“Amelia Vance!”

　　I hadn't gone more than a few steps when Xavier caught up.

　　I stopped and turned around.

　　The narrow, cramped passage held only the two of us.

　　The air was so heavy it was almost hard to breathe.

　　Xavier stared at me, his eyes dark.

　　“You said just now that Dora and I brought this on ourselves?”

　　“Let me throw that right back at you. Our marriage turning out like this—that's what you brought on yourself!”

　　For a moment I just stood there.

　　A few seconds ago, I'd actually thought he'd come after me to apologize.

　　I never imagined he'd come to twist the blame onto me instead.

　　Only then did I realize how laughable that hope had been.

　　He saw the shock and hurt on my face, and it didn't move him at all.

　　“The youngest captain the airline's ever had. You must be pretty proud of yourself.”

　　“You think you did that on your own? Let me tell you, it was the money I invested in your company!”

　　“I helped you reach your dream, and what did you do for me?”

　　“How many meals have you ever cooked for me? How many business dinners have you shown up to? Have you ever done a single thing to help my career?”

　　“Do you even remember you're my wife?”

　　It was like resentment he'd been storing up for a long time finally had somewhere to go, and the loathing in his eyes was something he couldn't hide.

　　“All the things a wife is supposed to do, the things you never did—Dora did them for me.”

　　“Even on business trips abroad, she worried I wouldn't take to the food, so she'd humble herself asking the hotel to lend her a kitchen and cook for me with her own hands.”

　　“Only beside her do I feel what a home is supposed to feel like!”

　　Every word was a needle, driven into my heart one after another.

　　The road to becoming a captain—yes, my family had given up a great deal for that dream.

　　But I never forgot that Xavier had a bad stomach, and every time I came back I fought through the jet lag and exhaustion to make him a bowl of chicken soup with my own hands.

　　When his investments failed, I emptied out every bit of my savings to cover the hole, and I applied for the maximum overtime the company allowed, all so I could earn a little more and help him get back on his feet.

　　And there was one thing I never told him.

　　I should have made captain long before he ever put money into the company.

　　But the day before my evaluation, his angioedema flared up. I stayed at the hospital and looked after him for a week without sleep, and I missed it.

　　I was afraid he'd blame himself, so I never brought it up—and I never imagined it would let him believe I'd only gotten here because of him.

　　He faulted me over and over for not washing his clothes, not cooking, not playing the social game for him.

　　And he was blind to everything I'd given to him and to this family.

　　He never once spared a thought for how much pressure and torment I carried, every single flight, with hundreds of lives resting on my shoulders.

　　My heart went cold, all the way through.

　　And still Xavier wasn't done.

　　“You're not just a failure as a wife, you're a failure as a mother too!”

　　“You saw how frantic Dora was over Felix just now. Doesn't it make you ashamed of yourself?”

　　“So I didn't go to Nora's funeral—but didn't you go straight back to work the second it was over? Did you feel any grief at all over Nora's death?”

　　“Deep down you think it's a good thing Nora died, don't you—finally rid of the dead weight that was dragging down your career!”

　　Crack!

　　I couldn't hold back a second longer, and my hand cracked across his face.

　　At our daughter's funeral, Xavier's absence as her father had put something strange into the way everyone looked at her portrait.

　　Yet he felt not the slightest shame. Instead he read the worst possible motive into me, using our daughter's death to excuse his own affair!

　　I stared at him, my eyes gone red.

　　Xavier worked his jaw and let out a sneer.

　　“Fine. You can't do wife, you can't do mother—surely you can at least do captain?”

　　“Divert like a good girl. Don't try anything. If one thing goes wrong with Felix, I'll make sure you never work in aviation again!”

　　“And those keepsakes of Nora's you treasure so much—I'll burn every last one of them!”

　　Every sentence tore another gash straight into my heart.

　　Looking at Xavier, for one instant I felt dazed.

　　Ten years of love, and only now was I finally seeing him clearly.

