All Chapters of Ran Away From His Sky: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Ethan Cole had been flying for ten years, working his way up from first officer to captain.I'd been by his side for seven of those years, and on the ground for every single one.That evening, I packed his flight bag the way I always did.Antacids in the side pocket. Noise-canceling headphones fully charged. A spare tie rolled up and tucked beneath his uniform. The bag had been with him for years, and I knew every compartment better than he did.When I unzipped the innermost pocket, my fingers brushed a small velvet box.It wasn't his.Inside was a custom solo wings pin, with an engraving on the back."For Lark's first solo."Beneath the words was a date. Three days ago.Under the pin sat a flight school tuition receipt. The payer was Ethan. The student was Skyler Hayes.Below that was a printed photograph.Skyler was in the left seat of a small training aircraft, her hand on the control yoke. Ethan sat on the right, his black-gloved hand resting over hers, his head tilted slightly tow

Chapter 2

The day after Ethan flew out, I started clearing out the house.I logged into the smart home hub first.The thermostat, the lighting, the medication reminders, the coffee maker schedule, the bedroom blackout blinds, the air purifier cycles. I had configured every one of them, setting by setting.Ethan had never once asked how any of it worked.All he knew was that the water was always the right temperature when he woke up, the living room lights were on when he landed and came home, and his medication was ready at the right time no matter what time zone he'd flown in from.I transferred admin access to him, removed all the shared schedules, and deleted my account.The system prompted a confirmation."After deactivation, your voice and behavioral data will be permanently removed."I clicked confirm.From now on, this house would only recognize him.Packing was faster than I'd expected.Two suitcases. That was all it took.An entire wall of the closet was filled with his uniforms, jacket

Chapter 3

Over the next two days, I gave away everything I'd brought into the house.The stand mixer went to the young couple who'd just moved in downstairs. The balcony plant stand went to the community center. The kitchen dinnerware set, barely ever used, was donated to a charity shop.When Ethan came back, he scanned the noticeably emptier living room and said only, "Place feels a lot quieter lately."He didn't ask what was missing.Friday morning, he told me over coffee that he'd be going to Skyler's solo flight celebration dinner that evening."You're coming too."I looked at him."Why would I go?""You've always said I never introduce you to anyone in the flying community. Everyone will be there. Come sit with us."His tone was even, as if he were finally granting me an opportunity.Whenever I'd wanted to go to club gatherings with him before, he'd said I'd been away from flying too long and wouldn't understand the conversation.Now he was offering to bring me along, and it was for another

Chapter 4

The day after the celebration dinner, Ethan sat at the table as if nothing had happened.He pushed a document toward me."I talked to a flight school nearby."I looked down at it.It was a prepayment confirmation for refresher training."You've been saying you want to fly again, right? I've already put down a deposit for you. Once you're feeling better, you can start your lessons."I didn't touch the document.Ethan leaned back in his chair. "You were the one who decided to stop flying back then. I only laid out the reality of the situation. Nobody forced you. Now that things are better, I'm willing to support you. There's no need to keep holding onto the past."I almost laughed.The person who'd grounded me was now granting me permission to take off.He'd clipped my wings, and now he was sliding a course confirmation across the table and calling it compensation."I don't need it."He frowned slightly."Why not?""Because I don't need your approval to fly."I looked at him, my voice ca

Chapter 5

The drive from Seattle to Bend took roughly six hours.The farther south I went, the less it rained.The gray of the city gave way, little by little, to mountains and pine forests. Dry grassy hillsides began to line the road.By evening, I reached the cabin by the river.The landlord had left the key in the lockbox by the door, along with a bottle of milk and a note in the fridge."Welcome to Bend. It gets cold at night. Remember to close the windows."The cabin was small. One bedroom, and a living room with a fireplace.I set the two suitcases down. The first thing I reached for wasn't my clothes. It was the logbook.The next morning, I went to the flight school.The instructor who met me was named Rachel. She was in her forties, spoke quickly, and wore her hair pulled back in a short ponytail.She went through my old logbook, then had me take a basic knowledge assessment."You've been out for seven years," she said."Yes.""A lot of your records can't carry over. You'll need a new me

