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No More Returns for You
Novelix
Completed
Elara thought she had it all—a loving fiancé, a promising aviation career, and a family she supported. But when she catches her fiancé Garrett proposing to her sister Delphine, the truth unravels: her love was transactional, her work stolen, and her family's loyalty always belonged to her sister. Framed for data theft and injured by Garrett's violence, Elara refuses to be the forgiving victim. She fights back with evidence, reclaims her father's tainted legacy, and exposes the corruption that nearly grounded her. In the end, she boards a plane—not waiting for anyone to return, but flying her own course toward freedom.
Chapters (3)
第1章
My sister Delphine was dating a pilot. He logged every mile for reimbursement, even their dates.
When she had a stomach ache at midnight, he drove her to the ER. The moment the IV was in, he was already asking her to settle the twenty-mile fuel fee.
I told her to dump him. She just smiled, sweet as honey.
"Don't you get it, sis? He only keeps accounts this clear with the people closest to him."
I thought it was absurd. My boyfriend Garrett never nickel-and-dimed me like that.
I had a fear of heights. He'd skip flight duty to ride the Ferris wheel with me ninety-nine times. Until I could finally open my eyes at the top. Then he kissed me and said, "Don't be scared. No matter how far I fly, I'll always turn back for you."
I thought he was my destination. Until an unknown number sent me a photo of a hangar keycard.
"Come to Sector B. See who he really loves."
When I got there, Garrett was on one knee in front of my sister, sliding a ring onto her finger.
"I went sixty miles out of my way to propose, remember to reimburse me for the fuel."
Delphine smiled and transferred the money. He bent down and kissed her.
Then my phone buzzed with a screenshot of a group chat.
Delphine: I'll split the Ferris wheel cost with you. But you have to give me whatever matters most to her.
Garrett: Then let me give you my heart. Deal?
I stared at the ring on my own finger and suddenly laughed.
So that was it. Delphine paid for gas, and got love.
I was just the entertainment, priced and tagged.
I didn't storm in. I just cancelled the engagement and booked an outbound flight.
Before takeoff, a message from him lit up my screen:
"Baby, wait for me to come back."
I blocked him. Turned off my phone.
This time, I wasn't waiting.
The boarding announcement came. Then my phone rang. Unknown number.
Garrett's voice.
"Elara. Who gave you permission to cancel the engagement?"
My throat tightened.
"Then what was that ring and that kiss in the hangar for?"
A pause.
"You saw that?"
He sighed. Annoyed.
"Delphine stayed with me through the hard years. You showed up after. I'm willing to marry you, you should be thanking her. Besides, she just needed a gesture. As her sister, why are you making this a competition?"
"What were those five years between us, then?"
His voice went cold.
"Don't make this ugly. You're the one I'm going to marry. She's no threat to you."
My heart felt like it was being torn in two.
Those ninety-nine rides on the Ferris wheel came back to me.
Turns out every hug and every promise came with a price tag. I just hadn't realized it at the time. I'd even posted about it on social media.
He paused, then let out a light, dismissive laugh.
"You took that Amsterdam assignment, didn't you? So you already knew which way my flights would go."
"Just wait till my promotion's done. Then I'll deal with your tantrum."
He hung up.
My nails dug into my palm, but I couldn't feel the pain.
His friends started blowing up my phone.
Garrett is in a critical phase right now. You want to get him grounded?
Delphine just wanted to make up for lost time. No need to ruin something everyone was happy about.
I called the loudest one back.
"So you all knew?"
Hesitation. "He's still marrying you in the end. You should be grateful."
I hung up. Pulled up an old account and dug through the flight school group chat.
Scrolling back, I found out that the night I was in a car accident—fighting for my life in the ER—Garrett was throwing Delphine a birthday party.
When I was planning our engagement, they were in the simulators, calling her "Captain's Wife."
In the engagement photos, he had his arm around her. The ring on his finger was the one I'd bought.
