Chapter 2 

Eliana made a stop at the law firm first. 

She had the lawyer draft divorce papers before heading back to the hospital with the soup she’d brought. 

As she approached the hospital room door, she saw Harper frantically trying to take care of Milo. 

Harper was attempting to serve him a bowl of soup but accidentally spilled it on him. She apologized while trying to clean it up, only to accidentally tear at his bandages. When she tried to tend to his wounds, she grabbed the wrong medication… 

Seeing him wince in pain, Harper’s eyes immediately welled up. 

“Milo, I’m so sorry. I know you got hurt this badly because you ran into that fire for me. I just want to take care of you,but I’m screwing everything up. I’m sorry.” 

A flicker of helplessness crossed Milo’s usually distant eyes. “You’ve been spoiled your whole life–you’ve never had to deal with stuff like this. It’s totally normal that you don’t know how to take care of someone. I’m just a little banged up. I’ll be fine in a few days. Don’t worry about it, and don’t beat yourself up.” 

His words only made Harper cry harder. 

“Stop lying to me! What do you mean ‘a little banged up‘? The doctor told me you have severe burns and you’ll never be able to fly again. That’s true, isn’t it?” 

Seeing her tears, Milo’s expression grew complicated. 

He wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her, but as he reached out, he realized that wasn’t appropriate anymore. 

Instead, he grabbed some tissues from the bedside table. “Actually, I already submitted my resignation to Delta. I was planning to quit this month anyway, so whether I can keep flying doesn’t really matter. This whole thing isn’t your fault. Please don’t cry.” 

Harper stared at him in shock, tears still streaming down her face. 

“You’re quitting Delta? Why? Didn’t you always say flying was your dream?” 

Milo was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice carried something she couldn’t quite identify. 

“Being a pilot was never my dream. It’s because when you were eight, you said that captain looked so cool and that you wanted to marry a pilot someday so he could take you around the world himself. I thought you’d remember.” 

“Milo!” 

Harper hadn’t expected this at all. She couldn’t hold back anymore and threw herself into his arms. 

Milo froze. The hands that had reached out and pulled back finally wrapped around her. 

Watching this scene, Eliana felt like someone had just stabbed her in the chest–raw, excruciating pain. 

She clenched her fists until her knuckles went white, biting her lip until she tasted blood. 

Fighting to swallow all that agony, she quietly set her things by the door and walked away. 

Just as she reached the hospital lobby, she ran into several of Milo’s Delta colleagues. 

They were coming to visit. After some small talk, they asked about his condition. 

Eliana briefly filled them in and gave them his room number. 

The crew was about to head upstairs when Captain Martinez got an emergency call and had to gather everyone back. 

“Hey Eliana,” First Officer Chen said, handing her some papers and a fruit basket. “We’ve got to get back to JFK for an emergency flight. Could you give 

our best to Captain Blake? Oh, and this is his resignation letter–management already signed off on it. Mind passing it along?” 

Sorry Captain Milo, Our Love Score Has Hit Zero 

06 

After they left. Eliana looked at Milo’s resignation letter. His reason was simple: 

Ive been flying the New York Sydney route for Delta for three years. Every time I land in Australia, I feel this overwhelming kers o up in the clouds, there’s this feeling of being untethered, like I’ve lost my way completely. Recently, hearing abon an oil friend made maybe what I’ve been chasing isn’t the sky at all, but someone. Now that she’s hack, I’ve found my direction again, and I just war to con to earth. 

Eliana had always thought Milo’s passion was for the endless sky and the freedom of flight. 

She never imagined his true north had always been Harper Lennox. 

He became a pilot to impress her, became a captain so he could fly to Australia whenever she needed him, and now he was quitting Delta because she’d come home. 

Meanwhile, Eliana had just been going through the motions as his wife, never once touching his heart. 

She closed her eyes, remembering that day five years ago when Milo spoke at the Cornell career fair–confident and passionate, talking about aviation with such fire in his eyes. 

That was when she fell for him, and apparently when he was working toward getting closer to Harper. 

How pathetic. How completely ridiculous. 

Now his person had come back, and it was time for her to get out of the way. 

Back home, Eliana called Darcy, her former Fashion Institute classmate who’d been trying to get her to start a fashion line together. 

After graduation, since Milo was always flying routes for Delta, she’d put her design career on hold to be a supportive wife. 

Now that she’d decided to leave, it was time to chase her dreams again. 

Darcy’s excitement was obvious even over the phone. 

“Eliana! Oh my God, finally! Remember how Professor Williams always said you had the best eye for fashion trends in our entire class? Everyone in the industry has been wondering when you’d make your comeback. I’m flying in from LA tomorrow to talk contracts. Let’s set up the studio in Manhattan–I know you’re married, so staying in New York makes sense for your family situation.” 

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