Sami.

“I told you he would do it.”

Sami gave a faint smile, but quickly hid it.

“We still have time on our side.”

Adam’s father took out his phone and made a short call.

“Find him immediately.”

He ended the call, then added firmly,

“He will not leave the country.”

At the airport, Adam had no idea that the news had reached his father.

He raised his head toward the wide window.

Planes were moving along the runways beneath the night lights, while for the first time, he felt that the world was much bigger than the mansion he had lived in.

He smiled and was about to stand when he heard the announcement for his flight.

He gripped his bag tightly and walked steadily toward the gate.

At the same moment, several cars stopped in front of the airport building. Men in formal clothes stepped out, quickly looking around as though they were searching for only one person.

As for Adam…

He had not seen them yet.

Adam stood in the line leading to the gate, trying to look calm despite the anxiety eating away at his chest.

With every step he took closer to the gate, he felt that his dream was getting closer as well.

He lifted his bag onto his shoulder, then cast a brief glance behind him.

His expression froze.

At the main entrance, he spotted men he knew well.

They were not strangers.

They were his father’s men.

Adam quickly lowered his head before their eyes could fall on him.

His breathing quickened as dozens of possibilities raced through his mind.

Did they know he was here?

Or were they searching for him throughout the airport?

On the other side, the head of security was looking at Adam’s photo on his phone, then raising his head to examine the faces of the passengers one by one.

He said to one of his men,

“Spread out… Do not leave a single gate unmonitored.”

The men moved in different directions.

Adam felt that time had become his enemy.

Every passing minute increased the chance of them finding him.

He tried to remain calm and continued walking with the other passengers without drawing attention to himself.

He could hear the repeated flight announcements, the sound of suitcases being dragged across the floor, and the laughter of children who had no idea that a young man among them felt as though the entire world was chasing him.

He raised his head again.

His turn was getting closer.

He swallowed with difficulty.

At that moment, one of the security men caught sight of the edge of Adam’s bag.

The man stopped for a second, then narrowed his eyes.

There was something familiar about the young man.

He took a step toward him.

At the same moment, the passenger in front of Adam stepped forward, keeping the gate agent busy with his procedures.

Adam’s heartbeat quickened.

If he turned around now…

If someone called his name…

It would all be over.

The security man moved closer.

He raised his phone and compared the photo with the back of Adam’s head.

He whispered into his communication device,

“I think I found him…”

The words made Adam’s heart stop.

He did not turn around.

He did not dare move.

He waited for the moment when he would hear his name echo through the airport.

But suddenly, the voices of a group of passengers arriving from another flight grew louder as people crowded the passageway, forcing the security man to step back several paces.

Adam took advantage of the moment and moved forward with the line until he was only a few steps from the gate.

He looked at the employee, who held out his hand for his passport.

Adam took it out with a trembling hand, trying to hide his nervousness.

The employee glanced quickly at the information, then compared the photo with Adam’s face.

The seconds seemed to stretch into long minutes.

Meanwhile, the sound of heavy footsteps approached from behind him.

Adam did not dare turn around.

He could feel that his father’s men were only a few meters away.

The employee stamped his passport and handed it back to him with a formal smile.

“Here you go.”

A sigh of relief almost escaped Adam’s chest, but he held it back.

He gripped his bag and walked toward the passage leading to the plane with steady steps, trying not to arouse suspicion.

Immediately behind him, a familiar voice rang out.

“Adam!”

His heart stopped for a moment, but he did not stop walking.

The voice came again, louder and closer this time.

“Mr. Adam… Stop!”

Some passengers began turning toward him, while others exchanged confused looks.

Adam lowered his head further and quickened his pace without running.

He knew that any reckless movement would draw attention to him.

He reached the entrance to the passage, and only a few meters separated him from the plane door.

At that moment, one of the men reached out from behind, trying to grab Adam by the shoulder…

But before his fingers could touch Adam’s coat, the passage door closed between them as passengers moved through, blocking their view for a few crucial seconds and leaving Adam’s fate hanging in the balance until the next moment.