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Chapter 5

Author: Crayon Bear-chan
At 11 p.m., Kit did something rare—he came home.

As he stepped inside and removed his jacket, he reached to hang it behind the door.

Then he noticed the spot where our photo had once hung, and he froze.

“Our photo behind the door—is it gone?”

He didn’t even set down his coat before hurrying into the bedroom, a hint of panic in his voice.

“It fell and shattered,” I replied.

His eyes shifted toward the trash bin near the door, where shards of glass glinted under the light.

His shoulders relaxed slightly.

Then, placing his coat aside, he pulled out a shopping bag containing a Louis Vuitton purse.

“I didn’t get a chance to give you your gift yesterday,” he said.

“I got this for you. Happy anniversary.”

He set the bag on the bed.

For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard him.

Three years of marriage, and he finally remembered our anniversary?

But then I glanced at the receipt—the purchase had been made just thirty minutes ago.

Then it hit me.

Katy’s anniversary post must have reminded him, prompting this last-minute gesture.

He didn’t realize I already owned two purses of the same design.

I said nothing and looked at him steadily.

“Oh, and with the year-end approaching,” he continued, “the airline’s annual awards are coming up.

“Katy’s been in the industry for three years now, and her biggest wish is to win Best Flight Attendant, like you have for several years.

“Would you consider stepping aside to give her a chance?”

His tone was hesitant, almost pleading.

I smiled bitterly.

So, this spontaneous gift came with strings attached.

“Sure,” I replied calmly.

Not just this year.

Next year, the year after, and every year after that—I wouldn’t compete with her for the airline’s top honor again because after tonight, I was leaving.

“You… you agree to do it?”

He had not expected me to say yes so easily.

Kit kept glancing at me from the corner of his eye, uncertain, searching.

Then, unable to resist, he spoke again.

“Katy is my student. You’re her mentor’s wife—that’s how it should be, right?”

He paused, then added as if suddenly struck by inspiration, “Oh, right. I’m not flying tomorrow. Let’s go to the county clerk’s office and finally register our marriage.”

I didn’t say anything.

He seemed to recall, belatedly, that I had been packing earlier.

His tone softened.

“I almost forgot. You’re flying again tomorrow, aren’t you? What time’s your flight?”

“Three in the afternoon,” I said, watching him.

I was ready to tell him tonight, this final night together, that I was leaving.

But before I could speak, his phone rang.

It was Katy.

Her sugary voice drifted through the speaker.

She had just gotten her period and didn’t have any pads.

She needed Kit’s help.

When he hung up, he looked at me sheepishly.

“Uh… Katy’s in a bit of a situation. She’s not great with these things. I should probably go help her.”

He almost sounded like he was asking for permission.

I swallowed the words I had been about to say, forced a smile, and nodded.

“It’s okay. Go.”

Relief washed over him.

He got up immediately.

Before leaving, he turned back once more.

“Your flight’s at three, so we’ll have time. Let’s meet at the county clerk’s office at ten tomorrow morning.

“I promise—no matter what happens this time, I’ll be there.”

I let out a bitter laugh.

In the end, he still hadn’t given me the chance to break things off face-to-face.

The next morning, I packed my luggage and skipped the trip to the county clerk’s office entirely.

I headed straight to the airport.

By noon, Kit still hadn’t called to ask why I hadn’t shown up to our appointment.

It wasn’t until I stood at the gate, moments away from boarding, that his message finally came through:

[Sorry, Katy wasn’t feeling well today, so I took her to the hospital.

[We missed our registration appointment again. Once you're back from this flight, I’ll go with you to get it done.]

I stared at the screen, my heart completely still.

So this was it, the 18th time he failed to show.

[Don’t bother, Kit. I’ve already given up.

[I’m flying to Solara. After today, we won’t see each other again.]

I sent the message, then reached for the power button to shut off my phone.

Before I could press it, the long-silent chat window exploded, buzzing wildly with incoming messages.
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  • Three Years and Eighteen Goodbyes   Chapter 12

    If it had been three years ago, I would have refused the company's decision, no matter the jump in salary or position they offered. But my heart had already healed completely, so I gladly accepted the company's arrangement. The day before I was to return, I sent a WhatsApp message to my former colleague and best friend, Maya Hudson. "I’m returning to Thalora tomorrow. How is Holly and everyone else?"Upon hearing the news, Maya was so excited that we spoke for three whole hours. She couldn't wait for me to board the plane and return to Thalora.The next day, when my flight landed, Maya rushed to greet me. She was accompanied by Holly and a few other colleagues.Three years had passed, and each of them carried the marks of time. When they saw me, they all seemed surprised. In the years I had been living for myself, I hadn’t aged. In fact, I looked rather youthful to them. It was a little after that I learned why Kit had suddenly disappeared in the second year I was in S

