All of the 863 passenger planes under Muno Airlines had the same destination—anywhere Claire Alton would be waiting.

So, no matter what, you'd never need to worry about finding your way back home. — Lucas Dalton

…

Capital city, Pingsong Port.

Evening came with no break in the storm. Wind and rain lashed the windows.

"Claire, Olivia and her husband are going through a divorce. Once the cooling-off period's done and their papers are settled, she's moving in with me. So... we should go our separate ways."

Kevin McPherson finally said the words he'd clearly been holding in for a while.

Claire felt like someone had cracked her chest open. Her heart skipped a beat, then the ache spread like wildfire—so sharp she could barely hold her chopsticks.

"You… you’re still in touch with Olivia?" Her voice caught on the last syllable.

In touch? That was putting it lightly. Judging by what he just said, they'd probably rekindled things a while ago.

No wonder Kevin had been acting all secretive and “busy” lately—it all made sense now. Those weren’t random work nights, he’d been spending time with Olivia.

Kevin looked away, clearly uncomfortable. After a pause, he admitted, "I still love Olivia. A lot. I just… I can’t let her go."

So I’m what, disposable? Just like that?

As if trying to look responsible, Kevin added, "After the divorce, I’ll give you a huge settlement. Name any house, anywhere—you pick, I’ll buy. Just… don’t give her a hard time, okay?"

Claire actually let out a short, bitter laugh. Tears clung to her lashes as she looked at him. "Is that really how you see me?"

"I know you're not like that, that’s why I want to make up for this. Whatever you want, just say the word," he said, like it was some kind of noble gesture.

How could he say that with a straight face?

“Make up for it”?

Does he think that if she did give Olivia trouble, somehow that would make him blameless?

He’d promised—promised he'd move on from Olivia, told Claire he’d focus on their life together. And now? All of it gone with a word.

Claire slowly set down her chopsticks, struggling to keep her composure. "If I remember right, just six months ago at your grandmother’s birthday, you swore you were done with Olivia. Kevin, it’s only been half a year…"

Half a year, and already he threw away everything.

Olivia had married someone else, even had a kid. And yet he was ready to raise someone else's child, rather than even try to love her.

Right then, Claire realized: she never really knew this man at all.

She’d been way too naive—thinking her love and effort could actually change something.

These past few months she'd sensed something was off…but she’d chosen trust, because that’s what a marriage was supposed to be built on. And now she knew. She’d been wrong.

Kevin, seeing her silence, sounded anxious, hoarse even. "Claire, please… just do this one thing for me, okay?"

"BOOM—"

Lightning ripped across the sky outside the giant floor-to-ceiling windows, followed fast by thunder. The harsh white light filled the living room…and caught the tears in Claire's eyes.

She stared at him quietly, streams of tears soaking her dress, falling one by one.

The man she loved the most… was begging her.

Begging her to hand him over to someone else.

But who was going to stand up for her?

She hadn’t done anything wrong—yet it was still her carrying the mess.When the storm hit, she closed her eyes, swallowing all the bitterness. “If that’s what you want, then...”

“Let’s get divorced.”

All the love she'd poured in, all the stubborn hope—crushed under that one word. It was like someone waved a giant hand, tearing apart all the illusions, laying out the ugly truth right there on the table for her to see. Just to make sure she felt every bit of the humiliation.

Even if she fought to keep this marriage, what was the point anymore? He’d already moved on. This conversation? Just a formality.

Yeah, he was just informing her. That’s all.

Hearing her agreement, Kevin McPherson finally let out a breath of relief, blurting, “Thanks for taking care of me these past couple years. Let’s settle the paperwork tomorrow, and you’ll be free to start over in a month.”

She nodded, voice flat. “Okay.”

Then Kevin added, like he hadn't said enough already, “Oh, also—Olivia told me she doesn’t want to see your stuff around. If it’s not too much trouble, could you pack your things up soon?”

That was the final slap—snapping any last string of hope Claire Alton still held. So, in his world, the one who tried the hardest to keep their home together was just... disposable. Easy to wipe away with no guilt whatsoever.

Even breathing felt like knives in her chest.

Fingernails digging into her palm, she nodded again. “Alright.”

At this point, arguing didn’t matter. Nothing would change the outcome anyway.

“My parents and grandma...” Kevin hesitated, clearly uncomfortable.

