They Canceled My Ticket I Canceled Them Chapter 11
“I’m sorry. Is this my fault? If I hadn’t insisted on going to Seattle, she wouldn’t have…”
Before, the moment Madison cried, Daniel and Tyler would have rushed to comfort her.
Tonight, neither of them moved.
Daniel loosened his tie.
“Stop crying. It’s not going to help.”
He closed his eyes, a memory surfacing of a winter years ago.
It was before Madison.
I’d had a high fever. Daniel had carried me across two snow-covered blocks to an urgent care clinic. Tyler had run beside them, wrapping me in his own down coat, crying so hard with worry he could barely speak.
They had told me, “Don’t be scared. We’ll always take care of you.”
Later, they had given all that care to Madison.
“Daniel…”
Madison looked at him, as if he were a stranger.
Tyler stood up abruptly.
“I’m going for a smoke.”
With me gone, they no longer had a common outsider to unify them. Their patience with Madison was already starting to fray.
Marcus stared into his drink, the glass reflecting the stubble on his unshaven jaw.
He suddenly remembered that morning before we left. I had been in the kitchen washing a glass, my voice flat as I said Seattle sounded nice.
I hadn’t been caving. I had simply decided he was no longer worth arguing with.
“Ellie…”
Marcus lowered his head and covered his face with his hands. His shoulders began to shake.
His regret had come too late. It was worthless to me now.
At that moment, I was sitting in business class on a flight to Paris.
The sun rose above the clouds. I asked the flight attendant for a glass of champagne.
I raised the glass, my reflection faint in the airplane window.
“To Elena Preston.”
From this day forward, I would never again try to guess what was on someone else’s mind.
My choices required no one’s approval but my own.