The Last Note He Never Wrote For Me

The plane shuddered violently at thirty thousand feet.

Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling.

Screams erupted throughout the cabin.

A flight attendant struggled to maintain order, her voice trembling.

The captain's grave announcement crackled over the speakers.

I clutched Ethan's hand with a death grip.

My fingertips were ice-cold.

His other hand typed rapidly on his phone.

The screen glared brightly.

I caught a glimpse of the recipient—Sophia Evans.

"Who are you texting?"

Ethan paused mid-type.

"Don't overthink it." He squeezed my hand. "Sophia's the most reliable."

His voice was barely audible.

"If anything happens... she can handle our affairs."

I studied his profile.

The oxygen mask had left red marks on his face.

He avoided my gaze.

The cabin echoed with sobs.

Some passengers began writing their wills.

Ethan had already sent his message.

I looked down at my trembling hands.

In the end, I didn’t write a single word.

Twenty minutes later.

The plane made an emergency landing.

My legs wobbled as I stood.

Ethan steadied me as we descended the stairs.

The solid ground of the tarmac felt surreal.

I immediately called Sophia.

"Meet me at the notary office."

"What?" Her voice shot up. "I just saw the news! Are you okay?"

Background noise buzzed through the phone.

"I'm on my way!"

The call ended abruptly.

Ethan frowned. "You told Sophia?"

"What else was I supposed to do?" I glared at him. "She was your first thought."

He sighed. "Our parents are too old for this kind of shock."

He leaned in to kiss me.

I turned my face away.

"Sophia’s going to yell at me." He tried to lighten the mood. "You’d let her?"

I didn’t answer.

I walked ahead without another word.

Ethan caught up and slung an arm around my shoulders.

At the airport exit.

Sophia's car screeched to a halt.

She rushed out.

Her eyes landed on Ethan first.

A brief pause.

Then she threw herself at me.

"You scared me to death!"

Her embrace was crushing.

Next, she punched Ethan's shoulder.

"What kind of morbid message was that? I almost called the police!"

Ethan dodged with a laugh. "We’re fine now."

"Thank God Emma’s safe." Sophia turned to me. "If he scared you, he’s dead meat!"

She linked her arm through mine.

Effortlessly familiar.

Ethan trailed behind us.

They chatted and laughed.

I stayed silent.

Back home.

I went straight to the bedroom.

Locked the door.

Outside, dusk settled.

I picked up Ethan’s forgotten phone from the living room.

The passcode was our anniversary date.

His messages were clean.

His gallery held only work files.

I opened settings.

Switched accounts.

A second profile auto-logged in.

My pulse spiked.

My fingers scrolled through the screen.

Eight-year-old messages stared back at me.

"Emma likes badminton. Meet at the sports center tomorrow."