Chapter 6

Ethan held the phone, ignoring Mia's sarcasm."Where's Nora?""You already tracked her down, didn't you?""I'm asking for the exact address.""She doesn't want to see you."Ethan stood in the empty living room, his voice still steady."She's emotionally unstable right now. Running off to a strange city alone to learn to fly is risky. I need to make sure she's safe."Mia laughed again."See, even now you still dismiss every decision she makes as an emotional reaction.""Mia, I don't have time to argue with you.""Then don't. I'll tell you a few things, and once you've heard them, you can decide whether you have any right to worry about her safety."The line went quiet for a few seconds.Mia spoke first. "Did you know Nora was pregnant with your child?"Ethan said nothing."Eight weeks. Already had a heartbeat. The night you were taking Skyler through the clouds, Nora was alone in the ER having a miscarriage. She signed the D&C consent form herself."Ethan's hand froze around the phone.

Chapter 7

The next morning, Ethan went to work as usual.He finished the pre-flight briefing, checked the weather, reviewed the route. No lateness, no mistakes.No one could tell he'd sat on the floor until dawn the night before.After finishing his duty in the afternoon, he went back to the office and began drafting a solution.First: cancel all future training expenses he'd been covering for Skyler, while keeping the courses she'd already completed so her training wouldn't be affected.Second: revoke the personal key, vehicle access, and non-work contact permissions.Third: transfer the Bellevue property into my name.Fourth: cover all my flight training costs in Bend.Fifth: settle the ER and surgical costs from over a month ago, and arrange a gynecological follow-up, a physical, and counseling.Sixth: compensate me for the professional flying opportunities I'd given up.He wrote out each item in detail, noting the person responsible and the deadline.As if he were handling a serious but mana

Chapter 8

The day Ethan arrived in Bend, I had just finished a crosswind landing drill.The wind was strong. Three consecutive approaches had been unstable.Rachel had me go around twice before I finally landed on the third.When I returned from the airport, my arms were still sore.When I pushed open the cabin's gate, Ethan was standing at the bottom of the steps.He wore a dark gray coat, a briefcase at his side.No flowers. No gifts.He looked like he'd come for a formal negotiation.I stopped."How did you find this place?""Your lawyer provided a document delivery address.""That wasn't meant for you.""I haven't done anything illegal."He answered quickly, as if he'd rehearsed it."I'm just here to resolve things."I glanced at the briefcase."I didn't ask you to come.""Ten minutes.""Ethan.""Nora, I've already taken care of everything I can."He pulled documents from the briefcase."The property will be transferred to your name. I've set aside enough to cover all your training costs in

Chapter 9

After Ethan returned to Seattle, he flew his regular schedule for two weeks.He didn't take sick leave, and he didn't explain to anyone what had happened in Bend.But the right seat began to take on a weight he couldn't ignore.The first time was during recurrent simulator training.When the first officer sat beside him and reached to adjust the seat, Ethan suddenly thought of Skyler's hand on the control yoke, and then of me signing my own name in the ER over a month ago.The examiner reminded him to check altitude. He was two seconds late.The second time was while supervising a new hire on approach.The young first officer asked whether to continue the descent. Ethan stared at the right seat for a moment before giving the instruction.After landing, he voluntarily filed a report and requested to be removed from training duties.His supervisor asked why."My attention isn't where it needs to be for instructing.""Do you need to be grounded?""No.""Would you be open to a psychologica

Chapter 10

The rain in Bend had stopped.At six in the morning, I put on a faded old jacket and drove to the airport.The sky wasn't fully light yet. The mountains in the distance were just a gray outline.Rachel was already waiting outside the hangar.She glanced at the weather, then at me."Today's good."I nodded.I didn't say thank you. I didn't ask myself whether I was truly ready.I had completed every checklist.That was enough.For the first takeoff and landing, Rachel sat in the right seat.I taxied, took off, turned, approached, and landed by the book.The tires bounced lightly when they touched down, but the plane settled quickly.Rachel had me taxi back to the ramp.She unbuckled her seatbelt and put away her headset."This next one, I'm getting out."I held the control yoke and didn't move.Seven years ago, I'd heard those same words.That day, Ethan had stood outside the fence and told me not to go up yet.He'd said to wait a little longer. Wait until his exam was over. Wait until t

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