Chapter 3

With 40 minutes left until landing, the cabin lights dimmed.

Sarah, however, didn't look sleepy in the slightest. She opened her phone gallery and pulled up a design draft.

It was a teardrop-shaped diamond ring. A paved halo of accent diamonds encircled the center stone, and two initials were engraved along the inner band.

"He specifically had a designer custom-make this for me," Sarah said, her cheeks flushing as she zoomed in on the picture.

"He said the first time I met him, I was wearing a sky-blue dress, so he wanted to capture the memory of me from that day right in the ring."

I stared at the design draft.

Three months ago, a line item of 28,000 dollars appeared on Ryan's bank statement.

I had asked him where the money went.

He claimed his company had an unexpected tax adjustment and told me not to meddle in his business affairs.

Back then, worried that his cash flow was tight, I had even cashed out my fixed-deposit savings.

That money was still sitting quietly in our joint account.

Sarah kept swiping. "And look at this. My friend managed to snap a picture of his proposal vows."

In the photo was Ryan's familiar handwriting.

"Sarah, thank you for showing me that love isn't about obligation but about wholehearted devotion. Every second of every minute from here on, I'll be right by your side, taking you wherever you want to go. I'll spend the rest of my life proving that you will always be my first choice."

Love wasn't about obligation.

I repeated the words silently in my mind. A memory from a month ago suddenly floated back to me.

This year marked Ryan's and my seventh wedding anniversary.

I had booked a getaway to Saintford for the two of us six months in advance.

He had told me he owed me a proper honeymoon after all these years and promised he'd stick by my side through the whole trip.

Yet the night before we were set to leave, he claimed an emergency had broken out at the company.

I didn't complain. I had even comforted him instead, telling him work came first and that I could easily travel on my own.

Only now did I realize Ryan was simply busy turning the vacation he'd promised me into a proposal for Sarah.

Sarah stared at the vows, her eyes sparkling with delight. "He said no matter how busy he gets in the future, he's going to take me on a trip every year. Ella, were you in Saintford for a vacation too?"

I lowered my eyes. "Something like that."

"How come your husband didn't come with you?"

"He had a last-minute emergency."

Sarah let out a sigh. "Ah, that's such a bummer. When it comes to traveling, you really have to do it with the person you love most."

I didn't say a word.

It turned out that Ryan felt the exact same way, which was why he wanted to reserve the experience of traveling together strictly for Sarah.

A sudden burst of turbulence jolted the plane, and a sharp wave of nausea surged straight up my throat.

I clamped my hand over my mouth, the color instantly draining from my face.

Sarah quickly unzipped the small bag beside her. "Are you feeling sick again?"

She pulled out a pack of soda crackers and a silver thermal flask. "Here, try eating a little."

I took the crackers, but my eyes caught a sticky note tucked inside the bag.

The handwriting on it still belonged to Ryan. "Don't fly on an empty stomach. Drink warm water if you feel air-sick. Don't push yourself."

Inside the thermal flask was warm honey water. The temperature was just right.

Sarah offered an embarrassed smile. "I get nauseous easily on flights. He's always worried I'll forget to eat, so he packs all this for me every time."

My hand froze midair.

Just this morning, I was throwing up so violently in the hotel room that I could barely stand.

On the way to the hospital, I had sent Ryan a text message. "I'm feeling terribly nauseous. I'm heading to the hospital to get checked out."

Two hours later, his reply finally came through. "Things are chaotic enough here. Handle it yourself. Stop running to me for every little thing."

Yet at that exact same time, he remembered Sarah got air-sick. He remembered to pack soda crackers for her. He remembered the honey water shouldn't be too hot.

The crackers in my hand suddenly felt impossibly heavy.

I placed them back into the bag. "It's alright. I'm feeling a bit better now."

Sarah checked the time and quickly pulled her white luggage down from the overhead bin.

Unzipping a side compartment, she pulled out a foldable phone tripod. "Ella, could you do me one more favor? Could you help me set this up when he proposes later? I really want to record the whole thing."

She passed the tripod into my hands.

The black metal felt ice-cold against my skin.

I nodded softly. "Sure."

Sarah threw her arms around me in a happy hug. "You're honestly my lucky star!"

The overhead speakers chimed with an announcement that we were preparing for descent.

The city lights on the ground grew clearer and clearer.

I slipped my hand into my pocket, my fingers brushing against the folded ultrasound report.

Ryan had no idea that his grand plans for tonight were about to meet an outcome he never saw coming.