War broke out in the Republic of Yaran, but my fiancé threw a fit at the airport, refusing to let the evacuation flight take off. All to wait for his precious Jennie, the woman who’d taken advantage of the chaos to go loot a designer makeup counter. The roar of explosions crept closer and closer. With the entire plane in mortal danger, I had no choice but to knock him unconscious and drag him aboard. Back home, far from the war, we lived a quiet, happy life. I thought he had finally forgotten her. But on our wedding day, he tied me up, got in his car, and ran me down. As I lay dying, I heard his venomous laughter. “Lynn, this is all your fault. You killed my Jennie, left her to be blown to pieces by a missile! “She was just a girl who loved beautiful things! What was so wrong with that? “You owe her this. I’m going to make your death a thousand times more gruesome than hers!” When I opened my eyes again, I was back in that moment, with him blocking the jet bridge. This time, I would give him exactly what he wanted. I would let him and his beloved Jennie stay together… forever. 1 “The rebels are almost at the airport! If we don’t take off now, we’ll be trapped!” The sounds of gunfire and explosions were drawing nearer, punctuated by the terrified screams of the crowd. Inside the cabin, people were praying, begging. A few frantic men rushed toward my fiancé, Ethan, trying to reason with him. He kicked them away with a savage boot. He glared at anyone who dared approach. “Jennie is on her way! What’s the big deal about waiting for her?” A man with glasses, clutching his chest where Ethan had kicked him, scrambled back to his feet. “So we can all die with her? Is that the plan?!” he spat, his voice shaking with fury. “The evacuation window is closing! The rebels are coming! How long are we supposed to wait? Don't you realize we have Dr. Finch on this plane?” He pointed toward a pale, white-haired old man sitting quietly nearby. Dr. Finch was a titan in the medical field, the core of this entire rescue mission. He’d come to Yaran on a humanitarian mission, and if anything happened to him, countless patients back home would lose their only hope. “So what? Your lives matter, but Jennie’s doesn’t?” Ethan shot back, his face a mask of cold fury. “We’re all fellow countrymen. We should stick together.” His words left everyone seething but speechless. My co-pilot, just as furious, turned to me. “Captain Miller, you have to talk to your fiancé! This evacuation involves every citizen in Yaran!” “They’re about to lock down the whole country! This is our only chance out!” “And Dr. Finch’s health can’t take any more risks!” In an instant, every eye in the cabin was on me. I was the captain of this flight, one of the leaders of the evacuation. They were all looking to me to restore order. Ethan’s head snapped toward me, a familiar, predatory glint in his eyes. He was afraid I would give the order to leave Jennie behind. For a split second, I saw a flash of pure murder in his gaze. I took a deep breath and made a decision completely different from my past life. “Ethan is right. We can’t abandon any of our own.” A wave of groans and frustrated hisses swept through the cabin. Ethan, however, visibly relaxed, a triumphant smirk spreading across his face. “Crazy! You’re all fucking crazy!” the man in glasses cursed, struggling to stand up again. Ethan’s expression twisted into a snarl. He lunged forward, decking the man with a single punch, then pulled a heavy hammer from an overhead maintenance locker. As the plane's mechanic, he knew every inch of this aircraft. He slammed the hammer against the cabin wall for emphasis, his eyes sweeping over the passengers. “Anyone else have something to say? Don't tempt me.” 2 The cabin fell silent. Only the escalating explosions outside served as a grim reminder of the approaching danger. Ethan scanned the cabin, satisfied by the fear in everyone’s eyes. He shot me a softer, almost gentle look. “Lynn, thank you for standing up for Jennie. I knew my fiancée was the kindest, most reasonable woman in the world.” He leaned in, his voice dropping to a low murmur. “For being so good, I promise, the moment we get home, we’ll get married. From now on, I’ll only ever be good to you.” How familiar that promise sounded. He’d used the exact same words to fool me in our last life. I fought back a wave of nausea and forced a shy nod. