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After My Pilot Husband Favored His Childhood Sweetheart, I Ruined Him
Novelix
Completed
"The summer after my younger brother Ryan finished his college entrance exams, I bought business-class tickets for the whole family to vacation in Hawaii. The captain of our flight happened to be my husband, Ethan. Halfway through the flight, my father suddenly had a heart attack. I immediately called for a flight attendant. Ten minutes later, the attendant came back and said, ""I'm sorry, but the only AED on board is currently being used by another passenger. Please wait a little longer."" I clenched my fists and tried to calm my mother and Ryan. Twenty minutes later, my father's eyes were tightly shut. My voice was hoarse when I asked again, ""Is that other passenger still using it? My father has had heart disease for over ten years. Ethan is my husband and the captain of this flight. Can you please tell him and ask whether we can make an emergency landing at the nearest airport?"" The flight attendant gave me the same answer. ""I'm sorry. The captain has asked you to wait a little longer."" We waited until the layover. I took my family off the plane and rushed my father to the nearest hospital. At two in the morning, I was standing outside the ICU when I saw an Instagram post from Chloe, Ethan's childhood friend. Her entire family was gathered around an AED. The caption read: [Thank you, Ethan! First time experiencing VIP treatment. You knew my mom has a heart condition and specially kept the AED with us. Good thing we didn't need it.] [Safe flight, safely arrived in Hawaii.] Ethan commented below: [Have fun.] My phone screen went black. I saw my own exhausted reflection and the dark circles under my eyes, and suddenly I laughed. Seven years of marriage, and in his eyes, my father's life was worth less than Chloe's good mood. I packed up the screenshots and documents I had gathered and sent them to the airline's safety department and the FAA complaint inbox. Then I sent Ethan a divorce agreement."
Chapters (3)
第1章
The summer after my younger brother Ryan finished his college entrance exams, I bought business-class tickets for the whole family to vacation in Hawaii.
The captain of our flight happened to be my husband, Ethan.
Halfway through the flight, my father suddenly had a heart attack. I immediately called for a flight attendant.
Ten minutes later, the attendant came back and said, "I'm sorry, but the only AED on board is currently being used by another passenger. Please wait a little longer."
I clenched my fists and tried to calm my mother and Ryan.
Twenty minutes later, my father's eyes were tightly shut. My voice was hoarse when I asked again, "Is that other passenger still using it? My father has had heart disease for over ten years. Ethan is my husband and the captain of this flight. Can you please tell him and ask whether we can make an emergency landing at the nearest airport?"
The flight attendant gave me the same answer. "I'm sorry. The captain has asked you to wait a little longer."
We waited until the layover. I took my family off the plane and rushed my father to the nearest hospital.
At two in the morning, I was standing outside the ICU when I saw an Instagram post from Chloe, Ethan's childhood friend.
Her entire family was gathered around an AED. The caption read:
[Thank you, Ethan! First time experiencing VIP treatment. You knew my mom has a heart condition and specially kept the AED with us. Good thing we didn't need it.]
[Safe flight, safely arrived in Hawaii.]
Ethan commented below:
[Have fun.]
My phone screen went black. I saw my own exhausted reflection and the dark circles under my eyes, and suddenly I laughed.
Seven years of marriage, and in his eyes, my father's life was worth less than Chloe's good mood.
I packed up the screenshots and documents I had gathered and sent them to the airline's safety department and the FAA complaint inbox. Then I sent Ethan a divorce agreement.
...
At two in the morning, the lights outside the emergency room finally went out.
The doctor removed his mask, his face tired.
"We've saved him for now, but his heart is under too much strain. He needs to be monitored in intensive care."
"If you had arrived another half hour later, the result would have been very hard to predict."
My mother collapsed into a chair, covering her face as her shoulders shook.
I held onto the wall. I felt as if I had been dragged out of water, my back soaked in cold sweat.
Just then, Ethan called.
I stared at the screen for two seconds before answering.
It was quiet on his end. I could faintly hear waves in the background, but his tone was as calm as if nothing had happened.
"How's your dad?"
