Chapter 1

Kylie Banks, my boyfriend's true love, smashed a hole in the window with her high heel on the plane just to get some fresh air.

Her reckless act sent the cabin pressure plummeting and plunged everyone on board into chaos.

As a flight attendant, I risked everything to save the passengers, keeping the plane stable until we landed safely.

When we touched down, Kylie clung to my hand, crying.

"I just wanted some fresh air," she said. "Who knew the window was that fragile?"

My boyfriend, Mike, the captain, immediately stepped in to defend her.

"Kylie didn't mean it," he said. "She's just naive. She didn't know how serious this was."

I cut him off, my voice ice cold.

I said, "This was an aviation accident, Mike. If you cover for her, you can kiss your Crew Member of the Year award goodbye."

I called the police myself. Kylie was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Mike sulked for a few days, but eventually, he got over it.

Soon after, he was promoted from captain to chief pilot, and I married him.

During our honeymoon, he insisted on flying the plane himself.

Halfway through the trip, he manually depressurized the cabin.

His voice came over the intercom, calm and unnervingly steady.

"Kylie just wanted some fresh air," he said. "And you sent her to prison for ten years.

"Now I'll show you what it's like when you can't breathe."

I clawed at the broken oxygen mask, gasping as pain and suffocation consumed me. And that was how I died.

But when I opened my eyes again, everything had reset, back to that fateful flight.

This time, I wouldn't intervene.

This time, I'd watch and see how their nightmare ended.

*****

As soon as I opened my eyes, the chaos and screams hit me like déjà vu.

In my previous life, after Kylie pulled her usual crazy stunt, she came bawling at me, begging for help.

It was Thanksgiving break, and I wasn't even on duty. I was just catching a flight for a holiday trip, but I still threw myself into the mess without a second thought.

I risked my life to save everyone on board.

And because I managed to turn the whole disaster around, she got off easy thanks to me.

As long as she behaved well afterward, there was still a chance for probation.

Kylie had been pampered her whole life and couldn't stand even a little discomfort. She kept causing a scene in the lockup, acting out like she owned the place.

In the end, she blew her shot at probation and got slapped with a ten-year sentence.

This time, I just sat there calmly, buckled up, eyes closed, completely detached from the chaos around me.

Soon enough, Kylie came rushing over, stumbling in a panic.

Her makeup was smeared from crying, and she clung to my arm, rambling incoherently, "Zoe, something's wrong. Please, you have to come and see."

I slowly opened my eyes and gave her a frosty stare. "I'm off duty."

"But—" Kylie stammered, her voice shaky.

"This is your flight, your job," I cut her off coldly, shutting my eyes again.

However, she clung to my arm like her life depended on it and practically hauled me off to first class.

It was chaos. The emergency glass was shattered, and the biting cold wind swept debris through the cabin. Many passengers were injured or unconscious.

The force of the air ripped the hole even bigger. Some of the crew were desperately trying to block it with a food cart, but it was clear it wouldn't last long.

When Hailey, the chief flight attendant, saw Kylie, her anger shot through the roof.

She said, "Kylie, are you out of your mind? How could you even think of doing something like this? Just because Mike always covers for you, you think you can do whatever you want, huh? You're always messing around.

"This hole won't last much longer. If we don't come up with something quick, everyone on this plane is doomed."

Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling, and the emergency alarm kept blaring nonstop.

A few of the younger crew members started freaking out, crying, their voices shaking. "Are we going to die?"

In the middle of all the chaos, someone saw me and shouted, "Don't worry. Zoe is here. She's the best in the business.

"Remember that time the engine failed on the international flight? She's the one who saved everyone with that emergency landing. If anyone can handle this, it's her."

Suddenly, all eyes turned to me.

Kylie jabbed a finger at me and screamed, "I've been trying to get you for ages, but you kept ignoring me and wouldn't lift a finger.

"You're just bitter because I'm close to Mike. You've been holding that against me this whole time. Even if you hate me, you can't just make everyone else pay and let us all die because of it."

Suddenly, everyone started staring at me, suspicion and blame written all over their faces.

"Zoe, come on. This isn't the time to get all emotional."

"Yeah, this is life or death."

Seeing everyone's attitude shift, Kylie whipped out her phone and started showing the crowd a video she'd just secretly filmed.

On screen, I was sitting there with my eyes closed, completely unmoved by her desperate pleas for help.

With tears streaming down her face, Kylie rushed over and grabbed my hand.

She said, "Zoe, you're a crew member, too. Our job is to always be on call. How can you just turn a blind eye when our lives are at stake?

"Just because you think you're so good at your job doesn't mean you can act as if nobody else matters."

I'd had enough. I yanked my arm free from her grip.

She stumbled back, totally caught off guard, and banged her forehead hard against the overhead bin.

I shot her a frosty glare, enunciating every word. "Are you out of your damn mind?"