The moment the announcement echoed through the cabin, muffled sobs erupted from every corner. Oxygen masks dangled haphazardly above each seat, the faint metallic tang of blood lingering in the air. "Attention all passengers, Skyway Airlines Flight 1077 has safely landed..." Aurora Langley stood rigid by the exit, her slender back straight as she bid farewell to the last passenger. The wound on her left arm had stopped bleeding, but the sharp medicinal scent of antiseptic spray clung to her skin. Around her, colleagues wept into their phones, embracing loved ones in tearful reunions. Aurora's fingers turned icy as her own call went unanswered again and again. The control tower had notified all crew families. "Aurora, where's your husband?" Her colleague Lotus nudged closer, her boyfriend still wiping sweat from his brow, shell-shocked. "He's busy." Aurora forced a tight smile. No one knew that the illustrious Captain Ethan Roscente had been married to a mere flight attendant like her for three years. She turned down every suitor, while he remained Skyway's most eligible bachelor. "Too busy for his own wife after a near-death experience?" Lotus muttered, only stopping when her boyfriend tugged her sleeve. "Look—Captain Roscente!" Aurora's head snapped up. The Skyway executives were approaching, Ethan's commanding figure unmistakable among them. The sunlight carved his sharp profile into something even more unapproachable. "Is that the new engineer? Rumor says she and the captain go way back..." "Did you see how gently he smiled at her?" The whispers slithered into Aurora's ears. Her gaze locked onto the woman beside Ethan, and her fists clenched instantly. Luna Evans. She'd mentioned returning to join Skyway. Of course she had. "Everything you took from me, I'll take back." Luna's threat rang in Aurora's memory. Watching Ethan tilt his head toward Luna, the curve of his lips sent an ice pick through Aurora's heart. She'd once wondered what it looked like when Ethan loved someone. Now she knew—and it was a knife twisted in her ribs. "My husband died years ago." Her voice cut through the chatter like frozen steel. "I've been a widow for three years." The words silenced everyone, even drawing stares from the executives. Ethan's gaze turned razor-sharp, but Aurora ignored it, wheeling her suitcase away without a backward glance. —— In the master bedroom of Rosewood Manor, Aurora stared at the wedding band on her finger. The memory of Ethan sliding it onto her hand three years ago—his touch almost warm—now felt like poison. She wrenched it off, her knuckles whitening, and tossed it into the jewelry box. —— 10:30 PM. The front door swung open as Ethan strode in, a Delvaux handbag dangling from his fingers—the same one he'd noticed Aurora eyeing online. The lights blazed, but the house stood empty. No midnight snack waited on the dining table. Frowning, he dropped the bag onto the sofa and headed straight for his study. —— Past midnight, the bedroom door creaked open. Aurora feigned sleep, her back turned, as the mattress dipped behind her. In one fluid motion, she rolled atop him, her fingers slipping beneath his pajama top. "Aurora!" Ethan seized her wrist, wrenching her injured arm. She bit back a gasp of pain but arched against him, her silk nightgown riding up as her legs locked around his waist...