Betrayal in Love's Embrace

I looked up at him in silence, tears streaming down my face.

Five years with him had amounted to nothing but blame, infidelity, and the label of "disgusting."

All those times I had compromised, he had forgotten every single one.

That day, when the flying went wrong, I was jolted awake from my sleep.

Stumbling towards the cockpit, I saw Lydia sitting beside him.

I still clung to the hope that he might offer me an explanation.

But what I got instead was him, in front of everyone, placing the entire blame on me.

He made everyone believe it was my fault as the navigator—my lack of focus, my misreading of the flight path, my stubborn arguments with him—that caused the plane to go down.

Meanwhile, the real culprit hid behind him, only to be praised publicly. "Thanks to Lydia, who assisted me in adjusting the plane back on course, the outcome could have been much worse," he said.

In an instant, I became the villain everyone wanted to punish. Lydia, on the other hand, rode on Dalton's praise and was fast-tracked to a permanent position with our airline.

Dalton's grip on me softened as he noticed my tears. He bit his lip, glanced at my eyes, and his tone finally softened. "You're in a high enough position at Coroala Airlines that taking this responsibility won't affect you much. Lydia's just started her internship, and if we blame her entirely, she's done for in this industry."

Dalton, unusually patient, continued, "They say you're being dismissed, but once the fuss dies down, they'll likely reinstate you."

"But that video isn't good for any of us—neither for you, nor for me, nor for Lydia. Please, just delete it."

Just then, his phone rang. Dalton's expression softened a bit as he saw the caller ID. "I've got to go. Think it over yourself."

He grabbed his phone off the couch, slammed the door behind him, and left.

I stared at his retreating figure for a long time, finally letting out a self-deprecating smile.

He didn't see the message from Lydia on my phone: [Lisa, wasn't I right? To Dalton, I will always be the most important.]

It was a deliberate jab at me. Lydia had filmed and sent me the video of them in the cockpit.

They were celebrating at a hotel tonight.

Dalton had stopped talking because their date was about to begin.

Looking at the message, I felt utterly drained.

Lydia had won.

Strangely, I didn't feel upset.

Once I decided to let go of him, everything about him ceased to affect me.