Eight Years Of Waiting For His Flight Schedule Ended With A One-Way Ticket Chapter 06

Eight Years Of Waiting For His Flight Schedule Ended With A One-Way Ticket Chapter 06

Nathan went crazy calling everyone who knew me.

First person he called was Sophie Mercer.

“Sophie, where’s Clara? Where did she go?” He was frantic the second she picked up.

Sophie laughed coldly. “Well, well. Look who’s back from vacation, Captain Hayes. Enjoy the trip?”

“Cut the crap. Where’s Clara? Her little tantrum’s gone on long enough.”

“Tantrum?” Sophie’s voice shot up. “Nathan, did you get your head examined? Who cancels their phone number over a tantrum?”

“She just wants me to cave,” he ground out. “What, because I didn’t take her to see the Lights? Because I gave the ticket to Amber? I’ll make it up to her, alright?”

“Nathan, you still don’t get why she left, do you?”

Sophie took a long drag of her cigarette and blew it out slowly.

“Six years ago when she got diagnosed with those thyroid nodules, you were flying international. I was the one who sat with her in the waiting room for the biopsy results.”

“She was crying she was so scared. But when she called you, you said she was bothering you and you were about to take off and didn’t

need the stress.”

“I… I didn’t know she was sick…”

“No, you didn’t. Because she lied and told you it was just inflammation. You know what else? When you were up for your captain checkride three years ago, her mom had heart bypass surgery back home.”

“Clara was running on empty—looking after you all day and sleeping at the hospital every night. She collapsed in the hallway from being so worn out.”

Nathan’s breathing got heavy on the other end.

“She never told me… she never said anything…”

“She did tell you!” Sophie yelled. “She texted you that something was wrong at home and asked you to be there. You know what you said? ‘I’m in sim training with Amber. I don’t have time for every little thing.'”

Nathan went completely still.

“And your precious Amber.” Sophie ripped into him without mercy. “You really think Clara’s blind? She saw every single one of those forty-something cockpit photos in your locked album.”

“No way,” Nathan said automatically. “I never told her that passcode.”

“The passcode? It’s the date Amber started at the airline. Clara

cracked it in two tries.”

Sophie’s words hit Nathan like a sledgehammer.

“You had Clara acting like your damn maid while you ran around being Amber’s hero. What did you think she was? Your free labor?”

“I never wanted to break up with Clara…” His voice cracked.

“But she doesn’t want you.” Sophie cut him off coldly. “Stop looking for her. She’s happier now than she ever was in the eight years she was with you. Combined.”

The line went dead.

Nathan stood in his empty living room, holding his phone.

He suddenly remembered that morning before she left. Clara sitting calmly drinking her coffee, watching him text Amber.

He remembered her asking what day next Wednesday was.

He hadn’t even known it was their anniversary.

He walked to the study and opened the drawer where Clara used to keep his flight info.

Inside was a thick notebook.

He opened it.

Every page was marked in red and blue pen. Flight numbers. Departure and arrival times. Local weather.

Followed by meal plans she’d prepared for him. And times he needed to take his pills.

Page after page. Four full notebooks.

The last entry was from a month ago.

One sentence: [He brought home a teddy bear keychain today. Said he just picked it up. I saw the receipt. It had A. engraved on it.]

Nathan fell to his knees. Tears splashed onto the notebook without warning.

For the first time, he truly faced the cold, massive weight of the numbers and facts.

He hadn’t just ignored her sacrifices. He’d stomped her dignity into the ground.

The sound of a key turning in the lock came from the front door.

Amber Reid walked in with her suitcase, already complaining.

“Nathan, why did you leave without telling me? I had to carry all my luggage alone at the airport…”

She got to the study door and saw him on his knees. She froze.

“Nathan? What’s wrong? Is Clare still not back?”

He raised his head slowly. The warmth in his eyes was gone. Replaced by something cold and unfamiliar. Disgust.

“Who let you in?”

His voice was ice.

Amber flinched. She bit her lip, hurt.

“I have a spare key… You gave it to me. Said it would be easier for me to pick up flight materials…”

“Put the key down.”

“Nathan…”

“I said put the key down and get out.” His voice exploded into a roar, like an animal cornered.