My wife sent a whistleblower letter to the airline that I worked 15 years for. It was a PowerPoint that was 56 pages long.

She reported that I was a playboy captain that cheated on her 999 times and that I embezzled millions of company funds.

When the Disciplinary Department found out the truth, everyone fell silent.

The funds that I had embezzled were just a couple of packs of tissue and some paper cups.

The total cost of these things wasn’t even worth the superior’s time.

The person who cheated on their partner was actually someone else.

"Captain Lawson, I'm gonna have to ask you to come with us."

I had just finished a 13-hour flight across the Pacific.

Someone stood in my way as soon as I stepped off the plane.

My heart sank. The person in front of me was the director of the Disciplinary Department.

In a sealed meeting room, a 56-page thick PowerPoint was printed out and slammed on the table in front of me with a loud thud.

"Someone has filed a signed whistleblower report against you, alleging that you used your position to misappropriate company property, falsify massive expenses, collude with maintenance suppliers, and accept millions in bribes."

I couldn't help but laugh.

I had been in the industry for 15 years and had been flying for over 20 thousand hours without a single accident.

I had always obeyed all the rules. How could I embezzle company funds and accept bribes?

I felt like I had heard the biggest joke of the century.

"The senior executives are infuriated. They've already issued your punishment. You're to be grounded immediately and suspended from all duties pending investigation."

My work badge, my access card, and even my personal mobile phone were all confiscated.

If they were able to find even the slightest evidence, I would be grounded for life.

I didn't know how I walked out of the company office building.

I went home feeling dazed.

When I opened the door, what I saw was just an empty apartment.

There was a file on the empty table.

It was a divorce agreement.

I opened it with trembling hands.

The agreement was pretty clear. My wife wanted to divorce me, and I was to leave with nothing.

The reason for the divorce was that I was disloyal and made a terrible mistake that ruined the reputation of our family.

My wife, Jean Shaw, the person that I had loved and doted on for 10 years, abandoned me when I needed her the most.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing and decided to call her. My hand was trembling so much that I could barely hold my phone.

On the other end of the line, Jean's voice sounded a little proud and relieved. "Sign the agreement, Felix. Your career is over. Stop struggling. Save yourself the embarrassment."

"You're the one who wrote... the whistleblower report?"

There was a short pause on the other end of the line. "So what if it was me. Do you think you're still the Captain Lawson that everyone respects? You're now just a criminal who will soon be going to prison! I'll be honest with you, Felix. I've had enough of the indifferent look you have on your face all the time! I don't want to be married to a criminal for the rest of my life! Your life is over!"

She hung up.

I looked at the planes taking off into the night sky outside the window.

Being a pilot had been my dream and something I was proud of.

My career and my love life had been things that I was really proud of.

But now, they had joined forces and pushed me down a bottomless abyss.

In the next couple of days, the investigation carried out by the Disciplinary Department was very detailed. They dug out everything I did at the company for the past 15 years.

They looked at all the reimbursement forms that I had submitted and all the records of everything I took from the storage room.

The investigator was looking at me as if he were looking at a criminal in court.

News of me being grounded had quickly spread within the company.

The people who were congratulating me on my arriving back home safely were now all avoiding me.

Some people who had a grudge against me began criticizing me.

"I knew it! What did I say? Felix's bound to get into trouble sooner or later!"

"You really can't judge a book by its cover. He really does know how to put on a good act."

"I've heard that the amount he's embezzled is enough for him to be given a life imprisonment sentence."

A couple of first officers who weren't on good terms with me were overjoyed and even began spreading exaggerated rumors about me on the internet.

It seemed that they wished I would stay down.

Only the first officer that I had trained personally, Rick, sent me a message.

"I trust you, Captain Lawson! You're someone who feels you're taking advantage of the company by taking an extra bottle of water during an overnight flight. How could you embezzle millions? Those bastards are just jealous of you! Just ignore them!"

After reading the message, tears began welling up in my eyes.

However, Jean wanted to make sure I stayed down.

She began playing the victim on social media and in front of our mutual friends.

She posted a photo of her swollen red eye, saying, "Looks like the past 10 years have gone to waste. I thought I had married the man of my dreams, but it seemed that I was wrong. I feel so hurt."

The comments under that post were filled with comfort from her friends.

"Aww, Jean, don't cry. You can always leave that scumbag and start a new life!"

"I knew there was something about him that was off! Looks like the reason that he rarely talks to anyone is that he doesn't want to give anything away!"

"You must make sure he's left with nothing after the divorce!"

It was the middle of the night. I had no idea why Jean would do this to me.

I didn't know what came over me, but I went and looked at Jean's social media account.

The post that she had pinned to the top was actually an intimate photo of her and another man.

The store in the background was a luxury watch brand that I knew.

The man had his hand on her waist, and she had a big smile on her face.

The flashy women's watch on her wrist cost at least 5 figures.

I knew the man in the photo. I had met him once at a banquet.

He used to go to the same university as Jean and was a year above her. Jean always told me how rich he was. His name was Kyle Jones.

