Chapter 3

3.

My body was falling faster and faster.

I thought about my life. I had spent most of it chasing after Elara.

We had been together since college.

When she wanted to be an instructor, I worked three jobs to pay for her training abroad.

When she said she wasn't ready to marry, I waited five years.

Once we finally tied the knot, Beckett came back and stole her heart.

Our life became a series of endless arguments.

"All you do is suspect me! What else are you good for?" she'd scream.

"If I wanted to leave you, I would have done it years ago!"

She was always right. It was always my fault.

What did I do wrong? What was my crime?

Suddenly, light hit my eyelids.

The clouds had parted, and the sun was breaking through.

A quote from Shakespeare popped into my head: The night is long that never finds the day.

He was right. I couldn't give up until the very last second.

I reached for the ripcord and pulled with everything I had.

It moved!

I yanked it hard. It deployed, but I was too low to control the landing.

I slammed into the river surface. The water hit me like concrete.

My fear of drowning took over, and I blacked out immediately.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed.

Margot Hayes was sitting beside me, looking frantic.

"I'm so sorry, Silas. Elara said you were faking, so I thought you were safe."

"Then I saw you hit the water from the plane. I called the rescue team immediately."

I coughed and looked around the room.

I wasn't dead. I was actually alive.

My rebirth was a success.

"Are you okay? Why aren't you talking? Does something hurt?"

Margot gently shook my shoulder.

I shook my head weakly. "I'm fine."

I tried to move, but a sharp pain shot through my chest.

"Don't move," Margot said quickly. "The impact broke several of your ribs."

"Luckily it was water, and your chute slowed you down enough to save your life."

I saw the cast wrapping around my upper body.

I remembered Elara pushing me into the void.

The fact that she shoved me meant she had likely been reborn too.

A strange, cold calm washed over me.

In this life, I would never cry for Elara Vance again.

"Margot, thank you for saving me."

"Can you do me a favor and call Elara?"

"Of course."

She dialed the number. After a few seconds, Elara picked up. "Margot? What is it?"

"Elara, Silas is in the hospital. His pack really was broken. He hit the water and broke his ribs."

There was a long silence on the other end. Then, a mocking laugh.

"Margot, I thought you were my friend. I didn't think Silas could buy you off too."

"I didn't―"

I took the phone from Margot's hand.

"Elara, let's get a divorce."

Thinking about what she did in both lives, I couldn't stay with her.

I would never forget her cold voice as I plummeted to my death.

"Divorce?"

Elara sounded like she'd just heard a hilarious joke.

"You know you're guilty, so you want to run away from your responsibilities?"

"Dream on, Silas. This was just a lesson. It doesn't mean I'm letting you go."

"I'm going to make you spend the rest of your life in agony. You'll never pay back what you owe Beckett."

Then, I heard Beckett's voice in the background. "Elara, I'm done with my shower."

Margot couldn't take it anymore. She leaned into the phone and screamed.

"Elara! What the hell are you doing? Silas is your husband!"

"He's seriously hurt―"

The line went dead.

I laughed, a bitter, mocking sound. She was just as heartless as before.

Margot tried to comfort me. "Silas, don't take it to heart. There must be a misunderstanding."

Her words reminded me of something.

I was done with Elara, but I wasn't going to let her drag my name through the mud.

I needed to clear the air before I left.

"Margot, can you help me with one more thing?"