I gave a short laugh. "Now you remember to ask?"
Ethan frowned. "Olivia, I'm busy. I can't keep staring at your side of things. Don't start with that sarcastic tone the second I call."
My voice shook. "Ethan, when you let Chloe's mother keep the AED, did you ever think about my father fighting for his life?"
There was half a second of silence. Then his voice turned cold. "You saw her Instagram post?"
He sounded impatient. "Mrs. Bennett has a heart condition too. What is wrong with taking precautions? Things are complicated on a plane. I have to consider the whole situation, not just revolve around your family."
My chest tightened.
But he continued. "Stop being so emotional. Your father was saved, wasn't he?"
I closed my eyes. My eyes burned.
So in his mind, as long as my father had not died, it did not count.
I took a deep breath and forced my voice steady.
"If Chloe's mother were the one lying in the emergency room today, would you have made her wait too?"
His voice sharpened. "Can you stop dragging Chloe into everything?"
"There's nothing between us. You've been hung up on this for years. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"
I almost laughed from anger.
"Ethan, my father almost died."
Ethan grew irritated too, his patience thinning.
"Then what do you want from me? A captain's decision is not something a layperson gets to criticize."
"Olivia, I'm exhausted. I don't have time to deal with you losing your mind in the middle of the night."
Then he hung up.
Near dawn, I went to the billing desk to pay the hospital deposit.
The system said the balance was insufficient. I froze, then tried the supplementary credit card Ethan had given me.
It failed too.
The next second, a text message popped up: Your supplementary card has been unlinked.
Then came Ethan's message.
"I transferred the money out of your card. You're emotionally unstable right now. Don't spend recklessly. We'll talk later."
I stared at that line, cold all over.
I stood there for a long time, motionless, until my phone rang.
The caller ID showed my divorce lawyer's name.
I moved my stiff fingers and answered.
第2章
Ethan did not arrive at the hospital until the next afternoon.
His expression was calm, as if he had only come to visit a stranger.
He glanced at the door of the ward and asked, "Is he stable?"
I looked at him. "Do you think I should thank you for showing up?"
Ethan frowned. "I didn't come back to argue with you. Given the situation on the flight yesterday, I made the judgment I should have made."
I sneered. "What judgment?"
"Leaving the AED with Chloe's mother while my father was in danger? That's your judgment?"
"I told you. Mrs. Bennett has a heart condition too."
"But my father had already collapsed!"
My voice rose, and people nearby turned to look.
Ethan's expression darkened. "You're too emotional to communicate with right now."
I laughed coldly.
It was always like this.
Whenever he was in the wrong, somehow I became the unreasonable one. I was irrational. I was making a scene.
The doctor came out with a serious expression.
"The patient's condition is unstable. We recommend surgery. The family should decide as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the greater the risk."
I nodded at once. "Do it."
Ethan asked first, "How much will it cost?"
The doctor gave a number.
Ethan frowned. "Can't we try conservative treatment first?"
I snapped my head toward him, hardly believing what I had heard.
My father was hanging by a thread, and all Ethan cared about was money.
The doctor had clearly seen this kind of thing before. He only said, "The decision is up to the family, but the hospital recommends acting quickly."
After we left the office, I shook off Ethan's hand. "What do you mean by that?"
Ethan lowered his voice. "I'm thinking realistically for your family. At his age, surgery means a very expensive bill afterward."
I gave a cold laugh. "When you left the AED with Chloe's family and accompanied them to Hawaii, why didn't you talk about expensive bills?"
"That's not the same thing."
"To me, it is."
His face went completely cold. "Olivia, don't go too far."
Just then, the billing desk called again and said the deposit was insufficient.
I turned to handle it, but the staff told me the high-cost treatment had been temporarily put on hold by a family member.
I whipped around and looked at Ethan.
He looked uncomfortable, but forced himself to say, "I just think we shouldn't make an impulsive decision."
"What gives you the right to decide for my father?"
His voice cooled too. "I'm helping you make sure you don't regret it."
"Olivia, your mind is not clear right now. Spending money is easy. Who will bear the consequences?"
