The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 77: Mr. Pilot

Ethan was losing his mind.

Mara had hung up on him with no goodbye, no closure, just a click leaving him in a spiral of frustration and mild panic. He had been making progress, damn it! Or at least, he thought he was. He’d even brainstormed an entire list of ways to get back into her good graces, ranging from heartfelt apologies to bribing her with her favorite snacks. But then a radio silence.

And that’s when the real problem hit him: What if something was wrong?

Normally, he’d storm right into the Shepherd mansion and demand answers like a man on a mission. Unfortunately, Shepherd Mansion had security tighter than a billionaire’s prenup and they all had one job: keep Ethan far, far away from Mara. So breaking in was off the table.

Calling? Also useless. Mara wasn’t picking up.

With no other options, Ethan turned to Stefan, the Shepherd brother least likely to throw him out of a moving vehicle. A little persuasion and possibly some mild emotional blackmail later, so the staff let slip that Mara was going on some charity trip.

And just like that, Ethan had a plan.

There was no way she’d let him tag along if he asked, so he had to get creative. And by creative, he meant sneaky, reckless, and just a little bit crazy.

Because if Mara thought she could ghost him, she had severely underestimated his commitment to being a lovable nuisance.

Mara had been expecting a peaceful, uneventful flight. What she hadn’t been expecting was to walk into the cockpit and find Ethan.

At the controls. Wearing a pilot’s uniform. With that grin on his face.

Her stomach dropped and not from excitement.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she blurted, gripping the nearest seat like her life depended on it. Because suddenly, it did.

Ethan, looking far too pleased with himself, adjusted his aviator sunglasses like he was auditioning for a movie. "Oh hey, baby. Welcome aboard Shepherd Air. Hope you’re ready for a smooth ride."

Mara’s eye twitched. "Please tell me you’re not flying this jet," she said. He was already flying it and it was too late to get off.

"Oh, I am flying this jet." Ethan’s smirk widened. "One of my many hidden talents."

Mara’s heart threatened to punch its way out of her chest. "You—you know how to fly?"

"Of course," he said, as if she’d just asked if he knew how to tie his shoes. "Private lessons, years of experience, blah blah. Trust me, you and our baby are in excellent hands." He placed a reassuring hand over her stomach, but she immediately swatted him away.

"I don’t trust you!" she snapped, still gripping the seat. "You lied to get on this flight, and now you’re telling me you’re the one flying it? You must have a death wish, Ethan!"

Ethan sighed dramatically. "Mara, I had no choice. If I’d asked, you would’ve said no."

"Because I didn’t want you here!"

"Well, surprise!" He spread his arms, then turned his attention back to the controls. "Look, we’ll be fine. I promise."

Mara was about to respond with something that was not fit for polite company when suddenly—

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

A flashing red light appeared on the dashboard.

Followed by another.

Then another.

Mara froze. "Um...what is that?"

Ethan frowned, scanning the controls. "Huh. That’s...probably nothing."

The alarms got louder.

Mara’s entire body went rigid. "ETHAN."

"Okay, okay, relax." He adjusted a few switches, trying to diagnose the issue while also keeping an eye on the sky. "It’s just a small engine issue. We’re fine." ƒreewebɳovel.com

"We are not fine!" she shrieked, her grip on the seat now vice-like. "The plane is yelling at us! I knew I was going to die young, but I thought it’d be in a much cooler way than this!"

Ethan rolled his eyes, tapping the radio to get a signal. "Baby, come on, trust me. I got this."

"I DO NOT TRUST YOU."

Another alarm blared.

Mara let out an ungodly sound and started hyperventilating. "Oh my God. Oh my God. I’m not even going to live long enough to get my revenge. My revenge, Ethan!"

Ethan, still ridiculously calm, reached over and took her trembling hand. "Hey, deep breaths. I swear I’ve got this. Nothing is going to happen to you, or our baby. You hear me?"

Mara looked at him, eyes wild.