　　My dream and my child were nothing to him but bargaining chips, things to hold over me for the sake of his mistress and his illegitimate son.

　　I closed my eyes and pushed down the sting behind them.

　　“Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to that boy.”

　　“But that doesn't mean I'm answering for your affair.”

　　“I'll divert because it's a captain's duty—to see every passenger safely back to the ground.”

I didn't wait to see how he'd react. I walked straight to the intercom.

Behind me, Xavier stood there, unsettled, his throat working over and over.

I ignored him, announced the diversion plan, and went back to the cockpit.

I hadn't expected him to follow.

I blocked the cockpit door, ignoring the way his mouth kept opening as if he wanted to speak.

"Sir, please return to your seat right away."

He'd never seen me this cold. His pupils shrank, and he suddenly grabbed my arm.

"You're not going to drag out the landing just to get back at me, are you?"

Looking at the naked distrust in his eyes, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Ruin my career, for you?" I shook his hand off. "You're not worth it."

With that, I slipped into the cockpit.

But as I moved to shut the door, he jammed it hard.

"I don't trust you. What if you settle scores at everyone's expense? Swap her out! Let the first officer fly!"

The first officer stiffened, then said evenly, "Captain Vance is the best pilot at this airline. Her skill and professionalism are known by everyone."

"She's handled countless emergency diversions, including far worse conditions in bad weather, and she still has a spotless zero-incident record."

"If you keep this up, can you take responsibility for what happens?"

Xavier's face darkened until it looked ready to drip.

Of course he couldn't take responsibility.

His precious illegitimate son was in danger, and his beloved mistress was heartbroken.

Only I could save them.

He had no choice but to pull his hand back, seething, and watch the door close in front of his eyes.

Every bit of the noise was shut out.

I let out a slow breath.

The pain of losing my daughter, my husband's betrayal—all of it, every love and hatred, set aside for now.

In the pilot's seat, I was only the captain of this flight.

The one thing in my mind was getting every passenger safely on the ground.

Twenty minutes later, the plane touched down smoothly.

The instant I set the parking brake, my vision blurred.

The blows one after another and the high-intensity flying had drained me, body and mind.

But I couldn't let go yet.

I made my way to the cabin door and saw Xavier hurrying toward it.

He didn't spare me a single glance. He slammed into me, shoving me aside.

Before the dark took me, all I heard was his voice, thick with reassurance.

"Don't be scared, Dora. Felix is going to be fine."

Xavier stood in front of the cabin door. One second, two seconds.

The door still hadn't opened.

His brow drew tighter and tighter, and what little patience he had left burned away fast.

His voice shot up. "Amelia Vance! What kind of game are you playing now?"

Just then, the head flight attendant cried out.

"Captain Vance! Wake up! Are you all right?"

"She sat up all night at the wake yesterday without sleeping, got called back to work the moment the funeral ended, and then that whole thing happened. In just a few days, look how thin she's gotten!"

Xavier froze, and only then did he notice how gaunt my face had become.

His chest tightened without his meaning it to. "She... passed out?"

Dora tugged at his sleeve. "Xavier, Miss Vance looks really bad. She probably needs to go to the hospital. She... she wouldn't take Felix's ambulance, would she?"

"She wouldn't dare." Xavier's expression turned cold. "She was full of life a minute ago when I wanted her replaced, and now that she's seen the ambulance she's playing dead. You guessed it—that's exactly what she's after, the ambulance."

I opened my eyes slowly, straight into the contempt filling his.

"What? Not going to keep pretending?"

Whatever last trace of warmth was left in my heart went cold for good.

Bracing myself against the wall, I made it to the cabin door and used the last of my strength to turn the handle.

The door swung open with a boom. I stayed inside and didn't look at Xavier again.

After the ambulance left, the crew received notice that the flight couldn't take off because of the weather.

At the head flight attendant's insistence, I was taken to the hospital for an IV too.

On my way out, I passed the room next door and heard Dora's voice inside, tearful.

