Chapter4

Shortly after the plane took off again, the chief purser returned.

This time she held a small Tiffany blue box tied with a white satin ribbon.

She stopped beside my seat, bending slightly, her face wearing the standard professional smile.

"Ma'am, excuse me."

I looked up at her.

"This is from Mr. Liam Jeffries, with instructions for us to deliver it to you during the second half of the flight."

She held the small box out to me, her voice steady and clear.

"Mr. Jeffries hopes you can give this gift to Miss Savannah in the front rows on his behalf, and also..."

She paused, her wording careful but meaning unmistakable.

"Offer Miss Savannah a sincere apology for your earlier... outburst. He said Miss Savannah needs to maintain emotional stability right now."

Mr. Liam Jeffries.

Instructed.

Give a gift on his behalf.

Sincere apology.

Each word was like a fine needle, jabbing into already numb skin.

The purser gently placed the box on the tray table in front of me.

"Please understand, we're just following a passenger's request."

She finished in a low voice, nodded once, and turned to leave.

I reached out and untied the white ribbon, lifting the lid.

On the velvet cushion lay a pair of diamond earrings.

Not large, but finely cut, gleaming with cold, scattered light in the dim cabin.

Beautiful. Expensive. Probably worth several months of Emma's physical therapy bills.

I stared at those earrings, suddenly finding this whole situation absurdly laughable.

My husband, using an expensive gift, through a stranger, requiring his wife to apologize to his mistress.

Because his mistress needed to stay in a good mood.

I stood up, took the box, and walked toward Savannah's seat in the front rows.

She was touching up her makeup with a compact mirror. Seeing me in the reflection, she stopped, her lips slowly curling into a victorious arc.

She didn't turn around, waiting for me to speak.

I placed the Tiffany blue box on her tray table.

"For you."

Savannah finally turned around, glancing at the box without opening it.

"That's it?" She raised an eyebrow. "What about the apology? I want to hear you say it yourself. Say 'I'm sorry, Miss Savannah, I shouldn't have treated you in such a rude manner, please forgive my outburst.'"

She enunciated each word, mimicking a humble tone, her eyes full of mockery.

I looked into her eyes. "The gift has been delivered."

"I said, I want to hear an apology." Savannah leaned back, crossing her arms. "Not just a verbal apology—you need to put these earrings on me yourself. That's what sincerity looks like. Understand?"

My throat tightened, blood rushing to my eardrums. "Don't even think about it."

Savannah's expression darkened as she shot to her feet.

She was slightly taller than me, in her heels, imposing.

"Too good to take what's offered, huh? My husband letting you come apologize is giving you a way out. Who the hell do you think you are? Some hag who's never even flown first class before!"

She raised her hand, swinging it toward my face.

I didn't dodge. Just before her palm could touch my cheek, I lifted my hand and grabbed her wrist, hard. Her wrist was thin, bones pressing against my fingers.

"Let go of me!" Savannah shrieked, her other hand trying to grab my hair.

I shoved her away hard. In her heels, she couldn't keep her balance, stumbling backward and falling into her seat.

A flash of shock and disbelief crossed her face, quickly replaced by rage.

"You dare push me!" She sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, lunging at me with claws aimed at my neck and face.

I lost it completely too. All the fury, humiliation, and heartbreak I'd been holding back came flooding out.

I blocked her hands, grabbing her arm, and we grappled in the narrow first-class aisle.

She screamed and cursed. I clenched my jaw in silence, wanting only to tear apart that smug face in front of me.

"Stop! Stop this instant!"

Flight attendants rushed over from all directions. Three or four people struggled to pull us apart.

Savannah kept kicking and flailing as one attendant held her tightly from behind. Another stood in front of me, arms protecting me.

"Ladies! Please calm down immediately! Return to your seats!" The chief purser's voice turned severe, carrying undeniable authority.

Savannah's hair was loose, her makeup smeared, breathing heavily, glaring at me viciously.

"She started it! You all saw! This crazy bitch!"

"You tried to hit me first." I shook off the attendant's hand on my arm, my voice trembling with agitation.

"Enough!" The purser cut us both off. She addressed Savannah first, "Miss Savannah, please sit down and compose yourself." Then she turned to me, her expression complicated. "Ma'am, please come with me for a moment."

I was led to the area near the crew rest quarters at the tail of the plane, away from other passengers.

They poured me a glass of water and told me to "calm down for a while."

I leaned against the cold partition, still clutching the crushed Tiffany blue box in my hand.

My ears were ringing with Savannah's shrill cursing and my own heavy heartbeat.

Through gaps in the partition, I could see attendants surrounding Savannah too, offering quiet reassurances.

She took a hot towel to wipe her face, still saying something indignantly.

After handling things there, the chief purser came back, looked at me, and sighed.

"Ma'am, the flight will be over soon. As a personal favor, please don't provoke her again. L.J. Holdings is an important client for our company. Mr. Jeffries... we can't afford to offend him. Please bear with it. Once you're off the plane, it'll all be over."

I pulled at the corner of my mouth, saying nothing.

Bear with it.

Right. For the past five years, hadn't I been bearing with everything?

Bearing with his busy schedule, his "entrepreneurial struggles," our poverty, my guilt toward Emma.

I thought we were facing the world together, side by side.

Turns out I was the only one bearing it all.