Her expression shifted again as she continued.

"The annoying part? His reason for finally deciding to do it was to make sure that if I ever got exposed, his precious old hag wouldn't leave him."

She let out a derisive snort. "Tch. That old hag sure is lucky."

Slap!

My palm connected with Roberta's face before she could react.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she shrieked.

Her drink went flying, spilling everywhere. A flight attendant rushed over to help clean up the mess.

Roberta was seething. "Are you insane?!"

"Being a homewrecker and still acting this arrogant?" I shot back, my voice shaking with fury.

The flight attendant quickly stepped between us, pulling us apart. She guided Roberta to an empty seat farther away from me, speaking to her in soothing tones until her temper finally cooled.

Roberta dabbed at her hands with the towel the attendant had given her, then cast me a contemptuous glance.

"God, I can't stand self-righteous women like you. 'Homewrecker' this, 'homewrecker' that—let's be honest here."

Her lips curled into a sneer. "You're just bitter because you're too old to attract men anymore. Back when you were young? I bet you chased after them harder than anyone."

"You—!"

The flight attendant grabbed my arm before I could lunge.

I didn't want to make their jobs harder. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself back into my seat.

Roberta looked me up and down with undisguised disdain.

"Let me give you some real talk. You're not young anymore. Your husband definitely has someone on the side." She tilted her head, feigning sympathy. "Go home and check his phone if you don't believe me. I mean, looking like that? No wonder he doesn't want to come home."

Splash!

The fresh drink the attendant had just brought me hit Roberta square in the face.

She screamed.

The flight attendants scrambled to get between us again.

Chief Purser Morgan approached with an apologetic smile plastered on her face. "Ms. Kaufman, this passenger is a VIP guest. Please, let's all calm down. How about I bring you some fruit? Help you relax?"

"VIP guest?" I bit out through clenched teeth.

The chief purser leaned in close, lowering her voice. "She's affiliated with Mr. Stephens—the CEO of that rising tech company. I'm telling you to keep your distance for your own good. He's very protective of her."

I laughed bitterly. Of course he was.

The plane landed at the transfer hub.

Neither Roberta nor I deplaned.

I switched my phone off airplane mode and texted Carl.

[Where are you?]

He sent back a photo of his office desk.

[Making money for my wife]

[For me? Or for someone else?]

No reply.

I sent a single question mark.

The next second, a familiar voice drifted over from Roberta's seat.

"Someone threw juice on you? Who dares treat my little Roberta like that?"

"Some old hag!" Roberta whined. "Hmph, this is all your fault! If you'd been here, she never would've had the guts!"

"Okay, okay... it's hubby's fault."

Ding.

[Alipay transfer received: $500,000]

The robotic notification chimed from Roberta's phone.

Carl's voice was warm, indulgent. "Go buy yourself something nice."

My fingers dug into the fabric of my sleeve.

The smile on Roberta's face vanished as quickly as it appeared. She pouted dramatically.

"Hmph! That won't work. You're the one who said you missed me, that you wanted to spend New Year's Eve together! Otherwise, I never would've gotten on this stupid plane and run into that crazy woman!"

Her voice pitched higher. "No amount of money can make me feel better now! Hmph!"

Carl didn't get angry. If anything, his tone grew lighter, amused.

"What about the new villa hubby bought you?"

Roberta's eyes widened slightly.

"There it is. My little Roberta's smiling now. Happy?"

"I am not!" She puffed out her cheeks again. "But... hmph, fine. I'll give you a chance. Only because I love you."

"Good girl. Hubby will make it up to you properly tonight, okay?"

"Three hours. Not one second less!"

"You can have the whole night."

My hands, hidden beneath my sleeves, trembled harder as I clutched the fabric of my clothes.

I thought back to all the times since he'd been transferred to Coastal South. Every visit, we never went beyond holding each other, a few kisses.

Every time I tried to initiate something more, he'd sigh.

"Work's been brutal. I'm exhausted. Can we wait until I've recovered a bit?"

But he always left before he ever "recovered."

The plane was preparing for takeoff again.

Roberta blew a kiss at her camera and ended the video call.

That's when Carl's message came through:

[Babe, you really don't trust me anymore? Is this because I'm working through the holidays instead of being with you? Are you upset?]

