I knew the turmoil raging inside him.
He feared that my death would be tied to him, and he dreaded the possibility that the woman he had trusted so deeply–Michelle–might truly be a murderer.
The officer patted him on the shoulder and spoke bluntly, “Murders caused by jealousy happen every year.
“The root cause is always the same–someone fails to make a firm choice, wavering between two people. In the end, that indecision destroys everyone.”
The forest fire had amplified the news of my death, drawing public attention to the unfolding murder investigation.
Michelle was arrested at the airport and taken into custody
At first, she denied everything, but the evidence against her was irrefutable. Her fingerprints were all over it.
She had slashed the parachute, causing the helium to leak, which later triggered the fire.
She had deliberately chosen Zone A, ensuring I had no escape.
To make matters worse, she had invited a group of her friends to crowd the scenic area, booking every hot air balloon, so that all the pilots were occupied.
I had no choice but to rely on Keith.
Michelle thought the fire would destroy all the evidence but what she didn’t count on was that, in my final moments, I clung to the broken parachute and leaped–pregnant, but determined.
It was that resolve, born from desperation, that drove me to hang on to the evidence she tried to erase.
Keith was unaware of Michelle’s plot and had no part in the crime, so he avoided prison.
The internet, however, did not go easy on either of them.
The pressure was immense. Michelle was sentenced to immediate execution.
Before she died, she wanted to see Keith one last time, but he flatly refused her.
Though he was spared a prison sentence, he became the target of online outrage and was too ashamed to step outside.
After the trial concluded, his mental state crumbled.
He couldn’t bear the thought of me being gone, nor could he face the reality that our unborn child had also been denied life because of his selfishness.
The skydive park where he worked immediately fired him.
In truth, even if they hadn’t, he planned to resign. He could no longer bear to be a pilot on the hot air balloons.
No matter how much he loved that job, his conscience tormented him. He could not face the reality of our
