After the divorce, I became the heartthrob of the handsome pilot.

Joyce Holt was a brilliant engineer. She fell for Zayne Miller the moment she laid eyes on him.

To be with him, she gave up a lucrative job.

She was isolated by her colleagues at the base, demoted, and nearly ruined her own hands.

She had thought that her sacrifices would move Zayne.

But he pursued the base's most sought-after woman, Kacie Jenkins, with fervor, as he enjoyed taking the challenge.

He even put Joyce in danger for Kacie's sake.

After narrowly escaping death, Joyce finally gave up.

If he no longer loved her, she didn't have to hold on.

...

Amidst the blaring alarms of the plane crash, Joyce pressed her lips together and glanced at Zayne on the other side of the plane. He was helping Kacie into a safety vest. The bitterness in Joyce's heart nearly consumed her.

After securing their safety, Zayne tenderly reassured Kacie. "Kacie, I know you're afraid of heights. I'll jump with you later. Don't worry. I'll keep you safe. Just hold on tight to me."

Kacie frowned slightly and pushed Zayne away, creating some distance. She turned to Joyce, who was standing nearby. "Mr. Miller, we are in a life-and-death situation. Shouldn't you protect your wife now?"

A flicker of hope rose in Joyce's eyes, but Zayne only cast a hesitant glance at her. "Joyce, you've parachuted before and have experience. Don't worry. I'll find you once we land. I will ensure you're safe."

With that, he wrapped an arm around Kacie's waist and quickly moved toward the cabin door. Then they leaped out.

Watching their figures plummet rapidly, Joyce felt a searing pain in her heart. She gave a bitter smile.

She had parachuted before, but how could she survive a plane without a parachute?

Wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand, she suppressed her pain and walked to the cockpit.

Now, she had no choice but to attempt a forced landing.

She gripped the controls tightly, and the sound of alarms filled her ears.

The aircraft plummeted rapidly and finally crashed into an ancient tree with a loud bang.

Joyce struggled to crawl out of the wrecked cabin, covered in blood and clinging to the black box. She leaned against the tree nearby, and her thoughts drifted back to the day she first met Zayne.

As a genius engineer, she had been occupied with airplane parts and formulas since she was a little girl.

She had never thought she'd fall in love until she met Zayne at the base.

He had outstanding professional flying skills and good abilities to handle emergencies. So he caught her attention immediately.

She turned down a military offer and chose to stay at the base in the hope of spending every day at the training ground just to exchange a few words with Zayne.

On the day Zayne was promoted to captain, she gifted him a custom-built aircraft she painstakingly made over a year for him. It was unique in the world.

Her love was blunt and bold, yet Zayne had always remained consistently indifferent toward her.

Zayne's plane had an accident one day, and Joyce, ignoring the risk of explosion, dug him out of the wreckage with her bare hands. But she insisted the rescuers save him first.

When Zayne woke in the hospital, Joyce proposed to him.

He didn't refuse.

It was the happiest day in Joyce's 25 years of life.

Their married life was simple yet filled with subtle happiness.

She thought they could be together forever like that, but everything changed after Kacie arrived at the base.

Kacie was beautiful and aloof. She became the most sought-after woman in the base.

Initially, Zayne disliked her for being aloof, but over time, his gaze at her turned to admiration. He began to lavish attention on Kacie, much like Joyce had done for him back then.

He'd bring her food, and when she refused, he'd try different ways to persuade her to have some.

He'd accompany her in research, bending over backward to get the data she needed, even if it meant owing favors.

Joyce once asked him why he was so good to Kacie.

He told her that it was necessary to look after her since she was new to the base.

But the events in the aircraft exposed that Joyce was so stupid as to believe his lies.

A tear slipped down Joyce's cheek as her consciousness began to fade.

...

In a heated argument, Joyce was jolted awake.

Her vision was still blurry when Zayne's familiar, urgent voice pierced her ears.

He was desperately pulling a doctor toward Kacie's room. "Doctor, please, save Kacie now."

The doctor frowned and pointed to Joyce on the bed. "Mr. Miller, Joyce's blood is nearly gone, and you want me to save Kacie, who fainted due to acrophobia?"

