Reborn Before the Crash

The plane was going down.

My fianc, the pilot, gave the only life vest to the woman he called his first love.

I didnt argue. Didnt even make a scene. I readily agreed.

Because in my past life, when faced with the same choice, my fianc C the pilot C had given the life vest to me, his pregnant fiance. The plane had spiraled rapidly, and his first love, without a life vest, was horrifically killed by the impact upon landing.

Later, pregnant, I naturally married my fianc.

But on our wedding night, he imprisoned me in the basement, beating me with a baseball bat until I miscarried.

If you hadnt used your pregnancy to blackmail me into giving you the life vest, Penelope wouldnt have died so horribly.

He forced my head to pound against Penelopes gravestone, nine hundred and ninety-nine times. He made me endure repeated pregnancies and miscarriages, a grotesque repayment for my supposed sin. I was tormented until I broke, taking my own life.

When I opened my eyes again, I awakened with all the memories of my past life.

This time, I would grant his wish

The entire cabin plunged into chaos, rocking violently. Less than ten minutes until impact. I shielded my swollen belly, pressing myself against the seatback, my face ghostly pale. Just as pale as mine was the co-pilot, who was distributing the emergency equipment.

There was only one life vest left. But in the last row, both Penelope Dillon and I still needed one. And Penelope, of course, was my fianc Ethan Dillons first love.

The cockpit door burst open, and Ethan strode out. The moment she saw him, Penelopes eyes welled up. Ethan, Im so scared

Penelope was beautiful, with soft, almond-shaped eyes now brimming with tears. Ethan didnt spare me a glance. He swept Penelope into his arms, comforting her. Hush, dont be scared, Ill protect you. He cooed softly to the woman cherished in his heart, completely forgetting that barely a step away sat his seven-month pregnant fiance.

Only when the co-pilot prompted him did Ethan remember me. His eyes met mine, and his brows furrowed, his voice sharp with annoyance. I told you pregnant women on planes are bad luck. But no, you had to get jealous and follow me. Now youve endangered everyone on this plane, are you satisfied?!

He was a renowned handsome pilot on the entire airline, and most passengers in the cabin trusted him implicitly. Hearing his words, the already terrified passengers went ballistic, hurling curses and vile accusations at me and my unborn child. A five-year-old even threw a metal airplane model at me, its sharp wing slicing my forehead. Blood instantly gushed out.

As everyone on the plane directed their fury at me, a flicker of triumph and provocation danced in Penelopes eyes. She choked out, addressing Ethan, But Ethan, theres only one life vest left. What do we do? Tears streamed down her face as she spoke. Maybe maybe you should give the vest to Anya, Ethan. Shes carrying your child As for me, if I can just be with you in my last moments, Ill have no regrets

Ethans eyes instantly turned red. He hugged Penelope tightly, kissing her hair repeatedly, his voice deep with reassurance. Never, Penelope. Meeting you was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me. I wont let anything happen to you. With that, he reached out, snatched the only life vest from the co-pilots hand, and swiftly secured it onto Penelope.

Once she was wearing it, a smattering of applause broke out among the passengers. Everyone seemed touched by their profound love.

Only the co-pilot spoke up for me. Captain, what about your fiance?! There are less than two minutes until impact, and shes pregnant, she wont make it!

Ethan, however, stared at me coldly, a knowing glint in his eyes. Youre doing this on purpose, arent you? Using my child to blackmail me into giving you the only life vest, just to kill Penelope! Do you know shes the most talented dancer in the world, with boundless potential?!

You cant ruin her because you couldnt achieve your own dancing dreams! You manipulative wretch, I wont let you succeed! His hysterical shout was piercing, even above the planes increasingly loud, sharp descent.

But I remained perfectly calm, not raising my voice or making a scene. After the agonizing experiences of my past life, I had long seen the true face of the man I had loved for over a decade. He had never loved me.

If that was the case, I would no longer hold any expectations for him. This time, I would grant his wish. I would leave his life forever.

In the final, desperate moments, the co-pilot tried to remove his own life vest for me, but I stopped him. I looked up, my gaze steady, at the stunned Ethan. In the final second before the plane exploded, I mouthed to him:

I dont want you, and I dont want your child.

I deliberately released my hands from my guarded belly. In the instant of freefall, I lost consciousness. Until my body plunged into the icy cold ocean.

My bones were fractured by the final blast of the planes explosion. My once swollen abdomen was unnaturally concave, and my ears were deafened. The world became silent. Warm blood gushed from my head, stinging my rapidly cooling face. The deep blue sea was already stained red with blood. I floated semi-conscious, alone in the water, a vast halo of light shimmering before my eyes.

Within that halo, vast debris of the plane floated, and above them, rescue helicopters descended. A rope ladder unfurled from a helicopter. Ethan, his face anxious, was climbing the ladder, cradling an unharmed Penelope, but he was angrily intercepted by the co-pilot, whose forehead was bleeding.

I squinted, trying to read their lips. The co-pilot mouthed:

You animal! Your wife and child are still in the ocean, and you only care about saving your old flame?! He was truly incensed on my behalf, even though our acquaintance wasnt particularly deep.

