CHAPTER 1 – "The Fall at 30,000 Feet"
Everyone thou
ght the most dangerous place in the world was a battlefield.
They were wrong.
Sometimes the most dangerous place is sitting beside the person who once promised to love you forever.
Emily Carter looked out the window of the private jet as endless blue ocean stretched beneath the clouds. She smiled weakly, gently placing one hand on her stomach.
She was three months pregnant.
She hadn't told anyone yet.
Not even her husband.
Across from her sat Ryan Carter, the handsome billionaire CEO everyone admired. To the world, he was generous, charming, and successful. Millions followed his interviews. Business magazines called him "America's Golden Husband."
Only Emily knew the monster behind the smile.
The silence inside the cabin felt heavier than the engine noise.
Ryan finally spoke.
"You've been hiding something."
Emily looked up, confused.
"What do you mean?"
He tossed a folder onto the table.
Photos spilled everywhere.
Pictures of Emily meeting an elderly lawyer.
Hospital records.
Bank statements.
She froze.
"You've been investigating my company."
Emily's voice trembled.
"No... Ryan... I found documents proving someone inside your board is stealing from you. I wanted to protect you."
Ryan laughed.
A cold...
Heartless...
Terrifying laugh.
"You really expect me to believe that?"
Then another voice came from behind.
A beautiful blonde woman stepped out from the rear cabin.
Victoria.
Ryan's executive assistant.
And apparently...
His lover.
Emily felt every ounce of blood leave her body.
Ryan wrapped one arm around Victoria without hesitation.
"We've been together for almost two years."
The words shattered Emily more than any weapon ever could.
"You were just useful until now."
Emily's eyes filled with tears.
"What about our marriage?"
Ryan leaned closer until only inches separated them.
"There was never a marriage."
"There was only a contract."
Then he whispered something that made Emily stop breathing.
"I already sold your shares."
Emily's heart nearly exploded.
"My father left those shares to me!"
"He also trusted me enough to sign the transfer papers."
Emily shook her head violently.
"No... that's impossible..."
Ryan smiled.
"It already happened yesterday."
Everything suddenly made sense.
The strange calls.
The missing documents.
The lawyer who stopped answering.
He had planned this for months.
Emily backed away slowly.
"You destroyed everything..."
Ryan's expression darkened.
"No."
"I'm just getting started."
He pressed a button beside his seat.
The cabin door to the emergency exit unlocked.
Wind roared inside.
Victoria smiled.
"I always wanted to see someone disappear over the ocean."
Emily screamed.
Ryan grabbed her wrist.
"Goodbye, Emily."
He shoved her toward the open door...
...but before she disappeared into the violent wind—
Emily screamed four words that froze everyone.
"I'm carrying your baby!"
Ryan's face turned white.
For one impossible second...
He let go.
But it was already too late.
Emily vanished into the sky.
Only silence remained inside the jet.
Ryan stared into the empty doorway...
May you like
And for the first time in his life...
The billionaire realized he might have just murdered the only person who could destroy him.