"It's better to save one person than to lose both," Zayne blurted out instinctively.

But he quickly realized his mistake and turned stiffly to look at Joyce, who looked so miserable on the bed.

He rushed to her side and saw her covered in blood. His eyes were filled with pain and hesitation. But soon, he regained his resolve. "Joyce, you're an indispensable expert at the base. They'll do whatever it takes to save you."

He avoided her pained gaze and pried her blood-stained fingers off him.

"But Kacie is different. She only has me. I must ensure her safety. You understand me, don't you?"

Did she understand him?

How could she understand him? Her husband took the life-saving doctor away to save another woman, but she herself was in danger.

Joyce didn't know what feelings she should have and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Zayne, oblivious to her distress, carried the doctor to Kacie's room.

Watching his anxious figure, she tried to smile, but blood welled up in her mouth.

Mustering the only consciousness she had, she turned to the nurse beside her. "Tell the chief engineer, Mrs. Gerald Quinn, I'm willing to accept the military's offer and join the classified military organization. But I have one condition-I want a divorce from Zayne."

After Joyce finished her words, she fainted again.

She seemed to be trapped in a nightmare. When she suddenly awoke, she saw Zayne standing beside her bed.

"Zayne..." Before she could finish speaking, she saw him pick up the black box she had protected with her life and shatter it with great force.

He even ground it under his foot to ensure it was completely destroyed.

Joyce struggled to reach out her hand and wanted to stop him, but her arm throbbed with pain, and her heart ached even more.

Watching Zayne leave, she got out of bed with difficulty and followed him to another hospital room.

As a pilot, Zayne always cherished his hands, but there he was, peeling an apple with a fruit knife.

"Kacie, don't worry. I've destroyed the evidence," he said. "No one will know that the aircraft accident was caused by you after you accidentally pressed the wrong button, which led to engine failure."

Joyce's lips parted slightly as her thoughts drifted back to three years ago.

At that time, she had been falsely accused by a competitor of being arrogant and neglecting to check the aircraft's parts, leading to the accident and the pilot's injury.

She was at a loss for words and was suspended from her position.

Every day, she endured the insults and accusations from the pilot's family.

When she was in despair, Zayne tirelessly searched for evidence and used his connections to help her.

On the day the truth was revealed, Zayne hugged her for the first time and promised always to protect her.

He was only kind to her once, but now he is showing his kindness easily to another woman.

Joyce gave a self-mocking smile as she looked into the hospital room, only to see Kacie gazing coldly at Zayne. "Mr. Miller, I know you only pursued me because of your bet with some other guys."

Zayne's eyes flickered with panic as he nervously held Kacie's hand. "Kacie, I admit I approached you because of that back then. But later, I truly fell in love with you. Only you have sparked my competitive spirit. I believe I will win you over someday."

Kacie broke free from his hand and said, "And how about your wife, Joyce?"

Zayne hesitated and then said, "She loves me and is nice to me, but her love comes too easily. It has no challenges. So I feel her love was just too dull."

Joyce's heart felt as if it were torn apart.

She forced herself back to her room, picked up her phone, and saw a message from Gerald. Her divorce proceedings with Zayne had begun.

Joyce breathed a sigh of relief and replied to Gerald, "Zayne's Starship has my latest research technology. I want to take it with me."

After receiving Gerald's confirmation, Joyce set her phone aside and lay back down on the bed.

In the following days, Zayne visited her room every day.

But Joyce didn't want to see him. So when he was in her room, she was either pretending to be asleep or going out for fresh air.

Then she was summoned to attend the accident hearing, and she saw Zayne's stern face again.

He said, "As the pilot of the aircraft, I can clearly tell you that the primary cause of this accident was Joyce's violation of operating procedures. She relies on her reputation as a genius and becomes increasingly arrogant. Although Kacie and I tried to stop her, she forcibly increased the power, which led to engine failure and subsequently the accident."

Joyce never imagined that Zayne would put all the blame on her to protect Kacie.