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead. I lowered my eyes, hiding the icy contempt within. Outside, the chaos intensified. Plumes of black smoke billowed in the distance, and the silhouettes of rebel armored vehicles were becoming visible. Yet Ethan remained planted at the cabin door, his gaze fixed on the tarmac as if awaiting his messiah. But I knew the truth. Even if Jennie made it, we would never reach home. When he’d struck the wall with that hammer, I’d heard a faint but distinct click from the wing’s assembly. I’d seen a case like it in a maintenance manual once. A screw, loosened by metal fatigue. At thirty thousand feet, the stress would be enough to tear the plane apart. And now, that screw was gone. Even if we took off this very second, this plane wouldn’t survive the climb. The atmosphere in the cabin grew thick with despair. Some passengers wept softly, while others gripped their armrests, their knuckles white. A few younger men glared at Ethan, held back only by the hammer in his hand. “Damn it, we’re all going to die if we keep waiting!” one man finally roared. Ethan sneered, slamming the hammer against the bulkhead again. “Then get off the plane if you don’t want to wait!” Just then, the sharp click-clack of high heels echoed from the tarmac. “Ethan! I’m here!” Jennie ran toward us, her cheeks flushed and her long hair flying behind her. She was laden with bulging designer shopping bags, her lips painted with fresh Chanel lipstick, her makeup as flawless as if she were heading to a gala. Ethan’s face lit up. He dropped the hammer and rushed to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. “Jennie! You made it!” Jennie playfully tapped his chest. “Phew, I almost didn’t! Good thing I’m a fast runner.” She proudly showed off her haul, her eyes scanning the cabin until they landed on me. A provocative smile touched her lips. Ethan followed her gaze. His expression tightened for a moment before softening again. “Lynn, Jennie’s here. We can take off now.” But the man in glasses exploded. “Are you kidding me? What the hell is with all those bags of designer makeup?” he yelled. “You made us risk our lives so she could steal more cosmetics?!” His accusation drew a chorus of angry glares. Ethan snatched the hammer from the floor and pointed it menacingly at him. “Say one more word, and I swear I’ll crack your skull open.” The cabin fell silent again, the only sound the ragged, furious breathing of the man in glasses. Jennie hid behind Ethan, flashing a triumphant smirk at the passengers and deliberately shaking her shopping bags. As they passed me, she leaned in close to Ethan’s chest and whispered, just loud enough for me to hear, “Thanks for waiting for me, Lynn.” I said nothing. I just watched the armed figures sprinting toward us from across the airfield. The moment the cabin door sealed shut, a burst of automatic gunfire erupted outside. “The rebels are here!” someone screamed. 3 A torrent of furious curses exploded through the cabin. “Are you happy now, Ethan?!” the man in glasses roared, pointing at the rebels swarming the runway outside the window. “We’re all going to die here because we had to wait for her!” A mother clutching her child began to sob. “My baby is only three… and for what? So she could loot some makeup…” Jennie’s eyes immediately filled with tears. She shrank into Ethan’s arms, her voice trembling. “It’s not my fault… I was just getting some things to donate to the orphans back home…” Ethan hugged her protectively. “Exactly. Jennie is the kindest person I know. How dare you blame her?” Chaos reigned. Some people were crying hysterically into their hands, others frantically texting loved ones. The shouts of the rebels and the sporadic crack of gunfire were now terrifyingly close. I looked at the panicked faces around me and lowered my voice. “The plane is too big a target. We have to move to the nearby bomb shelter.” The man in glasses asked desperately, “But how do we get out there? It’s swarming with rebels!” I pointed to the maintenance access hatch below the main ramp. “This leads directly to a service tunnel. It’s our way to the shelter.” I quickly unlatched the hatch. “Everyone, follow me. And stay quiet.” The passengers scrambled out, one by one. Only Jennie remained, looking at the dark opening with disgust. “It’s so dirty down there… My new dress…” Ethan immediately soothed her. “Don’t worry, Jennie. I’ll carry you.” I gave the pair a cold look before turning and leading the others into the tunnel. Behind me, I heard Dr. Finch’s weak