  • Three Years and Eighteen Goodbyes   Chapter 11

    The next day, Kit flew back to Thalora. But as he had said, he began to fly only the Solara route. Almost every week, he would arrive in Solara, and each time, he would stand outside my door for the entire night. Yet, I never once opened the door for him. Over time, my life in Solara gradually fell into place. I obtained diving, flying, and gliding certifications. In the summer, I visited the Majestic River. In winter, I went to the Snowy Mountains. By the end of that year, I was selected as the employee of the year by Air Montclaire and became the head of the flight attendants for the entire Solara branch. During this time, some men began to pursue me, but I didn't pay any attention to them. My wounded heart had healed, but the scars remained. To me, my career was the priority. For a long period after, my life continued this way, day after day, and Kit's life seemed unchanged as well. Every time he came to Solara, he would stand outside my door for the entire

  • Three Years and Eighteen Goodbyes   Chapter 10

    At the same time, I arrived safely at the Solara airport.The moment I landed, over a dozen colleagues from Air Montclaire came forward to greet me warmly.It was my third time in Solara.By all accounts, I barely knew the city and certainly wasn’t familiar with its streets, but as I took in the unfamiliar surroundings, I felt an unexpected calm wash over me.Perhaps because I knew, starting today, I would finally live for myself.Back home, I earned the Best Flight Attendant title for seven consecutive years. Here, I knew I could achieve the same.More than that, I could finally do all the things I had once set aside to be with Kit.Skiing, mountain climbing, skydiving, chasing the northern lights—so many dreams now waited to be lived.But what I didn’t expect was that, on my second day in Solara, as I returned home from work, I found Kit standing at my door.As a pilot, he never drank, yet that night, his entire body reeked of alcohol.In just two days, he looked like he

  • Three Years and Eighteen Goodbyes   Chapter 9

    [What? You want to fly the Solara route? Did I read that right? [Weren’t you the one who swore you’d never fly to Solara again? I even went to headquarters to make a special request on your behalf and got chewed out for it.]Less than a minute after Kit sent the message, his phone rang. Billy Lipton’s voice on the other end brimmed with shock and disbelief.Five years ago, after an incident during a Solara flight, Kit had formally requested never to be assigned that route again. He told headquarters that if they denied his request, he would resign on the spot. Everyone at the airline who had been around back then knew the story.Now, out of nowhere, he had voluntarily asked to be reassigned to Solara. Naturally, people were stunned.“I mean it, Billy. Please help me submit the application to HQ again—as soon as possible,” Kit replied, his voice steady and firm.“What’s going on?” Billy asked, concern creeping into his tone.“Let me ask you something, Billy,” Kit paused. “

  • Three Years and Eighteen Goodbyes   Chapter 8

    Three hours later, as dusk fell, Kit finally left the airport and drove home.The moment he stepped through the door, he hung up his coat as he usually would, when his gaze caught the faint outline left behind the door where a photo frame had once been. He turned toward the nearest trash bin.There, amid shards of broken glass, lay the photo of us.He crouched down slowly and retrieved it. As he stared at the image, the memory stirred: it had been taken eight years ago, at the concert we attended together. And with it came the recollection of a promise he’d once made to me at that very concert.He realized then, since taking Katy as his apprentice, he hadn’t accompanied me to a single concert. Perhaps that had been the turning point. Perhaps it was then that he began to drift away.Yet even so, he couldn’t understand why I left.Because in his mind, every time he’d let me down, he’d tried to make up for it with gifts. Just like yesterday, after attending a concert wit

  • Three Years and Eighteen Goodbyes   Chapter 7

    After leaving the flight crew center, Kit sat motionless in the airport for three hours.As he looked around every corner of the terminal, memories surged through his mind, uninvited and relentless.We first met at the security checkpoint eight years ago.It was my first time transitioning from a ground position to a flight crew role. I was so excited and hadn’t slept the night before, so by morning, I was visibly out of sorts. I even dropped my work ID while going through security.Kit was the one who picked it up for me, sparing me from making a critical mistake on my first day.That brief encounter was when we learned each other’s names.After that, he often asked me to grab a late-night meal at the airport after our flights.Once. Then again. And again.From acquaintances, we slowly became something more.Over time, we explored every corner of this airport together.Even more fortunately, we were later assigned to the same route—something every aviation couple dreams

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