Final Approach to Freedom

Chapter 20

Alexander Hartley tuned out the second half of his own sentence, a spark igniting in his eyes.

"I should make it up to her properly."

The first thing he did after being discharged was book a first-class ticket to Country A, secretly hoping to reunite with Evelyn Montgomery at thirty thousand feet.

Only when boarding did it hit him—she’s the captain. How could she possibly be in the passenger cabin?

After landing, he paid a hefty sum to get his hands on the crew schedule. His finger paused over the name Evelyn Montgomery, his heart skipping a beat.

He deliberately bought a ticket for one of her flights. Arriving three hours early, he waited at the gate through the VIP lane. When her tall figure appeared in the pilot uniform, he blurted out:

"Evelyn!"

But she barely faltered, not even glancing back.

Alexander tightened his grip on the boarding pass, reassuring himself: She’s on duty.

For the entire twelve-hour flight, he stared out the window toward the cockpit. The moment the plane landed, he bolted for the exit—only to be stopped by security on the tarmac.

"Sir, this is crew access only."

After tailing her for three consecutive flights, he finally intercepted her on her way to work.

"Can we talk?" His voice was strained. "I want to apologize for the past."

Evelyn arched a brow, then suddenly laughed. "Sure. But—" She checked her watch. "You’ve got ten minutes."

His throat worked. "I was an idiot back then. I married you, but my heart belonged to someone else."

"What’s the point now?" she cut in. "I stopped caring long ago."

"But I care!" Alexander grabbed her wrist. "After you left, I realized—all those times I got jealous, all those times I worried about you, it was because—"

"Because what?" She yanked her hand free. "Because you found out I was the one who saved your life?"

His face drained of color.

Evelyn turned toward the terminal, the wind tousling her short hair. Ten steps away, she heard a thud behind her.

Alexander had dropped to his knees on the runway.

"I was wrong," he rasped. "Can’t you... give me one more chance?"

Passengers stared. She looked back at him and suddenly remembered that snowy night three years ago—when he’d knelt exactly like this beside Sophia Whitaker’s hospital bed.

How ironic.

"Alexander." She shook her head softly. "Some mistakes... no amount of kneeling can fix."