cough. “Lynn, my old bones might not make it…” “Don’t worry, Doctor,” I said, helping him steady himself. “Your research is vital to our country. I will get you home safely.” The tunnel was damp and dark, the distant shouts of rebels echoing ominously. We moved in silence, holding our breath, until we finally reached the bomb shelter. “Wait here,” I whispered. “I’ve already contacted the military. They’ll be here within two hours.” A collective sigh of relief filled the room as people found places to sit. But just then, a thick, cloying cloud of perfume filled the enclosed space. “What’s that smell?” the man in glasses asked, his head snapping up. Jennie was spritzing herself liberally with a bottle of Chanel No. 5. “It stinks in here,” she whined. “What’s wrong with a little perfume?” Suddenly, Dr. Finch began to cough violently, his face turning deathly pale. “Stop… please, stop… I’m allergic…” I lunged forward and snatched the bottle from her, but it was too late. Dr. Finch was struggling to breathe, his lips already turning blue. “You idiot!” the man in glasses screamed. “If anything happens to Dr. Finch, you’ll be a traitor to the nation!” 4 Jennie cowered behind Ethan. “I didn’t know… Why is everyone always picking on me?” Ethan shielded her, roaring at the others, “She didn’t do it on purpose! Why are you all bullying her like this?” He ignored the crowd’s fury and guided Jennie to a corner. I had no time for them. I ordered everyone to help me search for allergy medication for the doctor. Just as I found the auto-injector in the first-aid kit and was about to hand it to Dr. Finch, I heard Jennie’s delicate voice. “Achoo… Ethan, I think… I think I’m having an allergic reaction too.” My head whipped around. Jennie was clutching her chest, her face pale, leaning against Ethan as if she were about to faint. “Jennie! What’s wrong?” Ethan cried, catching her in his arms. He turned and yelled at me, “Get the medicine over here! Jennie can’t breathe!” Dr. Finch was now on the verge of collapse, his fingers clawing at his chest. “No!” I refused sharply, moving toward the doctor. “This is Dr. Finch’s life-saving medication!” But Ethan lunged, snatching the injector from my hand. The force of his shove sent me staggering back against the wall. I stared at him in disbelief. “He’s going into anaphylactic shock! You know he’s the primary objective of this evacuation!” Ethan hesitated for a fraction of a second, then shoved the injector into Jennie’s hand. “He’s an old man, he was going to die soon anyway,” he sneered. “Is his life more precious than Jennie’s?” The shelter erupted in shocked gasps. The man in glasses was the first to react. “Ethan! Dr. Finch is a national treasure! You’re sacrificing him for some makeup-stealing whore—” “Shut up!” Ethan swung the hammer, knocking the man to the ground. He glared at the horrified onlookers. “Anyone else comes near, and I’ll kill them!” Leaning weakly against the wall, Jennie shot me a triumphant smirk. She took the injector and, with Ethan holding a water bottle for her, calmly administered the dose. By now, Dr. Finch had collapsed, his face a ghastly shade of purple, a terrible wheezing sound rattling in his throat. The man in glasses scrambled to his side, shouting at me, “Captain! Do something!” I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. It was just like my past life. Ethan always put Jennie first, no matter who else had to die. My phone vibrated softly in my pocket. I glanced at the screen, and the tension in my face eased slightly. I leaned toward the man in glasses and whispered, “Don’t worry. Help is on the way.” The very first thing I did after being reborn was send an emergency distress signal to the military. As if on cue, the sound of heavy footsteps and metallic clanking echoed from outside the shelter door. “It’s the army!” the man in glasses exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. “We’re saved!” Blinding beams of light cut through the darkness as fully armed special forces soldiers secured the entrance. The lead officer removed his night-vision goggles, his sharp eyes scanning the room. “Where is Dr. Finch? My orders are to prioritize his evacuation.” Every head turned toward the corner where the old man lay, barely breathing. The officer’s face contorted in fury. He was at Dr. Finch’s side in an instant. “Doctor!” he roared, his voice echoing in the silent shelter. “Who did this?!”
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