[I'll make it up to you when I'm back. I'll take you to that hot pot place you love, okay?]

The plane began its ascent. A flight attendant approached Roberta's new seat, carrying a black gift box with gold lettering.

"Ms. Delgado, a gentleman asked us to deliver this to you."

"Oh my God! A Prada necklace!" Roberta gasped. "How did he know I've been eyeing this one?"

The attendant smiled and handed over a card.

"Mr. Stephens also asked us to relay a message: He hopes Ms. Delgado won't let anyone's noise disturb her. Be bold. Be yourself. Treat every obstacle as if it doesn't exist."

She paused, her smile widening.

"Because Mr. Stephens will always stand behind you. He loves you. Always."

I stared at the message Carl had sent me.

I closed my eyes.

"Ms. Kaufman." Chief Purser Morgan appeared at my side, holding out a small velvet pouch. "This diamond is from Mr. Stephens. For you."

I frowned. "For me?"

She nodded.

"Mr. Stephens is aware there was some... unpleasantness between you and Ms. Delgado. He mentioned that Ms. Delgado has been under a lot of stress lately—doctor's orders not to get upset."

Her smile was practiced, diplomatic.

"So, Ms. Kaufman, perhaps you could apologize to Ms. Delgado? A sincere apology."

I looked at the diamond in her palm. A laugh escaped me—bitter, hollow.

"Just an apology? Isn't this a bit much?"

"Oh, you needn't worry about that." She chuckled. "Mr. Stephens earns several of these a day."

A six-figure diamond.

He could earn several a day?

I turned the stone over in my fingers, watching it catch the light.

Then I laughed.

So a stranger got more from him than I ever did.

I nodded slowly. "Fine. I'll apologize."

"Ms. Delgado!" Chief Morgan's voice brightened. "Mr. Stephens has sent her to apologize!"

I gave a slight bow. "I shouldn't have put my hands on you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me, Ms. Delgado."

"Sure." Roberta rose from her seat, a smile curling her lips. "Let me slap you twice, and we're even."

Chief Morgan's laugh was nervous, placating. "Ms. Delgado, she is older than you. Perhaps you could be the bigger person here—"

"So what if she's older?" Roberta's smile turned cruel. "Look at that face. Slapped or not, no man's going to want it. I give her two slaps, she walks away with a diamond. She should be thanking me."

Flight Attendant Harper tugged gently at my sleeve.

"Ma'am," she whispered, "maybe just let her. Two slaps and this is over. She has Mr. Stephens behind her."

"She's right, Ms. Kaufman." Chief Morgan leaned in. "A six-figure diamond. You're not exactly losing here."

Six figures.

Right.

It would take me eight, maybe ten years of scraping by to save that much.

This tiny stone in my hand could buy a decade of my life.

I turned it over one more time.

Then I let it drop.

Clatter.

It hit Roberta's tray table, rolled, and fell to the floor.

"I don't want it."

SLAP.

The blow came without warning, snapping my head to the side.

Roberta didn't even blink. "I offer you a gift and you refuse?"

That slap carried every ounce of her strength.

I staggered back two steps.

A flight attendant caught me before I fell.

"Ms. Kaufman, please—Ms. Delgado has always been like this."

"We'll find your diamond, I promise."

Crack.

My palm connected with Roberta's face so hard it knocked her back into her seat.

"You—you hit me!"

"Damn right I did."

I lunged forward again.

The attendants scrambled between us, pulling us apart.

For the rest of the flight, the crew watched us like hawks—terrified we'd go at each other again.

The moment we landed, Roberta bolted off the plane, eyes red and streaming.

I watched her storm through the gate.

And throw herself into a man's arms.

The handprint still blazing on her cheek.

"What happened to—"

Carl's expression shifted to something I recognized. Panic. Urgency.

More than he'd shown the day I lost our baby.

"She hit you again?"

"It's all your fault! That stupid diamond you gave her just made her more arrogant! No one has ever hit me like this..." Roberta dissolved into theatrical sobs.

She knew how to cry.

The kind of crying no man could resist.

"Where is she? I'll deal with this."

"Right here."

I stepped through the gate.

Carl's whole body went rigid.

I lifted my chin, letting my face emerge from beneath my cap.

"Hello, Mr. Stephens."