Chapter 3

Aurora's POV

The days leading up to the skydiving retreat felt like a countdown to my execution. Every morning I woke up hoping it was all a nightmare. Samuel had threatened my father's reputation, my family's business partnership, all to force me into this death trap.

Six years, I kept thinking. Six years of loving this man, and this is how it ends.

The doctors had been clear when I was fifteen: extreme physical stress, sudden adrenaline spikes, high altitude, any of these could trigger a fatal arrhythmia. And skydiving? That was basically a perfect storm designed to kill me.

But what choice did I have? Samuel knew exactly what he was asking of me. He knew the risks, and he didn't care.

Fine, I decided on the morning of the retreat. Let's use this to end these six years of feelings once and for all.

The drive to the jumping site was torture. Samuel kept up a stream of reassuring chatter, but his words felt hollow.

"The medical team is top-notch," he said, "Dr. Peterson will be monitoring your vitals the entire time. And the safety equipment has been checked three times."

Such a caring man, I thought bitterly. Making sure I don't die too obviously.

"Plus, Hamilton's wife does this every year," he continued. "She's older than you, Aurora. If she can do it..."

"She doesn't have a heart condition."

"The doctors said you'd be fine with medication and proper monitoring."

I turned to stare out the window.

When we arrived at the jumping site, I felt my heart rate spike just looking at the setup. The cliff dropped straight down two hundred feet to the churning ocean below. Professional equipment was scattered around, instructors checking harnesses and parachutes.

"Mrs. Nelson!" Hamilton's voice boomed across the site. "Ready for your big adventure?"

Mrs. Nelson. Even that fake title felt like a slap now.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I managed to say.

The medical team Samuel had promised was there, a single paramedic with a basic first aid kit.

The instructor, a weathered man named Jake, started explaining the procedure. My hands shook as I tried to focus on his words, but my heart was already starting to race just from the altitude and stress.

"It's a tandem jump," Jake said, checking my harness. "I'll be strapped to your back, controlling the chute. All you have to do is enjoy the ride."

Samuel stood nearby, his face a mask of fake concern. "You're going to do great, sweetheart."

I wanted to scream at him, to tell everyone exactly what kind of monster he was. But what was the point? In a few minutes, I'd either be dead or this nightmare would be over.

That's when I saw him.

Ethan was running toward us, his face desperate and panicked. He must have driven like crazy to get here, his hair was messy, his shirt wrinkled, and he looked like he hadn't slept.

"Aurora!" he shouted. "Stop!"

"Sir, you can't be here," one of Samuel's security guys said, stepping into Ethan's path.

"Let me through! Aurora, don't do this!"

"Aurora," Samuel said quietly, his hand gripping my arm. "We need to go now."

But I couldn't move. I was staring at Ethan, at the pure panic in his eyes, the desperate way he was fighting against the security guards trying to hold him back.

"She has a heart condition!" Ethan yelled at the instructor. "This could kill her!"

Jake looked confused. "Heart condition? Nobody told me about any medical issues."

Samuel's grip on my arm tightened. "It's managed. The doctors cleared her."

"What doctors?" Ethan demanded. "Aurora, tell them! Tell them about your arrhythmia!"

"Aurora," Samuel's voice was low, dangerous. "We had a deal."

I looked at him, this man I'd loved for six years, and saw nothing but cold calculation in his eyes. Then I looked at Ethan, still fighting to reach me, and saw everything I'd been missing.

But it was too late. Hamilton was watching impatiently, the instructor was waiting, and Samuel's threats about my father hung over everything.

Below us, the ocean looked impossibly far away. My heart monitor was beeping frantically, the paramedic had insisted on that much, and I could feel my pulse racing dangerously fast.

"On three," Jake said behind me. "One... two..."

That's when I felt it. The harness strap felt loose. Wrong. I tried to turn, to say something, but Jake was already counting.

"Three!"

We jumped.

For a split second, there was the rush of falling, the terrifying thrill of plummeting toward the ocean. Then I felt the harness give way.

The equipment. Something was wrong with the equipment.

Panic flooded my system as I realized I was separating from Jake, falling free. My heart felt like it was exploding in my chest, irregular beats hammering against my ribs.

The parachute deployed wrong, tangled, useless. I hit the water hard, the impact knocking all the breath from my lungs. Salt water flooded my mouth as I sank beneath the surface.

My heart was going crazy now, skipping beats, racing, then stopping for terrifying seconds before starting again. I tried to swim, but my vision was going dark around the edges.

Help, I tried to scream, but only bubbles came out.

I managed to surface once, gasping for air, and saw them on the cliff above. Samuel and his security team, Hamilton and his wife, all standing there watching.

I was sinking again, my heart finally giving up its frantic, irregular rhythm. The water was so cold, so dark.

Then suddenly, there were arms around me. Strong hands pulling me up toward the surface.

I broke through the water, gasping and choking, and saw Ethan's face inches from mine. His eyes were wild with panic and determination.

"I've got you," he said, treading water while holding me against his chest. "Aurora, stay with me."

He jumped?! Through my fading consciousness, I understood. Ethan had jumped off the cliff into the ocean to save me. No safety equipment, no parachute, just a desperate dive to reach me in time.

"The others..." I gasped.

"Don't think about them," he said fiercely. "Just focus on breathing. Help is coming."

I could hear a helicopter in the distance. Ethan must have called for proper emergency services.

The last thing I saw before unconsciousness took me was Ethan's face, soaked with seawater and twisted with concern. His hand was pressed against my chest, checking for my heartbeat, and his lips were moving in what looked like a prayer.

This man jumped off a cliff for me, I thought as darkness closed in. While the man I loved for six years stood there and watched me die.