Chapter 7 - Flying HighThe sun was setting in a brilliant splash of pink, gold, and turquoise over the Caribbean Sea.
I sat on the private balcony of an oceanfront suite at the Grand Fiesta Americana in Cancun—the very resort Ryan had booked for his luxury weekend with Ashley.
Except I was sitting here alone, wrapped in a soft plush bathrobe, holding a glass of chilled white wine, listening to the gentle crash of the waves against the white sand below.
I had used Ryan’s non-refundable resort deposit—which the court had awarded entirely to me—to book two weeks of uninterrupted peace.
My phone chimed on the glass table beside me.
I picked it up and opened a text message from Skyways International corporate headquarters:
SUBJECT: Promotion Confirmation
Dear Valerie,
We are pleased to formally confirm your appointment as Chief Regional Instructor for Lead Pursers, Southern Division. Your leadership and extraordinary composure during Flight 1408 have been recognized as the highest standard of aviation excellence.
Welcome to executive management.
I set the phone down and took a slow, deep breath of the warm ocean air.
For nine years, I had stayed quiet. I had played the supportive, dutiful wife, allowing a selfish man to believe he was superior simply because I chose not to boast about my strength.
He thought I was weak because I was kind. He thought I was blind because I was patient.
He had forgotten that a woman who navigates storms at thirty thousand feet knows exactly how to handle turbulence on the ground.
I raised my wine glass toward the setting sun, watching the golden light reflect off the crystal clear water.
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I wasn't just a survivor of a broken marriage. I was the captain of my own life, soaring higher than I had ever dreamed possible.
And the sky ahead was completely clear.