Claire gave a bitter smile, her eyes on him now completely void of expectation. “I'll tell them. I’ll say it was me who wanted the divorce.”

Kevin’s eyes lit up for a second. He moved toward her and suddenly hugged her tightly.

"Claire, thank you so much!"

In his arms, her tears finally broke free.

She forced down the gut-wrenching pain, gently pushed him away. “No need for thanks.”

Then his phone rang. One glance and he didn’t even pretend to hide it from her.

“Liv, what’s wrong?”

“I’m coming! Don’t cry, okay?” Pouring rain still hammered outside, but Kevin ran out like she didn’t exist.

It was the first time she saw him panic like that. Too bad it wasn’t for her.

Their marriage happened only because two years ago, Olivia and Kevin had a fight. Olivia married someone else in anger, and Kevin turned around and married Claire on impulse.

What Kevin never knew was—Claire had liked him since college.

Kevin was the star of the finance department back then. Claire studied aviation across the street.

She’d made it as a pilot with Air China but took a break overseas after a family tragedy. It was during that trip she randomly ran into Kevin on a flight. A totally wrong-time, wrong-place encounter that spiraled into everything she was living now.

Right after they tied the knot, Kevin asked her to focus on the household. Claire had just lost the last of her family, and her whole world had shrunk down to him. So whatever he wanted, she gave.She gave up her career without hesitation, gave up that job at Air China everyone else dreamed of, and Kevin McPherson never even knew what she used to do. Because, honestly, he never cared. He didn’t care if she made money or not, and in his eyes, someone as gentle as Claire Alton couldn’t possibly achieve anything big.

After they got married, everything at home was managed by Claire. Kevin’s parents and even his grandmother were all taken care of by her, without him lifting a finger.

But when reality finally hit her like a slap, she realized she was the only one holding on to this dead-end marriage, playing pretend all by herself.

If Kevin had told her from the start that this marriage was just some kind of deal, Claire would’ve never allowed herself to live in that fantasy.

Now that everything’s fallen apart, she’s got nothing left.

How stupid could she have been?

“Rumble—”

Thunder rolled over and over again, almost like the school bell ringing in her ears, reminding Claire—

Hey kid, you walked into the wrong class.

But it’s fine—class is over now.

Claire buried her face into the dining table and cried until she was breathless.

Yeah… it really is time to end this.

This so-called lesson from Kevin? Oh, she’d never forget it.

…

Grey skies sank into full darkness.

After crying her heart out, Claire took a shower. Her whole body felt drained.

Once the rain stopped, the garden buzzed with the smell of wet grass and flowers. A breeze pushed through the balcony door, catching her attention. She got up to go close it—

Then a loud click—and suddenly, someone was behind her, arm around her neck, hand covering her mouth and nose, dragging her back fast!

Was someone breaking in?

“Don’t make a sound. I won’t hurt you,” a deep, rasped voice said behind her.

His voice was so rough it almost didn’t sound human, but judging by how high his arm reached, Claire could tell he was tall.

She panicked at first, but surprisingly calmed down pretty quick. Then she gave a subtle nod to show she’d cooperate.

That numb, hollow feeling in her chest hadn’t left yet, and honestly, Claire wasn’t even that scared anymore. When you’ve lost everything, risking it all stops feeling like a big deal.

The man stayed quiet for a few beats, then finally let go step by step.

Once she could breathe again, she didn’t turn around. Guys like this clearly didn’t want to be recognized.

“Help me stitch up a wound,” he said.

Stitch a wound?

Claire turned slightly, heart slowly calming down. “Me?”

“Hurry up!”

She finally looked at him.

The man was slumped against a cabinet, head bowed low. She couldn’t see his face clearly, but his left arm was drenched in blood, and his right arm looked totally out of place—maybe dislocated.

Only then did Claire notice she had blood all over her own face too. He must’ve covered her mouth with that injured left hand.

She wiped at her cheek and pointed, “I don’t know how to stitch.”

If she did, she wouldn’t have failed the vet certification exam she once considered taking.

The man suddenly looked up, eyes cold and dead like he was staring at a corpse. “Then what’s all this stuff for?”

The room was full of curved needles and what looked like medical tools.

Claire answered honestly, “Those were for stitching pigskin.”

That answer made him get up and walk toward her.

Each step felt heavier than the last—a real threat creeping in closer. “Pigskin?” he repeated.