Caption: Marrying her because she fits the role. Delphine was always the one in my heart.
I turned off my phone. Confirmed my eighteen-month overseas assignment. Removed him as my emergency contact. Backed up every piece of evidence.
When the plane landed, I headed for the apartment the company had arranged.
A voice message from Delphine:
"Sis, you should just stay in staff housing. You're used to roughing it anyway."
Then a system notification:
[Your apartment occupancy authorization has been updated by authorized contact: Garrett Shaw.]
第2章
When I got to the apartment, the smart lock had already been changed.
Delphine was inside, wearing my slippers, holding the mug Dad gave me. She flashed an innocent smile.
"Sis, I thought you were just bluffing. I didn't think you'd actually follow him all the way here."
I didn't bother with pleasantries. "Get out."
Her eyes went red immediately.
"I know you're mad that Garrett loves me. But a house is just a house. Sisters are forever."
I pulled out the contract.
"The apartment is tied to my employee ID. I can restore access and have any unauthorized persons removed."
This had been the pattern since we were kids.
She'd tear up my certificates, then cry and say she just wanted to write like her big sister.
She'd steal the birthday gift Dad gave me, then sob that I already had everything.
And I'd always be the one who got yelled at.
She video-called Garrett.
His face was hard as he demanded, "Delphine just got here. You want her sleeping on the street?"
"Then use your own place to house her."
"She has a job and a dorm. Why can't you let your sister stay?"
Delphine bit her lip and wiped her eyes.
"Don't blame my sister. She's always been scared I'll take her things. I'll just go."
With that, she set the mug down—carelessly, on the edge of her suitcase.
It shattered. A shard sliced my ankle. Blood welled up.
She gasped, covering her mouth, but I caught the flicker of a smile in her eyes.
"Sis, it's just an old cup. You're not going to blame me for that too, are you?"
Garrett's voice dropped. "She apologized. Don't make this into something it's not."
I swallowed the pain. Called building services and had her and her luggage escorted out.
That night, she posted a photo of herself sitting on a curb.
My sister kicked me out over a man. It's fine. I'll survive one cold night.
My mother called. "Her stomach is weak! If something happens to her, can you afford that?"
Just blame. That's all I ever got.
I hung up.
The next morning came the route coordination meeting. The main screen lit up, and I froze.
The route analysis and contingency plan I'd spent six months on—my name was gone.
Lead Pilot: Garrett Shaw
Special Assistance: Delphine Vance
The base manager beamed.
"Based on this plan, Delphine will be assigned to the tower coordination desk, dedicated to Captain Shaw's flights."
That position was supposed to be mine.
Garrett used to say, "You handle the ground, I'll handle the cockpit. We make the perfect team."
Now he'd used my work to place my sister right beside him.
I was shaking. I pulled up the original file on the spot.
"Every single risk assessment in that document was calculated by me! What right does Delphine have to her name on it?"
Delphine's eyes welled up.
"My sister taught me a lot. I thought what's hers is ours too."
She turned to the room, forcing a fragile smile.
"If it bothers my sister, I can withdraw. It's just that Captain Shaw has gotten used to having me around. I'd worry about swapping someone else in—it might affect his performance."
Garrett immediately pushed her back into her seat.
"Elara. You're already a full employee. Do you have to take this one opportunity away from her too?"
The manager jumped in. "The appointment's already posted. Let's keep family matters out of the workplace."
I projected the file's watermark onto the main screen.
"Then let Compliance investigate. Whoever accessed my files without authorization leaves the tower."
The meeting was cut short. Garrett cornered me in the stairwell.
"Once Delphine is settled, I'll get you back in."
"This was my spot."
"You're capable. You'll thrive anywhere."
He lost what little patience he had.
"Drop the complaint. She's not like you—she needs this chance more."
That night, my luggage arrived from home.
Dad's flight logbook—only half of it remained. The torn edge was uneven.
