Chapter 17 A Hard Reality Check Watching the stunt plane soar across the bright blue sky , Curtis felt completely dazed . He couldn't believe it . Chloe was really flying that plane . The plane even performed several aerial maneuvers that even someone like him , a complete outsider , could recognize as extremely difficult . The crowd below couldn't stop gasping and cheering in amazement . " What , are you stunned into silence ? " Lena sneered . " It's ridiculous that you thought Chloe would be jealous of Sonya just because she can fly a plane . You completely underestimated her ! " Curtis ' face flushed slightly . Her words hit him like a sharp slap , leaving him momentarily stunned and unbearably embarrassed . After a long moment , Chloe's plane slowly touched down , and her tall , confident figure climbed out of the cockpit . Curtis stepped forward . " You really ... can fly a plane . " " So what if I can ? Flying a plane isn't a big deal , " Chloe replied nonchalantly . Curtis felt his ears burning . Before Chloe had boarded the plane , he'd thought she'd been speaking out of jealousy toward Sonya and assumed that she'd been kidding herself and being foolishly clueless . But now he realized the truth - she simply didn't care . It was like how someone who already had all the wealth and success they could ever want wouldn't bother wasting a second on a small fortune . " When .... did you learn to fly ? " Curtis asked , his voice hoarse . He only knew that she'd served in the military , but he'd had no idea she could actually fly a plane . Chloe looked at Curtis with a sardonic smile . " Oh , so now you suddenly care about my past ? " When he'd proposed back then , she'd wanted to tell him about her past , but he'd simply said , " Your past doesn't matter to me . What I care about is our future . " She'd thought he genuinely cared about their future together . But later she'd realized he simply didn't care about her , so he'd never wanted to know her past . Curtis looked embarrassed . Just then , a few of his friends walked over . " Curtis , Sonya's looking for you over at the exhibition hall . Why are you here ? " Luke and the other guys came forward . The moment they saw Chloe , they sneered . " Don't tell me Chloe's Chapter 17 A Hard Reality Check clinging to you again . " " No ... It's not that , " Curtis replied awkwardly . 2/3 But his friends refused to believe him . One of them jabbed at Chloe with malice . " Chloe , didn't you say flying a plane wasn't a big deal before ? Well then , prove it - fly that plane now ! " Another scoffed . " She wouldn't even know how to handle it ! If it weren't for Sonya's injury from that fall still not being fully healed , she'd really get a look at the vast gap between her and Sonya today ! " Their cruel laughter rang in Chloe's ears . Lena rushed forward angrily . " Curtis , are you even a man ? You're just letting your friends insult your wife like this ? " Curtis ' expression froze . Chloe grabbed Lena's hand , her expression icy as she glared at Curtis and his friends . " The gap between people isn't measured by whether they can fly a plane . Who do you think you are ? Just because I'm married to Curtis , you think that gives you the right to insult and belittle me ? " The group fell silent . Chloe didn't wait to see their reaction and walked off with Lena . After a long pause , Luke snorted . " Can you believe Chloe actually dares to talk back like that ? Curtis , you'd better teach her a lesson and put her in her place ! What does she think she is ? " " Enough ! " Curtis barked , his face dark with anger . " Chloe is my wife . No matter what , you have no right to look down on her ! " The memory of Chloe's flying skills earlier made his face flush with embarrassment . " What are you talking about ? Aren't you the one who looks down on Chloe the most ? " Luke snapped . " Didn't you say she had no skills at all ? If Sonya hadn't left you back then , you wouldn't have married her just to soothe some fleeting frustration ! " Curtis went silent . They were right - those were the words he'd said when venting to his friends after a few drinks . But Chloe was far from incapable . The projects she'd managed at Green Tech had never caused him any trouble . She could tame wild horses , and she could even fly a plane , executing complex maneuvers in the air with flawless skill . Each of these feats pressed heavily on his mind , making it hard for him to breathe . The woman he'd been married to for three years suddenly felt like a stranger to him . " Alright , don't let Chloe come between us , " one of his friends advised . " Curtis , why don't you head to the main exhibition hall ? Sonya has been looking for you . " Curtis nodded and walked toward the exhibition hall , his mind still spinning , replaying the image of Chloe Chapter 17 A Hard Reality Check flying the plane . 3/3 When he passed the AeroQuest Airlines booth , Sonya approached him . " You don't look so good . What's wrong ? " " Nothing . I've just been busy with work lately , and I feel a bit stressed , " Curtis replied . " Sit here and rest for a moment , " Sonya said . Curtis took a seat and drank some water . Finally , he felt a bit more grounded . At the center of the AeroQuest Airlines booth , a large digital screen was set up , displaying live footage of the open area behind the exhibition hall . " There's a flight demonstration soon , but I haven't fully recovered from my injury . Otherwise , I would have joined the performance , " Sonya said . Curtis hesitated . " Is a flight demonstration difficult ? " " Of course it's difficult . Pulling off a proper aerial display isn't something any ordinary pilot can manage , " Sonya said , her tone carrying a hint of pride . Normally , Curtis would have praised Sonya for her skills , but thinking about Chloe flying the plane earlier and executing those complex aerial maneuvers made any words of praise for Sonya die painfully in his throat . Soon , the flight demonstration began . Curtis spotted the same plane Chloe had flown earlier , now lined up for the flight demonstration . The camera was too far from the plane to make out who was inside , but Curtis had an inexplicable gut feeling that the person in the cockpit had to be Chloe . While watching the flight demonstration , Sonya suddenly said , " By the way , when Luke and the others came to see me earlier , they mentioned Chloe . Apparently , she even said that flying a plane isn't a big deal . She's so arrogant . " Curtis pressed his lips together . Hesitating , he said , " What if she wasn't being arrogant ? " Sonya frowned , her voice laced with sarcasm . " Someone who's never flown a plane before saying something like that - what else could it be but arrogance ? Curtis , are you going to defend her ? " " I'm not defending her , but what if she actually can fly a plane ? " Curtis said . Chapter 18 This Marriage is Definitely Over