He Promised Me Every Flight, Gave Her Every One Chapter 13

He Promised Me Every Flight, Gave Her Every One Chapter 13

The court issued its ruling two months later.

The Sterlings had to reimburse every documented expense I had advanced on their behalf.

They also had to cover part of my wedding-related losses.

The transfer contracts for my parents’ two storefronts had been legally executed.

But the purchase prices were far below market value.

Grant’s father wanted the matter settled, so he voluntarily paid the difference.

Emily caused scenes, cried, and even waited outside my new workplace.

But the evidence left her speechless.

She could never again claim the Millers owed the Sterlings.

The car I’d bought Blake was also repossessed and liquidated at its depreciated value.

He called to beg me. “Ellie, getting to work will be hard without a car. I know I ran my mouth before. Can’t you let it go?”

“Call my lawyer.”

Blake stayed silent for a long time.

Then he cursed at me.

I hung up and blocked him.

Life slowly became peaceful again.

With the recovered money and my parents’ savings, I opened a small bridal restoration studio.

I named it Lumina Bridal Restoration & Atelier.

My mother’s pearl headpiece sat inside a display case.

I left the gold seam on the back exposed.

Many customers asked why I hadn’t restored it perfectly.

I always gave the same answer. “A fracture can become part of a new pattern.”

Sophie sent a flower arrangement for the grand opening.

Julian brought me a vintage drafting lamp. “Your father used to work under one just like this.”

I looked at the warm glow beneath the shade.

My nose stung.

When I closed the studio that night, someone was waiting outside.

Grant had lost a lot of weight.

He wore a plain black coat and carried a paper bag.

He no longer looked like the captain who had always stood tall and brilliant in every crowd.

I watched him through the glass.

Grant knocked on the door.

Sophie frowned. “Want me to make him leave?”

“No.”

I opened the door.

Cold air swept inside.

Grant held out the paper bag. “I packed some of the things you left at the penthouse. The pilot’s manual is in there too.”

I didn’t take it.

He smiled bitterly. “But your notes are still inside. I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away.”

Grant set the bag beside the door.

Then he pulled out a prepaid debit card. “The storefront adjustment and settlement funds have cleared. This is extra. It’s from me personally, not the Sterling family.”

“I don’t need it.”

His hand froze in midair.

A moment later, he put the check away. “Okay.”

His gaze moved to the headpiece inside the display case.

His expression dimmed at once. “It’s beautiful.”

I said nothing.

Grant lowered his voice. “I wish I’d stopped her that day.”

“There are no what-ifs.”

He nodded.

The words seemed to crush the air from his lungs.

The streetlights outside cast a dull yellow glow.

Grant stood there for a long time before speaking again.

“The airline denied my request to return to flight duty.”

I finally looked at him.

He gave a strained smile.

“They don’t think I’m emotionally fit to fly yet. They want to keep evaluating me.”

Flying had been his pride.

Now, he had destroyed that pride with his own hands.

But it had nothing to do with me.

“Lydia left,” he continued. “She moved to another city. Before leaving, she asked my mother for more money.”

“When my mother refused, Lydia sent our payment records to the relatives.”

“She told everyone the Sterlings still owed her.”

Emily had always cared most about appearances.

That moral debt had finally turned against her.

Grant looked at me.

His voice was almost too quiet to hear. “Eleanor, was I really that ridiculous before?”

I thought about it. “Yes.”

His eyes reddened, but he gave a small laugh. “You won’t even comfort me anymore.”

“No.”

The studio lights fell between us.

Once, I’d always worried about him.

I worried he was tired.

I worried he was hurting.

I feared hearing him say he was disappointed in me.

Now, his pain stood right in front of me.

I felt nothing.

Grant reached inside his coat and pulled out a ring.

It was the engagement ring I’d returned.

He had threaded it onto a fine chain and worn it around his neck.

“I wear it every day.”

I looked at the ring. “Take it off.”

His hand clenched around it. “Eleanor.”

“It doesn’t mean anything anymore.”

The last trace of light shattered in his eyes.

Grant lowered his head for a long time.

When he finally looked up, a tear struck the floor. “I understand.”

A plane crossed the distant night sky.

Grant looked up without thinking.

The reflex was etched into his bones.

But flying no longer belonged to him.

The End