Just as Kaija had expected, the moment she stepped through her apartment door the previous night, her phone exploded into chaos.
Missed calls.
Messages.
Voicemails.
Notifications stacked so densely across the screen that her wallpaper was barely visible beneath them.
Niklas.
Again and again and again.
Five hundred and one new messages.
Kaija stared blankly at the number for several seconds while kicking off her shoes near the entrance.
Part of her wondered if she should read them.
Maybe he was apologizing.
Maybe he was panicking.
Maybe he was insulting her.
Maybe he was blaming Marja already.
The possibilities were endless, but strangely, Kaija realized she no longer cared enough to find out.
Not even curiosity remained.
Only exhaustion.
A dry laugh escaped her lips.
'Five hundred messages in under two hours? Wow. Suddenly he knows how to communicate.'
Without opening a single text, Kaija calmly swiped away the entire flood of notifications, blocked Niklas's number, then tossed the phone onto her bed.
And for the first time in what felt like years—
She slept peacefully.
No fighting.
No accusations.
No anxious overthinking.
No waiting for cold replies or passive-aggressive silences.
Just sleep.
Deep, heavy, blissfully empty sleep.
The next morning, Kaija even woke up early enough to attempt proper makeup.
A dangerous activity.
Historically speaking.
Normally, no matter how carefully she followed tutorials online, her eyeliner somehow ended up uneven, her contour crooked, and her eyeshadow resembling abstract expressionism.
Today, however…
Today was different.
Her eyeliner matched.
Her lips looked soft and polished.
Her complexion actually glowed instead of looking like she'd wrestled with a cosmetic blender in the dark.
Kaija stared at herself in the mirror suspiciously.
'Am I suddenly talented because I dumped a cheating bastard?'
Honestly, possible.
Even better, when she checked her assignment for the day, she discovered she had been placed in Economy Class instead of Business.
No VVIPs.
No billionaires.
No silver-eyed men asking invasive questions.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
By the time boarding began, Kaija was standing gracefully at her assigned aircraft door, one hand resting lightly over her chest as she greeted passengers with the standard professional bow and practiced faint smile.
"Welcome aboard."
"Good morning."
"This way, ma'am."
Everything felt normal again.
Safe.
Routine.
Then she spotted the pregnant woman.
Kaija's eyes widened slightly.
The poor woman looked like she was losing a battle against gravity itself.
A massive backpack hung from her shoulders. A crying infant was strapped against her chest. Beneath the baby carrier stretched the unmistakable swell of another pregnancy, likely seven months along. On top of that, both her hands carried additional bags.
The woman looked seconds away from collapsing.
Kaija immediately stepped away from her boarding position.
"Ma'am, let me help you."
The woman looked ready to cry from relief alone.
Kaija quickly removed the heavy backpack, guided her carefully down the aisle, then helped settle her into her assigned seat.
Unfortunately, the infant had now fully committed himself to emotional warfare.
The crying escalated.
Louder.
Sharper.
Relentless.
Nearby passengers were already beginning to exchange irritated glances.
Kaija stayed beside the woman anyway.
"It's okay," she soothed gently, reaching toward the baby. "Come on, little angel… don't cry…"
The infant wailed directly into her soul.
Even his exhausted mother looked helpless now.
Kaija bounced him gently in her arms, trying every trick she knew.
Soft humming.
Funny faces.
Gentle rocking.
Nothing worked.
The crying only intensified.
And then—
A furious male voice exploded from behind her.
"What the fuck is wrong with that baby?"
Kaija turned sharply.
Several rows back stood a man in his fifties with a deeply flushed face and bloodshot eyes.
Anger radiated off him violently.
"Can't you fucking put him to sleep?" he barked. "Seal his fucking mouth?"
Kaija felt immediate irritation crawl up her spine.
Great.
Another adult throwing a tantrum louder than the infant.
Still, she kept her expression professional.
"I'm very sorry, sir," she said evenly. "The baby is feeling uncomfortable at the moment. Please underst—"
"Understand my fucking ass!" the man roared. "I'm not sitting through this screaming bullshit."
Passengers nearby stiffened uneasily.
The man suddenly lurched into the aisle.
"I'm getting out of here."
Kaija frowned instinctively.
Getting out?
What the hell did that even—
Then she saw where he was heading.
The emergency exit.
Time stopped.
Every drop of blood vanished from her body in an instant.
The baby was immediately shoved back into his horrified mother's arms as Kaija sprinted forward.
"NO!" she screamed.
Her voice cracked through the cabin violently.
"STOP!"
Passengers jerked around in alarm.
"NOT THAT DOOR!"
Her heels slammed thunderously against the aircraft floor as she ran.
"You can't open that door!"
But the man was already there.
His drunken hands ripped open the protective cover.
Then—
He pulled the handle upward.
A violent hissing burst through the cabin.
The emergency exit exploded open.
A deafening rush of freezing air blasted inward while the emergency slide inflated instantly outside the aircraft with terrifying speed.
The entire cabin erupted into screams.
Kaija stopped dead.
For one horrible second, she simply stared.
Her body had gone numb.
Cold.
Utterly cold.
'No.'
The thought barely existed.
'No no no no no—'
The second worst nightmare imaginable for cabin crew had just happened.
An armed emergency exit had been opened on ground operations.
The aircraft was now immediately out of service.
Every passenger would need to disembark.
Every following flight scheduled for this aircraft could potentially be canceled.
The slide would require full replacement and reinstallation by certified maintenance specialists.
The financial damage alone would be catastrophic.
And all Kaija could think was:
'I'm dead.'
Adrenaline exploded through her system.
Before the drunken passenger could even fully react, Kaija launched herself at him with every ounce of fury and terror inside her body.
She slammed him hard onto the cabin floor.
"You've violated international aviation law!" she shouted, pinning him down violently. "You are being detained and removed from this aircraft immediately!"
The man thrashed beneath her, screaming incoherently.
A powerful stench hit her nose.
Alcohol.
So strong it almost burned.
'You drunk fucking idiot.'
Rage surged through her harder.
Around them, chaos unfolded rapidly.
Passengers screamed.
Crew members rushed forward.
Airport personnel stormed aboard moments later.
But it was already over.
The damage had been done.
Hours passed afterward in a blur of fluorescent lighting, questioning rooms, paperwork, security reports, and endless retelling.
What happened?
What did you observe?
When did the passenger stand up?
What exact words were spoken?
Kaija answered everything mechanically.
By the time she was finally released, her brain felt hollow.
Grounded.
That single word sat heavily in her chest.
Until further notice.
Pending investigation.
All upcoming flights suspended.
Kaija sat silently in the backseat of the taxi while the city blurred past outside the window.
Her phone rested limply in her hand.
"No… no, no, fuck… no…"
Her voice sounded weak even to herself.
This morning had started so well.
She had slept peacefully.
Her makeup looked amazing.
No Niklas.
No drama.
No VVIP.
It had genuinely felt like life was finally turning around.
So why—
Why did everything always collapse the moment she allowed herself to feel okay?
Her throat tightened painfully.
'Am I cursed or something?'
The taxi eventually stopped outside her apartment building.
Kaija dragged herself upstairs mechanically.
Her suitcase wheels rattled heavily behind her with every exhausted step.
The elevator dinged softly when it reached her floor.
Kaija stepped out.
Then stopped cold.
Someone was standing outside her apartment door.
Long golden-walnut waves spilled over elegant shoulders.
Deep sapphire-blue eyes turned toward her immediately.
Marja.
Of course.
The absolute last person Kaija wanted to see right now.