Fortunately, he had survived this time.

Not far away, Ethan appeared even more enraged than the co-pilot. Penelope twisted her ankle! Do you know how devastating that is for a genius dancer like her?! As for why Im not saving my wife and child, thats my business, what does it have to do with you?

He then swept a contemptuous glance at the co-pilot, his tone sneering. Or are you my wifes lover? Why else would you care so much about her?!

Even though I had already witnessed Ethans coldness, his callous words still cut me deeply. The co-pilots face turned white with fury. But he still insisted on sending me for treatment first, only to be warned by Ethan: Sam Brooks, youre just an intern co-pilot. As one of your chief examiners, I have the right to grade your future career. If you keep meddling, I think you might need to find another job. Seeing that Sam was unmoved, Ethan said in a deep voice, You might not care, but what about your girlfriend in the control tower?

Sams face instantly went pale; he hesitated.

Ethan watched his subordinate, now visibly intimidated, with satisfaction. Almost out of a twisted sense of mercy, he looked at Sam with disdain, then glanced at me with a cold sneer on his lips. Dont be fooled by her act. Shes best at twisting facts, playing the victim, and lying. She lied about Penelope having thugs harass her, which made me miss Penelopes most important competition trying to save her.

Afterward, I found out it was all her own scheme, just to make Penelope miss the competition and fail to get into college. Shes a wicked woman! I was tricked into getting her pregnant, then she used the child to force me into an engagement. Now shes trying the same trick again to kill Penelope?!

Ive long seen through her manipulative ways. If she wants to play the victim and freeze in the ocean, then let her freeze!

With that, he turned his back, cradling a faint but blushing Penelope in his arms, and ascended into the helicopter. The helicopters propellers churned the sea into giant waves. My strength gave out; I could no longer hold on. As the final wave crashed over me, my consciousness was completely swallowed by darkness.

My relationship with Ethan hadnt always been this hostile. Before senior year of high school, I was his most cherished treasure. His phone and computer lock screens were set to my birthday.

Our relationship soured when Beth Vance, the daughter of my familys housekeeper, transferred to our class. Half a month after she arrived, I fell down the stairs one morning and broke my shin. At the time, I was preparing for a very important dance competition. Beth took my spot. Thats when I learned she also studied ballet, and she was exceptionally good. Ethan thought so too, just like I did.

During the two weeks I was recovering at home, Beth became Ethans deskmate. Ethan made the first move. Beth had been cornered and bullied in the restroom by my best friends, and Ethan, passing by, rescued her. From that day on, Ethan became Beths knight. And I became the most irrelevant, most disgusting, villainous side character in their ambiguous romance.

But in my past life, I was unwilling to let Ethan be stolen away, and I engaged in many childish acts of jealousy. When Beth set me up, I didn't find evidence immediately, which made Ethan dislike me even more. Eventually, he even blocked me for Beths sake, and told both our parents he would never marry me. His only true love was Beth.

Heartbroken, I fell into severe depression and went abroad for four years of university, staying away from him. But to my surprise, when I returned home, I found Beth had also gone abroad. Ethan, too, was heartbroken and despondent. I returned to his side, encouraging him to pursue his dreams. He chose to become a pilot, because Beth loved dancing, and this way, he could personally fly Beth to her competitions.

I had originally planned to give up on him. But on the night Beth and Ethan argued and broke up, Ethan got drunk and forced himself on me. Afterward, he produced a drug test report from the liquor bottle, accusing me of being a shameless, conniving woman. In truth, I didnt know who had drugged him. Helplessly, after that night, I became pregnant. Ethan was then pressured by his parents into getting engaged to me.

During this time, Beth returned home. Ethan started not coming home, spending entire nights at her place. His behavior drove my past self to mad jealousy. To catch him cheating, I even booked a flight on the same plane as Beth. Then, at the critical moment, I pulled out the agreement his father and I had signed, stating that if I died, he wouldnt inherit a penny of his fortune. Only then did Ethan agree to give me the life vest.

I just never imagined that Ethan had never loved me or the child in my womb.

Fortunately, I had a second chance. It was time to cut my losses.

When I reopened my eyes, I saw a stark white ceiling. I was in the intensive care unit, hooked up to a ventilator, my breathing shallow. Seeing me awake, the nurse was overjoyed. Ten ribs fractured, severe damage to both eardrums, skull fracture, punctured lung Youre incredibly lucky to be alive! She spoke quickly, my consciousness just pulling away from the memories of my past life. Even my soul ached.

Half a month later, when I was discharged, Ethan still hadnt shown up once. Uncle Dillon called him countless times during that period, but Ethan dismissed them all as lies concocted by me to deceive his parents. Anya, youre full of schemes and always trying to manipulate me, but now youre dragging my parents into this act too? Im truly ashamed of you! He claimed he had more important things to do, which was to accompany his first love, as the heir of Dillon Enterprises, to various business events, building momentum for Beths upcoming debut.