Chapter 5
Everything was wrapped in a blanket of snow, endless and breathtaking; there was a kind of cold, awe-inspiring beauty to it all.
I turned off airplane mode on my phone.
Right away, my phone blew up with messages and missed call alerts. Michael's name was everywhere on my screen.
The earliest message was sent about twenty minutes after I boarded the plane.
Michael asked: [Claire, where are you? Where did you go?]
Ten minutes later, another message popped up.
Michael: [Seriously, you can't keep sulking like this. The airport's massive; why are you wandering off? Come back already; let's see if we can change our tickets.]
Twenty minutes later, his tone was clearly getting more anxious.
Michael: [Where are you? Why isn't your phone working? Lily's been crying her eyes out, feeling awful. Can't you just grow up and stop making things harder?]
The last message was sent about half an hour ago, probably right after he boarded his flight, just before takeoff.
Michael: [Claire, I'm asking you one last time. Where are you? If you don't show up, I'm really going to Cyvera with Lily! Is this your way of trying to push me? Let me tell you, I can't stand being threatened!]
I scrolled through the messages, watching his tone shift from a simple question, to impatience, then blame, and finally an angry threat, full of frustration.
Not once did he apologize for bringing Lily along, or for messing up the tickets. Not a single word about how I felt, just accusations that I was being immature, throwing a tantrum, and causing trouble for him.
He even thought I was trying to force him, or threaten him, with all this.
My heart was completely numb, so cold that I couldn't even feel the pain anymore.
I moved my stiff fingers and typed out a reply on the screen. It was short.
Me: [Oh. Enjoy Cyvera. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness.]
I hit send.
Almost as soon as the message showed as sent, my phone screen lit up. Michael was calling.
Guess his plane landed too, and now he's got signal.
I stared quietly at the name flashing on the screen, the one I'd once set as a special contact, the name that used to make my heart skip a beat every time I saw it.
Now, all that was left was a cold, empty indifference.
The ringtone just wouldn't quit, blaring again and again.
The woman next to me, who'd just woken up, looked at me curiously.
I tapped accept, but instead of holding the phone to my ear, I put it on speaker. "Claire! What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Michael's voice, low and simmering with anger, blasted out of the speaker, way too loud for the quiet cabin. "What's with that 'happy ever after' nonsense? Who are you trying to jinx?
"Where the hell are you? Get back here and apologize right now! Do you even realize how humiliating you've been today? Lily's been crying so much her eyes are swollen!"
His voice was full of righteous fury, like I was the one who'd committed some unforgivable sin.
I could practically picture his face, brows knotted, lips pressed into a thin line, and those eyes that always seemed distant, now blazing with anger.
Back then, just a single frown from him used to make me nervous, second-guessing everything I did.
Now, I found it ridiculous.
"I'm in Northgate," I said, my voice steady, even a little light, like none of this bothered me anymore. "Just landed. Embarrassing?
"Michael, do you seriously think dragging your childhood sweetheart along on our honeymoon, and then screwing up my ticket so I end up in Northgate, isn't humiliating?"