My breath caught. I called Garrett.
"Just some old paper, what's the big deal?"
Minutes later, Delphine posted a photo.
Our father's logbook pages, folded into paper airplanes, scattered across the operations room.
She was wearing my spare uniform, standing next to Garrett.
From now on, he flies the sky, and I wait for him in the tower.
Then a notification flashed on my screen:
[Your fixed coordination assignment with Garrett's crew has been terminated.]
[New dedicated operations coordinator: Delphine Vance.]
第3章
I took the torn logbook to the Compliance Department.
On my way through the café, Garrett blocked me. He slapped a ticket on the table.
"Flight back home. Tomorrow morning. Stop causing problems."
Delphine was holding a business-class ticket.
Mine was economy. Non-refundable. Non-changeable.
I ripped it up in front of him.
"The company assigned me here. You don't get to send me away."
Garrett grabbed my wrist—hard enough that bone ground against bone.
"My promotion flight launches soon. You're filing complaints against Delphine right now because you want to destroy me, don't you?"
"She stole my plan, tore up my father's things, and took my job!"
Delphine cowered behind him, eyes shining with tears.
"Sis, I just wanted to be close to him. You already have the engagement. Why can't you even give me this job?"
"That's my job. Not an inheritance."
She broke down sobbing.
"Dad always favored you. He gave you everything. I just take a few sheets of paper and you act like I'm trying to kill you—"
Garrett shoved me away. My hand hit the table edge. A bruise bloomed instantly.
"She has nothing. Would it kill you to let her have this?"
My mother's call came right then.
Before I could even speak, she was screaming, "Drop the complaint! Delphine is sick from all this stress. Do you want to put your own sister in the hospital?"
"She stole my work."
"You're capable. Just do it over!"
Her voice turned vicious. "You've always resented her. If I'd known you'd turn out this heartless, I never would have paid for your education!"
She hung up. I stood frozen.
All these years—their mortgage, their medical bills. I paid it all.
But in their eyes, everything I had was supposed to be shared with Delphine.
And I was supposed to swallow every hurt alone.
I cut off the monthly transfers. Unlinked Garrett from all my shared accounts. Notifications popped up on his phone one after another.
His face darkened. "You're really going to nickel-and-dime me?"
I almost laughed.
"Weren't you the one who taught me? The closest people keep the clearest books."
Delphine smiled suddenly. She pulled out a policy from her bag.
Garrett's aviation accident insurance. The primary beneficiary? Her.
"Oh, and sis, don't be upset. Garrett says you earn good money. You wouldn't miss the payout."
She hugged his arm, voice soft and sweet.
"If he lives, he's mine. And if something happens, he wants to make sure I'm taken care of. You've got the engagement everyone recognizes. That's already more than I have."
I looked at Garrett. Not a trace of guilt.
"Delphine can't function without me. You're so capable, why would you need to fight over what I leave behind?"
So what he gave me was just a show for the families.
Love, work, the future—even death—he gave it all to my sister.
I grabbed my laptop. Two security guards blocked the exit.
"Elara Vance. Internal route data has been copied without authorization. You'll need to be searched."
From the hidden compartment in my laptop bag, they pulled out an encrypted USB drive. Full flight data.
Delphine clasped her hands over her mouth, sobbing.
"Sis, if you hate me, take it out on me! Don't gamble with an entire plane full of people!"
Garrett snatched my badge and slammed it on the table.
"You'd compromise flight safety just to make me cave?"
"It wasn't me!"
I struggled to reach my laptop. He pinned me against the table. The edge dug into my stomach. I doubled over, gasping for air.
"The evidence is right there in your bag, and you're still playing innocent?"
I looked up and saw Delphine slipping a keycard into her sleeve.
My spare keycard. The one from my apartment drawer.
She gave me a silent smile.
Seconds later, my work account went dark.
[Your flight dispatch authorization has been suspended.]
