Chapter 1 - The False Romantic FlightEthan Collins had spent the entire morning pretending he was still in love with his wife.
He sat beside Ava inside the dark-gray private helicopter, one hand resting over hers while the California coastline glittered thousands of feet below them.
Sunlight spilled through the curved windows and flashed across his luxury watch. The Pacific Ocean looked endless beneath the aircraft, bright blue water breaking into white foam against the cliffs near Big Sur.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Ethan asked.
Ava turned from the window and studied him.
His smile was warm.
His fingers were not.
They pressed too firmly against her hand, as though he were testing whether she might pull away.
Ava wore the cream tailored blazer he had chosen for her that morning, paired with a beige top and matching trousers. Her seven-month pregnancy was impossible to hide. One hand remained close to her abdomen whenever the helicopter banked.
Ethan had called the flight a surprise.
A private coastal escape before the baby arrived.
A chance to repair their marriage.
But the helicopter was no longer following the route shown during departure.
The populated beaches had disappeared behind them.
The resorts were gone.
Ahead, the coastline became harsher—isolated cliffs, dark forests, narrow coves, and miles of empty water.
The pilot remained focused on the cockpit, his aviation headset covering his ears.
Ava glanced at the small navigation display.
The helicopter turned farther away from shore.
Her pulse quickened.
Beneath the cuff of her blazer, a concealed wrist device rested against her skin. It looked like an ordinary medical monitor, but its silent sensors were recording altitude, movement, cabin sound, and biometric changes.
Ethan leaned closer.
“Move closer to the door. The view is incredible.”
Ava met his eyes.
She had expected him to try something.
She simply had not known how soon.
Her thumb pressed once against the hidden device.
A faint vibration answered against her wrist.
The safeguard was awake.
Ethan smiled wider, mistaking her silence for obedience.
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He had always confused patience with weakness.
👉 Ava had prepared for betrayal—but Ethan was about to reveal a plan even colder than she imagined.
