Chapter 1 We held our wedding ceremony three years ago, yet my pilot wife has canceled our appointment to get our marriage license eighteen times. The first time, her male trainee had a test flight, and I waited on the steps of City Hall for an entire day. The second time, she received a call from him halfway there, made a sudden U-turn, and dropped me off on the side of the highway. After that, whenever we scheduled an appointment, her trainee would inevitably have some sort of emergency. Eventually, I decided to leave her. But the moment I boarded the plane to Paris, she chased after me like she had lost her mind. We’ve been "married" for three years, but Chloe never made it legal. Today marked her 1,000th successful flight—a huge milestone—and it was also the seventeenth date she had promised we’d finally go to City Hall. But at her celebration dinner, while I was being pressured into drink after drink by her superiors, she was busy laughing and whispering with Ryan, her male First Officer and mentee. I nursed a high fever, drinking until I was nearly unconscious, yet she didn’t spare me a single glance. Many of my colleagues sighed, looking at me with pity. Everyone could see who I was destroying my health for. When the party ended, Chloe, who was supposed to head to the courthouse with me, bailed once again. She pulled her car up to the curb and stopped me just as I reached for the door handle. "Ryan drank too much covering for me earlier. I need to drive him home. You take an Uber." Her voice was clipped, professional. "We probably won't make it to the Clerk's Office this afternoon. Let's reschedule." Without waiting for a reaction, she rushed out of the driver's seat to gingerly help Ryan into the passenger side—my seat. Eight years of dating, three years of marriage, and this was the seventeenth time Chloe had pushed me aside for Ryan. In the past, I would have exploded. I would have screamed, demanded to know who her husband actually was, and pointed out that I was the one blocking drinks for her all night. But this time, I just smiled faintly. "Okay. Drive safe." Chloe paused, clearly surprised by my calmness. But her indifference returned a second later. "I'll buy you a gift to make up for it when I get back tonight." She drove off. Before speeding away, I saw her lean over to roll up the window for Ryan, afraid the drunk kid would catch a chill. The old Chloe never allowed the smell of alcohol in her car. Even in the dead of winter, she’d blast the AC if I had been drinking. I realized then that her rules only applied to me. The Los Angeles midday sun was scorching, but my heart felt like ice. I took a deep breath and put my birth certificate and documents back into my bag. It was time to let go of these eight years. Chapter 2 That afternoon, I went straight to the company HQ and handed in my resignation letter. "Does Chloe know you're quitting?" My manager was shocked. I had been the airline's Gold Tier Purser for seven consecutive years. I had a bright future here. I forced a bitter smile. "I'll tell her tonight. Not that she'll care." "It's a shame," the manager sighed. "You two flew new routes together, won awards together... Three years ago, even the CEO attended your wedding. Everyone envied you two. But..." He trailed off, shaking his head. Yes, those were beautiful memories. But memories are just ghosts of the past. We could never go back. It was past 10 PM when I got home. The house was cold and empty. My phone buzzed. A notification from Instagram popped up. Ryan had tagged me in a post. The photo showed the dashboard of Chloe’s car. The caption read: "Thanks to my beautiful mentor for staying by my side all afternoon. As a thank you, I’m taking her to the Coldplay concert tomorrow! Can't wait." I knew then that Chloe, who said she’d be back tonight, wasn't coming home. This scenario had played out too many times over the last three years. I made a cup of instant noodles and opened my email. Offers from airlines in over ten countries sat in my inbox. I moved the mouse and clicked on the offer from Air France without hesitation. I booked a flight to Paris for two days later. Five years ago, Chloe encountered the biggest scare of her career during a flight to Paris. Since then, the city became a taboo subject. She refused to fly there, and out of solidarity, neither did I. Going to Paris meant one thing: Chloe and I would likely never see each other again. Chapter 3 The next morning, I woke up and started packing. I was halfway through when Chloe came home, looking exhausted. She brought with her the overwhelming scent of men's cologne. I paused, the smell stinging my nose. Chloe had sensitive skin and hated strong fragrances. For years, she scolded me if my shampoo was too scented. I stopped using cologne entirely for her. Now I realized she didn't hate fragrances; she just didn't like them on me. She saw the suitcases and froze. "Ryan was hungover badly last night. I got a hotel room nearby so I wouldn't disturb you." I looked up, surprised. It was the first time in three years she had bothered to explain herself. I nodded silently. She walked over, glancing at the luggage. "Packing for a trip? You have a flight?" "Something like that." She seemed to relax visibly. "I have errands today. I just came back to grab something, then I'm heading out. Don't wait up for lunch." "Okay." I didn't look up, continuing to fold my clothes. I had planned to tell her about my resignation over lunch, to formally end our eight years. Now, it seemed, I wouldn't get the chance. Chloe grabbed a red gift bag, took her coat from the rack, and hurried out. Crash! The vibration of the slamming door caused a picture frame, which had hung there for eight years, to fall and shatter. I looked at the debris. It was a photo of us at our first concert, hands clasped, smiling