Joyce said, "Mr. Miller, do you think you can have the real culprit escape punishment by destroying the black box? I've participated in countless flight tests and am thoroughly familiar with all the operations. It's impossible for me to make such a simple mistake." She took a deep breath and turned to meet Zayne's gaze. "Moreover, I risked everything to save the black box. If I truly wanted to escape punishment, I could have let it explode with the aircraft."

Zayne's eyes revealed guilt as he clenched his fists. As he was searching for a defense, Gerald raised a hand to stop him.

He said, "The black box was destroyed, and what happened on the plane that day still needs investigation. Today's meeting ends here. The results of the subsequent investigation will be distributed to everyone."

As Gerald stood up to leave, Joyce wanted to talk about her divorce with him.

She had just gotten to her feet when a sudden dizziness overwhelmed her. She struggled to shake her head clear and tried to regain her focus, but her steps were unsteady.

Just as she was about to collapse, Zayne rushed over and caught her in his arms.

He looked concerned and tightened his hold on her as he noticed her pallor.

"Joyce, are you okay? You look so pale. You are injured badly this time and shouldn't go to work for a few days. Let me take care of you at home."

Joyce looked up at Zayne, but the worry in his eyes didn't move her in the slightest.

His next words confirmed her suspicions as she had expected.

"But the Eagle Project can't be delayed any longer. How about letting Kacie take charge of it?"

Joyce curled her lips in self-mockery. She knew Zayne's suggestion for her to rest had ulterior motives.

He wanted to use the Eagle Project to create opportunities for Kacie and win her favor. Well, she could let him have his way. Anyway, she had the core technical documents.

She was curious to see how Kacie would finish the project without those files.

Joyce nodded at Gerald, who saw her agreement and then handed the project plan to Kacie.

Zayne finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Joyce's face grow even paler, he hurriedly took her to the hospital.

She soon lay on the hospital bed, and Zayne brought some warm chicken soup in front of her.

"Joyce, I know you're upset with me, but you're a genius engineer. The base values you highly. Even if you make mistakes, they won't punish you too harshly. But Kacie... Ms. Jenkins is different. She worked hard to earn this opportunity and hasn't yet secured her position. She can't afford any punishment."

Joyce stared at Zayne and suddenly burst into laughter.

Just because she had the fame of a genius, did that mean she deserved all this?

What about all her efforts? She had spent countless days and nights in the lab. She had read the books and conducted a lot of experiments to achieve everything.

A tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She pointed towards the door and said in a voice laden with pain, "Get out of here. I can't bear to see you right now."

Zayne was stunned by Joyce's uncharacteristic defiance. She had always been obedient to him before. A look of disbelief crossed his face.

He tried to speak but said nothing.

As he was about to leave, he paused, seemingly remembering something. "I've organized a party for Kacie to celebrate. Make sure you attend it."

His commanding tone made Joyce's tears flow uncontrollably once more. She looked up at the ceiling and held them back.

She wouldn't allow herself to cry for Zayne again.

Joyce didn't want to attend the party. She wanted to go home.

But as she reached the door, she heard the sounds of a lively gathering inside.

Through the window, she saw her colleagues at the base raising their glasses to toast Kacie, who stood in a white dress. They were congratulating her on leading such an important project at a young age.

Joyce had been calm, but it ached once more.

Zayne had actually arranged the celebration at their home.

She pressed her lips together tightly and was about to push open the door when someone stopped her.

"Ms. Holt, you're not on the list of the guests. Captain Miller said that those not on the list can't enter."

Joyce found it utterly absurd. "This is my home, and I can't go in?"

The security guard at the door smiled awkwardly but still closed the door firmly. He blocked her path and seemed to be afraid she might force her way in.

Joyce clenched her fists and watched through the glass as Zayne, dressed in a white suit, walked over to Kacie.

He was like the most loyal guard and gazed at Kacie with tender affection. "Kacie, may I have this dance?"

Amidst the cheerful noise, Kacie smiled slightly and placed her hand in Zayne's.

At that moment, the door burst open with a bang. Joyce stood there with a sarcastic smile as she looked at the hand-holding pair.