Ethan squeezed her hand, giving her that stupid, reckless, infuriatingly confident smile. "You didn’t think I’d risk my own family, did you?"

Mara stared at him for a long moment. Then, begrudgingly, she muttered under her breath, "You’re so lucky I don’t have a parachute right now."

Ethan chuckled. "That’s the spirit."

And with that, he turned back to the controls, determined to make sure they landed safely—so he could continue annoying his wife for the rest of their lives.

Ethan had managed to land the jet.

The bad news? They were in the middle of nowhere.

No buildings. No roads. Not even a single damn signal bar on their phones. Just endless wilderness stretching as far as the eye could see.

Mara pinched the bridge of her nose, inhaling deeply before exhaling through clenched teeth. "Of course this happens today. Why wouldn’t it?" She threw up her hands. "Ethan, I swear, if this is part of your plan, I’m going to—"

"It’s not part of my plan," Ethan groaned, rubbing his temples. "I didn’t choose for the jet to fail, Mara. I didn’t wake up this morning thinking, "Hey, you know what would be fun? Crashing a multimillion-dollar plane and getting stranded in the middle of nowhere with my pregnant and very angry wife."

Mara scowled at him, crossing her arms. "Oh, so now I’m the problem? It’s my fault" Ethan sighed. "That’s not what I meant—"

"Because, believe me, Ethan, I am not thrilled about being stuck here with you either." She turned away, scanning the area for any sign of civilization. "And my tummy hurting, Probably just as pissed as I am."

Ethan ran a hand down his face. This was going to be a long day.

Lucky for them, Mara had anticipated something going wrong, she always did—so she had secretly sent a distress signal to her brother before they left. If this was her uncle’s way of testing them or warming them, he was going to get what was coming for him. Help would come. Eventually. But until then, they needed to figure out how to survive.

Which was easier said than done, because the two of them couldn’t go five minutes without bickering.

"We need to find shelter before nightfall," Ethan said, glancing up at the darkening sky. "Let’s move."

Mara scoffed. "Oh, now you’re in charge?"

Ethan exhaled sharply. "Mara, can we just—"

"No, Ethan. We can’t just anything!" She spun around, her frustration bubbling over, probably the fear and the weight of everything she just lost, her grandfather and her two brothers left their life to go away and here she was, "Do you think I’m happy about this? Do you think I wanted to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with you?"

Ethan clenched his jaw, staying silent.

"You ruined everything," she continued, voice raw with emotion. "You cheated on me—with my best friend, of all people! And for what? What, Ethan?"

Ethan’s gaze dropped, shame flickering across his face. "I never meant to hurt you."

Mara let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, well, that makes everything better! You didn’t mean to! Well, guess what? It doesn’t matter, because you did." She placed a hand on her stomach, her voice trembling. "And nothing you do can ever make it right."

Silence.

For the first time since they crash-landed, Ethan had nothing to say.

Mara swallowed hard, blinking rapidly before turning on her heel. "I’m done talking to you." She started walking away, determined to find her own way—without him.

Ethan, knowing better than to argue, simply followed quietly behind.

And then—

It happened fast.

A snake slithered out from the bushes, heading straight for Mara. Ethan didn’t have time to think, didn’t have time to warn her.

He just moved.

Before Mara even realized something was wrong, Ethan reached out and swiped at the snake—taking the bite himself.

He barely flinched. His jaw tightened, his breath hitched—but he didn’t make a sound.

Mara, still storming ahead, suddenly turned around, her glare sharp. "Why are you still following—"

She stopped.

The snake was retreating.

Ethan was clutching his hand.

Her heart skipped a beat. "Ethan," she whispered, her voice unusually soft. "Show me your hand."

Ethan hesitated.

Mara stepped closer, her eyes dark with concern. "Show me your hand, Ethan." Slowly, he opened his palm. Two fresh puncture wounds. Mara’s stomach twisted.

For the first time in a long time, she forgot how much she hated him.