At first, I assumed she was traveling with her husband, Dawson.
Then the man leaned closer, gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and kissed her.
It was Ryan.
My husband.
With my best friend.
I grabbed the nearest seat to steady myself.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
Then I hurried toward my assigned seat near the back.
My hands trembled as I fastened the seat belt.
They were sitting together, laughing and behaving like a couple.
So there was no business trip.
And Megan wasn’t simply my closest friend anymore.
I wanted to confront them
immediately.
But I stopped myself.
Then I remembered something inside my handbag.
A small jewelry box.
I’d been carrying it because two bracelets needed repairs.
One was a silver friendship bracelet Megan had given me five years earlier.
We owned matching ones.
The engraving read:
Sisters Before Misters.
The other was an anniversary bracelet Ryan had bought me during our tenth year of marriage.
Its inscription said:
Forever Yours.
Both clasps had broken recently.
I’d planned to take them to a jeweler after visiting Mom.
But suddenly, those bracelets seemed to represent something completely different.
I opened the box, placed them side by side, and added a handwritten note.
Then I approached a flight attendant.
“Would you mind delivering this to the passengers in seats 2A and 2B? It’s a personal gift.”
After checking that it contained ordinary personal belongings, she agreed.
I returned to my seat.
Moments later, the
attendant handed Ryan the box.
He smiled.
Megan eagerly opened it.
Then everything changed.
Her expression collapsed.
She looked at the bracelets, read the note, and hurried toward the restroom.
Ryan stared at the contents, his face turning crimson.
He immediately began searching the cabin.
But I lowered my head.
He hadn’t found me.
Not yet.
Twenty minutes into the flight, Ryan finally appeared beside my seat.
“Kylie?”
I looked up calmly.
“Hello, Ryan.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Flying to Chicago.”
“Why?”
“Mom’s in the hospital.”
His expression changed.