In that instant, my fists clenched.
"Consequences? Aren't the worst consequences the ones you caused?"
My mother finally could not take it anymore. She came over and shoved him away.
"Stay away from my daughter."
Ethan froze.
My mother's voice was hoarse. "My daughter married you. She did not marry you so you could join an outsider in bullying her."
Ethan opened his mouth. In the end, he only said, "Mom, you're all angry right now."
I ignored him and signed the forms to move the treatment forward.
By evening, Ethan sat on a bench, looking down at his phone. His expression was gentle.
I did not need to look to know who he was messaging.
A little later, he stood up and said to me, "I have something to do tonight. I need to go."
I stared at him. "What could be more important than my father's surgery?"
He paused, then said stiffly, "Chloe's mother was frightened. I'm going to check on her."
For a moment, I thought I had misheard. "My father is about to have surgery, and you're going to keep them company on vacation?"
Ethan frowned.
"They were frightened on the plane yesterday too. What's wrong with me comforting them? You're being impossible."
I nodded. "Right. I'm impossible. Get out. Don't appear in front of me again."
His face turned livid. He gave a cold laugh.
"Fine. You're tough now. When you calm down, don't regret this attitude."
Then he turned and left.
My mother looked at me, her eyes red, and said each word clearly.
"Olivia, I was wrong. All these years, I kept telling you to be understanding. He never deserved it."
"Even without that marriage certificate, you still have your parents and your brother. This is your home."
"If you want a divorce, then divorce him."
第3章
That night, I stayed outside the ward and barely slept.
The next morning, my father was scheduled for surgery.
The doctor said the risk was not low and told the family to prepare ourselves mentally.
Before the surgery began, I called Ethan three times. He did not answer once.
Half an hour before the operation, he finally replied with two words:
"Busy now."
I looked at the message and deleted it.
At noon, Ethan finally arrived, carrying a container of soup.
He handed it to me. "Eat something first. Don't run yourself into the ground."
I did not take it. I only asked, "Where were you last night?"
Ethan paused. "At the hotel."
"With Chloe?"
His face darkened slightly. "Olivia, can you stop being so extreme? Do you have to cling to one thing forever?"
I stared at him. "My father was in the operating room, and you spent last night with another woman. Now you're standing here pretending to care about me."
"Ethan, don't you think that's hypocritical?"
He looked completely righteous. "Chloe isn't an outsider."
"Her mother was frightened and her heart felt unwell. Was I supposed to ignore that?"
I laughed coldly.
"Of course you had to care. After all, they matter more than my family."
My words stung him, and his face sank. He stopped pretending.
"Fine. Since you insist on thinking that way, I'll be honest."
"Even if yesterday happened again, I would still prioritize the equipment for the person who needed it more."
My entire body went stiff.
"What do you mean?"
Ethan's face was expressionless. "Your father's condition was too sudden. No one could guarantee the AED would arrive in time. Mrs. Bennett has a clear medical history. Precaution was the safer choice."
"I couldn't put Mrs. Bennett at risk just because you're my wife."
At that moment, I finally understood.
He would never reflect on what he had done, because he truly believed he had done nothing wrong.
I swept the soup container to the floor.
Ethan's face changed. "What are you doing? Don't make a scene in the hospital."
"You're the disgrace."
I stared at him. "From today on, you don't deserve to enter my father's ward."
Just then, the doors of the operating room opened. The doctor came out and said the surgery had gone smoothly for now, but they still needed to observe him.
My body swayed, and I had to lean against the wall to steady myself.
My mother and Ryan both let out a breath of relief.
Only Ethan asked, "How long will he need to stay in the hospital after this?"
I turned to look at him, and suddenly I did not want to say another word.
That evening, I went home to get my father's documents and clothes.
When I opened the safe, I froze.
More than half of it was empty.
My premarital assets, certificates of deposit, and cash were all gone.
At the bottom lay only a copy of an account authorization change form. The signature on it was my name, but it was not mine.
I had just picked up the document when I heard the front door open.
Ethan walked in. The moment he saw what was in my hand, his face changed.
