Because no matter how much it hurt, living without love was a pain
she could not willingly choose.
The helipad at the top of Graham’s office building was a stark, open space, surrounded by the hum of the city below. The winds whipped fiercely around Isla as she stepped out of the building, her hair tangling wildly in the breeze stirred up by the helicopter’s whirring blades. She imagined the noise they must be making, but her ears remained silent as always. The movement of the world around her felt disjointed, like a muted movie playing out in real time.
Inside the helicopter, the pilot greeted her with an easy smile, his demeanor a welcome contrast to the heavy thoughts weighing her down. Before they took off, he turned to her, speaking slowly and carefully. “Mr. Lancaster told me about your situation,” he said, gesturing toward her ears. Isla stiffened slightly at his mention of Graham, unsure of where this conversation was heading.
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But then the pilot chuckled, his tone light. “You couldn’t talk to me through the headphones, so I figured a mirror would do.” He pointed to a small mirror installed near the front, angled so that she could clearly see his face. “This way, you can read my lips if you need to.”
For a moment, Isla was struck silent, her throat tightening with
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unexpected emotion. She had spent so much of her life navigating a
world that rarely considered her needs, often feeling invisible and left to adapt on her own. To encounter this small but thoughtful gesture, even from a stranger, felt profoundly touching.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “That’s incredibly
kind of you.”
The pilot waved off her gratitude with a laugh. “Don’t thank me, Thank Mr. Lancaster. He was pretty clear about it–if you had any discomfort on your way home, I’d be out of a job.” He grinned, his humor infectious. “I believe him too, so I made sure to set this up
right.”
Ms.
Isla’s lips twitched into a small, reluctant smile. The idea of Graham threatening to fire someone for her sake was absurd and yet… believable. It was exactly the sort of thing he would do–direct, uncompromising, and unexpectedly protective. She let out a soft laugh, more out of reflex than genuine amusement, but the sound carried a bittersweet edge.
As the helicopter lifted off, Isla turned her gaze to the window. The city below grew smaller with every passing second, its sprawling buildings shrinking into miniature models. People moved like ants, their lives continuing, oblivious to the storm raging within her.
She sat back, staring at the landscape as it blurred into a patchwork
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of roads and rooftops, her thoughts churning like the rotors above her. Graham’s gesture had shaken her. For weeks, she had convinced herself that he was cold, indifferent, and calculating–that he cared for her only insofar as it suited his plans. Yet, this moment
contradicted all of that.
The pilot’s words echoed in her mind. “I believe him.” And she
believed him too. Graham had done this for her–not out of obligation, but because he cared enough to think ahead, to ensure her comfort in a way most people wouldn’t have considered.
Her chest tightened as conflicting emotions swirled within her. If Graham cared for her, even in this subtle, quiet way, had she made the wrong decision? Could she have misjudged him? She had spent so long preparing herself to walk away, to guard her heart from the pain of a loveless marriage. But what if Graham wasn’t as indifferent as he seemed? What if, in his own guarded and reserved way, he was trying to show her something he couldn’t articulate?
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
