The Captain Took My Life Jacket to Save His Ex Chapter 2

Lily Carter.

Ethan’s first love. The girl who was with him from middle school through college, the one who defined his youth.

And the one who dumped him right after graduation to chase a richer life.

In that instant, the face of the woman Ethan had just risked his life to save overlapped perfectly with that name.

It wasn't a selfless act of heroism. He was just protecting his precious ex.

I stood there frozen, watching him carefully shield her. My eyes stung with hot tears.

The plane took another massive dip. I didn't have time to wallow in my heartbreak. After making sure all the passengers had their life jackets secure, I could only pray in silence.

I knew prayers wouldn't fix an engine, but right now, it was all I had.

The cabin was a chaotic mess, so I didn't immediately notice that Lily didn't have a life jacket.

The two of them were whispering to each other.

Then, Ethan walked over to me. He stood there, staring at me silently. I found it bizarre. "As the captain, you should be in the cockpit or at least reassuring the passengers. Why are you standing in my way?"

He looked at me with a conflicted, almost embarrassed expression. But then, he opened his mouth and said something I never expected to hear from him.

"Chloe... you haven't put your life jacket on yet. Give it to one of the passengers."

I stared at him, wondering if the cabin pressure was making me hallucinate. But looking at his tightly pressed lips and guilty eyes, I knew I had heard him perfectly.

I clutched my life jacket tightly to my chest and looked away. "Every passenger has a life jacket assigned to their seat. Why do they need mine?"

Seeing my resistance, Ethan said defensively, "An older lady in the front couldn't find hers. In the panic, she tried to grab Lily's. They fought over it and ripped it. So..."

"So you want me to give up mine? Ethan, do you have any idea how dangerous it is for me to be without a life jacket?!" I interrupted, my voice cracking.

"If you're so worried about her, why don't you give her yours?" I sneered.

Ethan’s face went stiff, and his guilt instantly turned into anger.

"I'm the captain! If something happens to me, this plane is doomed! You're a flight attendant. Did you sleep through your training? Put the passengers first! That's your job!"

He raised his voice, trying to convince himself as much as me.

Before I could even speak, he ripped the life jacket out of my hands and walked away without looking back.

I watched him hand it to Lily like a prize, receiving a look of pure adoration from her.

I stood in the aisle, completely numb. It wasn't that I refused to sacrifice for a passenger. I knew my duties. And in a real crash, a life jacket might not even save me.

But the fact that Ethan—my fiancé—had physically ripped it from my hands to give it to his ex-girlfriend broke something inside me.

As the only person in the cabin without a life jacket, I had to finish the flight in absolute terror, trying to keep up a professional face.

Fortunately, after passing through the storm, the plane stabilized. We finally landed safely at our destination.

When the last passenger stepped off, the tension that had kept me going finally snapped. The moment I relaxed, I realized my heart was racing at an alarming, dangerous speed.