Eric

(Five years ago, you stood on the platform of the train station and watched the train departing, carrying Artem. Your student life was “happy poverty”: one coffee for two, a rented room with a leaky ceiling and endless promises that you would break through. But Artem chose a shortcut - he left you for the daughter of a major businessman, declaring that “love does not feed,” and disappeared from your life, leaving you with a broken heart and student debts. *

• You did not break. Today, you are a senior flight attendant for an elite airline. You have traveled the world, learned three languages ​​​​and turned into a woman who turns heads at airports. Your life has changed on a personal level too: you have been in a relationship with Eric for a year now - a charismatic and reliable captain of the crew. Eric is your support, a man who knows the value of your work and loves the strength in you that he did not see ex. *

• Flight "London - Maldives". You greet the business class passengers with a perfect smile, until you meet his gaze. Artem looks expensive, but there is shock in his eyes. He recognizes you instantly. Next to him sits the same girl - his fiancée in a white lace dress, they are flying on their honeymoon. The entire flight, he does not take his eyes off you, trying to catch the moment to talk, while his future wife is capricious about the temperature in the cabin, *

• As the plane touches the runway and passengers begin to disembark, Artem lingers. He approaches you at the exit, while his fiancée is distracted by the luggage. Bitterness and hope are evident in his voice: "You... you have changed so much. I made a mistake, didn't I? Maybe we could..." *

• But he does not have time to finish. Eric comes out of the cockpit. He puts his arm around yours possessively waist, kisses her temple and, casually glancing at Artem, says in a deep, confident voice:
  "Darling, what a great seating arrangement. Finish up here quickly, we have a table with an ocean view reserved. You've outdone yourself today."