"Xavier, why isn't Felix waking up? I'm so scared..."

"I looked into it. This hospital isn't good at treating Felix's condition, but the one in the next city is, and it's closer to the airport too."

"Do you think Captain Vance picked a hospital that can't cure Felix on purpose, just to get back at us?"

Xavier softened his voice. "Silly girl, the hospital was arranged by the airline."

Dora only grew more anxious. "But I'm really so scared!"

"Miss Vance must hate me now. Why would she ever want to save my child?"

"Everyone at the airline knows her. Picking which hospital is just a word from her mouth..."

"Miss Swanson, spreading lies carries legal consequences."

I pushed the door open and looked straight at Dora, curled against Xavier's chest.

She fell silent at once and quickly buried her face into him.

Seeing her frightened, cowering, Xavier's urge to protect her surged to its peak.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

He turned to me, his eyes full of scrutiny.

"What did you come here for?"

"Or is it that you really do have some shady connection with this hospital?"

My voice didn't waver. "My only job is to report a passenger's condition. I know nothing about the treatment arrangements."

"Every call during the flight is recorded. Check them all you like. My conscience is clear."

My firmness lit his temper in an instant.

"You make it sound so nice. Felix is still so small. He's been unconscious this long. If there are lasting effects, can you take responsibility for that?"

A boundless exhaustion swept over me. I sighed.

"If you don't trust this place, then transfer him yourselves."

I turned to go, and Dora suddenly rushed over, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around my legs.

"Miss Vance! I know you hate me, but Felix is innocent. I'm begging you, let him go!"

"Didn't you just lose your own child? Just give Felix a way to live, and from now on he'll be your child! I promise we'll never appear in front of you again!"

I frowned and tried hard to pull free of her. "There's no need. Let go of me first—"

"Ah!"

Before I could finish, Dora suddenly screamed and dropped to the floor, clutching her ribs.

"Dora!" Xavier's pupils shrank, and he strode to her side.

"Amelia Vance, you dare to hurt Dora right in front of me!"

"I didn't—"

"Xavier, it's all right, I'm fine." Dora spoke almost at the same time as me.

She drew thin, ragged breaths. "As long as Miss Vance is willing to let Felix go, a few kicks are nothing..."

Xavier's eyes on me were cold as ice.

He stood, and raised his hand high.

"Amelia Vance, how can you be this vicious!"

Crack!

After the sharp sound, the ward fell into dead silence.

Xavier stared at his own reddened palm, frozen for a moment.

Dora knelt back on the floor, her voice timid. "Miss Vance, don't blame Xavier. I'll apologize for him. It's all my fault, so hit me!"

The fury reignited in Xavier's eyes in an instant.

He grabbed me by the collar, his gaze sweeping over my cheek, already swollen high, as if it weren't there at all.

"That was only a warning. If you dare touch a single hair on her again, I'll make you pay a hundred times over!"

The burning sting on my face kept reminding me of what had just happened.

Xavier had hit me. For another woman.

Before, it would probably have felt like a knife twisting in my heart.

But now, my heart had long gone numb.

I pulled my collar out of his hand and straightened it.

Then I walked out of the ward without hesitation, without a shred of reluctance.

On the road back to the airport, I called my lawyer.

"Prepare the divorce paperwork for me. The party at fault is Xavier Sawyer. I'll send the evidence of his affair to your email later."

Dense drops of rain beat wildly against the car window. The heater was on inside, but it couldn't warm my frozen heart.

As I got out, my phone rang.

Holding my coat up against the rain, I fumbled to answer.

"Amelia Vance, you shameless bitch!"

I frowned. It was Xavier's mother.

"That useless little girl you gave birth to is dead, and now you can't stand to see my precious grandson do well! You black-hearted, rotten bitch, you deserved to give birth to a short-lived brat!"

"Don't think no one can see through your filthy little scheme! Dora told me everything. You deliberately arranged some garbage hospital, trying to kill my grandson!"