The text that came with the photo was, "Thanks, babe, for the watch. It's time for a new start!"

The date of the post was the second day after I was grounded.

It seemed that she had been well prepared for this.

The whistleblower report was to take all my assets and marry into an affluent family.

At that moment, I wasn't angry or upset.

I punched the wall hard. Blood trickled down my hands, but I didn't feel any pain at all.

The public opinion on the internet quickly became one-sided. To everyone, I was a scumbag who embezzled millions from the company and cheated on my wife.

The next day, I went to inquire with a lawyer about my divorce.

When the lawyer read the divorce agreement, his face became serious.

"Things don't look good for you, Captain Lawson. If the company finds evidence that you are embezzling funds, then the judge will definitely favor your wife. If that's the case, then it's very likely that you'll be left with nothing."

At that moment, I thought of my parents, who were living in another city.

I didn't want them to be worried, so I didn't dare tell them anything.

But the people who used to be my friends were now avoiding me.

Under such circumstances, I really didn't stand a chance.

A week after I was grounded, I was summoned to the company’s meeting room again.

Mr. Wilkinson was also present this time. His face was darker than ever.

Everyone else seemed nervous and didn’t dare make any noise.

Bradley, from the Disciplinary Department opened his report and announced the result of his investigation.

He was speaking very slowly as if there was something on his mind.

“Regarding the allegation in the whistleblower report that Mr. Felix Lawson solicited bribes totaling several million dollars, the investigation has confirmed that all contract procedures were compliant and all financial transactions were clear and traceable. The allegations were entirely fabricated.”

The meeting room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

“Regarding the portion of the whistleblower report alleging that Mr. Felix Lawson repeatedly falsified flight-related expenses, the investigation has found that over the past three years, there were seven instances of flight delays caused by factors beyond his control — such as weather conditions and air traffic control restrictions. During these delays, Mr. Felix Lawson personally paid for meals and beverages for his crew members, totaling approximately 260 dollars. Mr. Felix Lawson never submitted any of these expenses to the company for reimbursement.”

Bradley looked a little embarrassed.

To me, however, a surge of absurdity arose deep down.

Those principles of mine—so strict they were almost harsh—had turned into “evidence of guilt” that could be twisted at will in Jean's report.

“Regarding the part accusing Mr. Felix Lawson of abusing his position to embezzle company funds...”

Everyone held their breath.

Bradley had taken a deep breath, and quickly said, “After comparing and verifying all warehouse requisition records, as well as 168 hours of surveillance footage from the relevant areas, it was confirmed that Mr. Felix Lawson had committed the following irregular requisition behaviors over the past year. On 4th September, 2022, he had taken five extra packs of tissues from the crew preparation room. On 8th July, 2023, he had taken away 12 unused disposable paper cups from the first-class lounge.”

By the time Bradley had got there, low murmurs had already begun in the meeting room.

“What’s going on? That’s it?”

“This feels kind of ridiculous. Felix is pretty unlucky.”

“Like I said, he doesn’t look like someone who’d embezzle or be corrupt.”

Mr. Wilkinson furrowed his brows.

Bradley flipped to the last page of the report and cleared his throat. “Silence! After careful calculation, the loss assessment is as follows.”

His face had flushed red as he continued, “During his tenure, the total value of the misappropriated property by Mr. Felix Lawson amounts to... 6.20 dollars.”

The meeting room had fallen into complete silence.

6.20 dollars.

After everything that had happened, the amount came to just 6.20 dollars.

I had suddenly wanted to laugh, and I couldn’t help but sneer.

“Bang!”

Mr. Wilkinson slammed a packet of cigarette on the table. Filters and tobacco had scattered all over the floor.

He pointed at the half-pack of cigarettes and roared at the Discipline Department staff, “I stayed up late reading that 56 pages of nonsense and smoked half a pack of cigarettes! And the half a pack of cigarettes that I smoked was worth more expensive than what he ‘embezzled’! All this over 6.20 dollars? You made such a big fuss! What the hell is your Discipline Department even doing? What the hell’s wrong with you?”

Finally, Mr. Wilkinson had turned around and patted my shoulder. “This matter ends here.”

He announced the restoration of all my positions and honors in front of everyone.

“Felix, the company owes you an apology.”

I had walked out of the meeting room.

Rick and a few other colleagues who usually got along well with me rushed over and gave me a firm hug.

“Captain Lawson! I knew you were innocent!”

Those who had avoided me while I was down and spread rumors had lowered their heads awkwardly, wishing they could just disappear.

I had ignored them and walked straight to an empty corner, dialing the number of someone who I thought I would spend the rest of my life with.

“Jean, I’ve been proven innocent.” My voice had been calm.

But on the other end of the line, Jean screamed. The panic was evident in her voice, and I could even hear the teasing laughter of a strange man beside her. “Don’t get smug, Felix! I’ll report you to the Civil Aviation Administration! I’ll keep reporting you to higher authorities until your reputation is totally ruined!”