2

It was past ten by the time I got to the hotel.

The front desk clerk checked the reservation and looked uncomfortable.

"Ms. Lane, someone has already checked into your room."

My executive room had been switched to a windowless room at the staff rate.

Lana stepped out of the elevator in a bathrobe, holding Nathan's thermos.

"The cabin pressure hurt my ears, so I need somewhere quiet to rest.

"Captain Ford said it doesn't matter where you stay. You don't mind, right?"

Nathan came out behind her with his shirtsleeves rolled up to his forearms. He'd obviously just finished settling her in.

A sudden ache rose in my throat.

"I have a pricing meeting in my room tomorrow morning."

I kept my voice level.

"Have it in the lobby."

"The meeting's confidential."

Nathan rubbed his brow, irritated.

"Avery, don't turn a small thing into a big deal. Lanie isn't feeling well."

All the hurt I'd swallowed on the way here came rushing up at once.

I stared at him, my voice shaking no matter how hard I tried to control it.

"My seat, my ride, my room. Why is it always no big deal when she takes what's mine?"

He froze for a moment.

I didn't wait for his answer. I turned to the front desk and asked to see the check-in records.

The security footage showed Lana claiming to be my sister and using a screenshot of the booking from Nathan's phone to switch rooms.

The duty manager told her to vacate the room immediately.

Lana's eyes welled up.

"We're all friends here. Avery, there's no need to make this so ugly."

I clutched the key card until my knuckles went white, but for the first time, I didn't back down.

"You're the one who used my name. We're not close enough to share a room, so please move out now."

Nathan pushed his own key card into her hand and gave me a cold look.

"She can have my room. I'll sleep on the couch. Happy now?"

As if taking back what was mine had done him some terrible wrong.

My chest ached, but I kept my back straight and headed for the elevator.

"That's not my problem. She can sleep wherever she wants. I just want my own room."

The next day, after the meetings wrapped up, Henrik Dahl, the airline's Nordic regional head, invited me to dinner.

But when I got to the restaurant, my name wasn't on the seating chart.

Lana was sitting next to Nathan with my guest badge pinned to her chest.

Henrik barely glanced at me.

"Spouses sit at the overflow table in the back. Please don't get in the way of business."

Instinctively, I looked at Nathan.

He knew perfectly well this was my project, but he was too busy pulling out Lana's chair and murmuring to her not to drink too much.

Lana smiled and made the introductions.

"Avery is Captain Ford's wife. For those two years after the crash, she stayed home and took care of him."

Everyone praised me for being such a devoted wife, and someone teased Nathan.

"With a wife this patient, you must have it easy when you're away, huh?"

Nathan answered flatly, "She's used to it."

Just four words, and they landed like a slap across my face.

Tears pricked at my eyes. I thought about selling my mother's house to cover the damages from his accident, and about all the nights I'd jolted awake to his nightmares.

So to him, my sacrifices were just something I'd gotten used to making.

I blinked hard to hold back the tears, walked to the head table, and set down my business card.

"Let me introduce myself again."

My voice was still a little hoarse, but every word came out clear.

"I'm Avery Lane, the project lead for this aviation emergency response station. The blizzard passenger transfer plan you approved this afternoon was mine, start to finish."

The table went silent.

Henrik checked his email, then immediately stood up and apologized to me.

I took my badge back from Lana, whose face had gone pale, and pinned it on myself.

"And for the record, I'm not here for a free meal."

I looked at her, and at Nathan, who still hadn't said a word.

"The person at this table who wasn't actually invited isn't me."