radiantly. That day, she promised she’d go to a concert with me every year, no matter how busy she was. But ever since Ryan became her trainee, she had forgotten everything. In the empty room, the clock ticked loudly. After a long silence, I swept up the glass shards. I took the photo—and the last of my lingering affection—and threw it into the trash. Chapter 4 By evening, I was lying in bed, exhausted, when my best friend, Mike, called. "What is wrong with Chloe? This is too much. Have you seen her story? She's practically flaunting that pretty boy Ryan." "You guys aren't even divorced yet. How can she do this?" I opened my phone. At the top of my feed was Ryan's new post. In the photo, Ryan was wearing a Patek Philippe watch, holding the red gift bag Chloe had retrieved earlier. So, she came home just to get his concert gift. The caption read: "Three years of knowing you. So lucky to have you, Chloe. Happy 3rd Anniversary!" It hit me then. Three years? Right. Today was technically my and Chloe's third wedding anniversary. We had never celebrated it, so even I had forgotten. I exhaled slowly. "She doesn't need a divorce, Mike. We never legally married." "What?" Mike screamed. "You've been 'married' for three years and she still hasn't signed the papers?" His shock was deafening. Yes. The wedding was three years ago. And she had unilaterally canceled our appointment seventeen times. Chapter 5 At 11 PM, Chloe unexpectedly came home. She took off her coat and went to hang it up, but froze when she saw the empty spot on the wall where our photo used to be. "Where's our picture?" She walked into the bedroom, looking slightly panicked. "It fell and broke." She glanced at the trash can, saw the glass, and relaxed. She reached into her bag and pulled out a shopping bag with a Gucci belt. "I didn't have time to get your gift yesterday. Today is our third anniversary. Happy anniversary." She tossed the belt onto the bed. I stared at it. Three years, and she actually remembered? Then I saw the receipt sticking out. Purchased thirty minutes ago. She had likely seen Ryan's caption and panic-bought this on the way home. She didn't know I already had two belts in this exact style hanging in the closet. I just looked at her. "By the way," she said, her voice wavering slightly. "Could you... withdraw your name from the 'Employee of the Year' running? Ryan has been here for three years, and his biggest dream is to win it. You win every year. Can you let him have it this time?" I smiled internally. So the gift had a price tag. "Sure." I nodded calmly. Not just this year. I wouldn't be competing with him ever again. Because after tonight, I would be gone. "You... you agree?" She was surprised by my lack of resistance. She looked at me, guilt flickering in her eyes. "Ryan is my mentee," she justified. "I should look out for him. And you're basically his mentor too. It's the right thing to do." "Oh, right. I'm not flying tomorrow. Let's go to City Hall at 10 AM and finally get the certificate." I didn't respond. She seemed to remember the luggage. "I forgot to ask, when is your flight tomorrow?" "3 PM." I looked at her, ready to use this final moment to tell her the truth. But before I could speak, her phone rang. It was Ryan. His voice was weak; he had twisted his ankle and needed help. Chloe hung up, looking guilty. "Um... Ryan has a situation. He can't handle it alone. I have to go." She used a questioning tone, asking for permission. I swallowed my words, forced a smile, and nodded. "It's fine. Go." She looked relieved. She stood up immediately. "You have time before 3 PM. We'll go to City Hall at 10 AM sharp tomorrow. Don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll be there." I smiled bitterly. She never gave me the chance to say goodbye. The next morning. I took my luggage and went straight to the airport, skipping City Hall completely. I didn't receive a single call from her asking where I was. It wasn't until I was about to board that I got a text: "Sorry, Ryan is really in bad shape. I just took him to the hospital. I missed the appointment. When you get back from this trip, I'll take you first thing." My heart remained perfectly still. Predictably, the eighteenth time was also a cancellation. "No need, Chloe. I've resigned. I'm flying to Paris. After today, we won't see each other again." I sent the final message and prepared to turn off my phone. The next second, my phone exploded with vibrations. Chapter 6 The cabin announcement played, instructing passengers to turn off electronic devices. I ignored the vibrations, deleted Chloe's contact information, and powered down the phone. From this moment on, Chloe and I were strangers. In the hospital. Chloe stared at her phone, going mad as her replies returned with a red exclamation mark: Message Not Delivered. She dialed my number repeatedly. "The subscriber you are calling is powered off." She pressed the screen harder, as if brute force could connect the call. "Impossible... impossible," she muttered. "We were fine yesterday. I told him we'd get the license." She stood there in a daze for minutes before sprinting out of the hospital, driving recklessly to the airport. "Manager Davis! Ethan isn't scheduled for Paris! Why did he resign? What is going on?!" She stormed into the Crew Center, grabbing my manager's arm. The manager looked confused. "Ethan didn't tell you? He resigned the night of your celebration dinner. I asked him if you knew, and he said he'd tell you that night." Chloe felt like she’d been struck by lightning. She remembered. That night, she didn't go home. Yesterday afternoon, she only stopped by to grab the gift. Last night, she left minutes after arriving. For two days, she hadn't given me a single minute to speak. For two days, she had been with Ryan.
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