Chapter 1

After three years of marriage, Thaddeus Pierce still hadn't legally registered our marriage. Today marked his thousandth successful flight—a milestone celebration that was supposed to culminate in our finally registering our marriage, his seventeenth promise to do so.

At the celebratory banquet, while his supervisors toasted me, Thaddeus was busy sharing food and drinks with his student pilot, Scarlett. Despite my high fever and near fainting from the alcohol, he didn't spare me a single glance. My colleagues' pitying looks spoke volumes—everyone saw who I was suffering for.

After the banquet, instead of going to the registry as planned, Thaddeus broke his promise again. At his car, he prevented me from getting in.

"Scarlett had too much to drink on my behalf. I need to take her home. Take a cab," he said. "We'll have to postpone the registration. Another day."

Without waiting for my response, he rushed to help Scarlett into the passenger seat. Eight years of dating, three years of marriage, and this was the seventeenth time he'd postponed our legal registration because of Scarlett.

Usually, I would have cried, demanding to know who his real wife was, who had truly been drinking on his behalf. But this time, I simply smiled softly and said, "Of course. Drive safely."

Thaddeus seemed surprised by my calm response but quickly reverted to his cold demeanor. "I'll buy you something nice to make up for it when I get home."

Before driving away, he carefully closed Scarlett's window, shielding her from the wind in her drunken state. I remembered how he used to insist on keeping the windows open when I'd been drinking, even in winter, claiming he couldn't stand the smell of alcohol in his car. Now I understood—it was just because it was me.

The San Francisco noon sun was scorching, but my heart felt ice cold. I took a deep breath and put the marriage certificate application back in my bag. After eight years, it was time to let go.

That afternoon, I returned to the Pan American Airways office and submitted my resignation. My supervisor was shocked—I'd been the top-rated flight attendant for seven consecutive years.

"Does Thaddeus know about this?" he asked.

I smiled bitterly. "I'll tell him tonight, though I doubt he'll care."

"You two were the company's dream couple," my supervisor sighed. "Flying new routes together, winning awards—even the CEO attended your wedding three years ago. Everyone envied you…"

Yes, those were beautiful memories. But memories are just memories—you can never relive them.

It was past 10 PM when I got home. The house was eerily quiet and empty. Then Scarlett's social media post popped up on my phone—she'd tagged me specifically:

"Thanks to my mentor for spending the afternoon with me. As a treat, he's taking me to Coldplay's concert tomorrow! Can't wait!"

I knew Thaddeus wouldn't be coming home tonight. It had happened countless times during our three years of marriage.

After microwaving a frozen pizza, I opened my email…