The Captain Who Flew Into Her Storm Chapter 05

The Captain Who Flew Into Her Storm Chapter 05

The investigator gave them no time to recover, walking straight over to Tessa and thrusting the microphone toward her.

“Since you insist you were the lead author, explain to everyone how you arrived at this technical

recommendation.”

Tears streamed down Tessa’s face as the microphone trembled in her hand.

She stammered for what felt like forever but couldn’t explain the reasoning behind the

recommendation.

Her lie fell apart in front of everyone.

Mocking whispers swelled throughout the room.

The same people who had flattered her and Callum at the celebration dinner the night before now watched with open contempt and barely concealed glee.

The Director of Operations slammed his palm on the table and jabbed an accusing finger at Callum.

“Callum Rhodes, you’ve never disappointed me more. You put this airline’s safety at risk just to please a woman!”

Callum’s face went from ashen to flushed as he opened his mouth to defend himself, only to realize there was no legitimate explanation for what he’d done.

The meeting was immediately suspended, and the Safety and Compliance Department issued its preliminary disciplinary action.

Tessa was grounded indefinitely, barred from all performance awards and promotion

consideration, and placed under review for termination.

As a participant in the misconduct, Callum was relieved of command, demoted to first officer, and ordered to cooperate with a full investigation.

The moment the meeting ended, Callum rushed to the air traffic control center, shoved open the operations-room door, and shouted my name.

The controller on duty looked at him without a trace of sympathy.

“Don’t bother. Elara finished her transfer paperwork last night. She’s already gone.”

The words hit Callum square in the chest.

He staggered backward and hit the doorframe, his face going blank.

Tessa rushed up behind him and grabbed his arm, but Callum wrenched himself free.

For the first time, his eyes held none of the patience or indulgence he had once shown her.

That evening, Callum returned alone to the empty apartment.

He sat on the couch and stared at the divorce agreement on the table until his eyes slowly turned

red.

For the first time, he looked back on our eleven years together. We had gone from being deeply in

love to living like strangers in a secret marriage.

He remembered the nights I had stayed up organizing route information for him and the time I had waited at the airport in pouring rain after his flight was delayed.

Every sacrifice he had once taken for granted now felt like a knife twisting in his heart.

Callum picked up a pen and hovered over the signature line for a long time, but in the end, he threw it aside and crushed the agreement in his fist.

“Elara Vaughn, I’m not signing this,” he muttered hoarsely to the empty room. “You’re not getting

rid of me.”

It was already late at night when my flight landed at the remote high-altitude airport in the

Mountain West division.

The wind carried a bone-deep chill. I pulled my coat tighter around myself and boarded the shuttle to the employee housing near the control tower.

Life in the Mountain West was even harsher than I had expected.

The wind drove sand through the air, and the altitude made every breath feel thin.

For the first few nights, I barely slept, but I still didn’t regret coming.

The sky was clear here, far from every person and memory that had made me sick.

On my third day, I officially reported for duty at the tower.

The person assigned to welcome me was Reid Sterling, the youngest chief pilot in the Mountain

West division.

An injury had temporarily grounded him, so he was providing technical support at the tower while

he recovered.

“Elara Vaughn?”

Reid studied my résumé, tapping his fingers lightly against the desk.

“You brought a drifting aircraft back on course in the middle of a thunderstorm. Not every controller could’ve pulled that off.”

He looked up at me, clearly impressed.

For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond.

During the past three years, Callum had only ever told me that I wasn’t good enough. According to him, I needed to be steadier and learn to step aside for others.

Reid was the first person in years to tell me that I was already exceptional.

“Thank you, Captain Sterling,” I said quietly.

Reid smiled as he handed me a cup of hot tea. “The wind out here is brutal. Stay warm.”

We soon developed an effortless working rhythm. His years of flight experience complemented my decisive commands, and our coordination was seamless.