Chapter 3
Rose hadn’t noticed any of this and kept going.
“The one who isn’t loved is the real mistress. So what if his wife has the title? She doesn’t get him. She doesn’t deserve him. Jet says once the timing is right, he’s going to sit her down and ask for a divorce.”
The words hit me like a punch to the chest.
“How long have you two been together?” I asked.
Rose’s whole face lit up.
“Next month, on the fifth, it’ll be exactly four years.”
Next month. The fifth.
My mind went blank.
Four years ago, on that day, I was giving birth to Ruby.
My labor had started early. I was rushed to the hospital and pushed through seven hours of agony before she arrived. Jet wasn’t there for any of it.
When I finally came out of the delivery room, barely able to stand, all I saw were my parents.
He showed up much later, sweaty and out of breath. He said he had gone to get the pastries I’d been craving, but the line had been too long.
I had been hurt. But when I saw how guilty and torn up he looked, I let it go. I even talked my parents out of going off on him.
Turns out, while I was fighting to stay alive in that delivery room, he was out celebrating the start of his relationship with this woman.
Made sense now.
What pastries took that long?
I looked at Rose’s smug face, and my voice went cold.
“Does his wife know you exist?”
Rose raised an eyebrow, almost amused.
“That clueless woman? No way. Jet keeps her completely in the dark. She probably still thinks everything’s fine.”
She laughed a little.
“Honestly, it’d be better if she found out. If she had any self-respect, she’d walk away and save Jet the trouble.”
Clueless woman. Walk away.
That was it.
I stood up and threw the rest of my water straight in her face.
“What the hell?” Rose screamed and shot out of her seat.
Her makeup started running everywhere. Eyeliner streaked down her cheeks. Foundation smeared across her chin.
Ruby burst into tears and grabbed onto my leg.
I pulled her behind me and stared at Rose.
“You crazy—” Rose wiped her face with her sleeve, all composure gone. “What is wrong with you?”
Flight attendants rushed over.
“Ma’am, please calm down.”
“Calm down? She just threw water at me!”
One attendant tried to settle Rose while another turned to me.
“Ma’am, can you tell us what happened?”
Before I could say a word, Rose lunged at me.
“You’re just like that pathetic wife of his. Your husband doesn’t love you either. I struck a nerve, didn’t I?”
I slapped her across the face.
Hard.
The whole cabin went dead quiet.
Even Ruby stopped crying for a second.
Rose clutched her cheek, eyes wide in disbelief, then completely lost it.
“You hit me! Do you know who my husband is? He’s the captain of this plane and the chairman’s son. You’re done!”
She spun toward the attendants.
“Go get the captain right now. I want him to see what’s happening to me.”
The attendant looked uncomfortable.
“Ma’am, the captain can’t leave the cockpit during a flight. It’s FAA regulation.”
“I don’t care. Go get him, or I’ll file a complaint against every single one of you.”
The attendant hesitated, then walked toward the cockpit.