Chapter 1

To please his new boss, my dad forced me to go bungee jumping during our mandatory corporate retreat.

I have a congenital heart defect.

Standing on the platform, a hundred and fifty feet in the air, my heart felt like it was being squeezed by an iron fist.

My legs shook. I tried to back away, but the instructor grabbed my harness and shoved me right to the edge.

"A grown man, scared of this? The female intern just jumped without even blinking."

He looked at my trembling body, his mouth curling into a sneer of pure disgust.

"Bungee jumping is the best way to conquer fear. Cowards like you live their whole lives without actually living!"

Down below, my dad looked up and yelled, his voice dripping with impatience.

"Ethan Miller! What are you waiting for? The CEO already jumped. Don't embarrass me!"

"Even if you die of fright today, you're going down that platform!"

My heart was beating so fast I couldn’t count the rhythms. My chest felt like an anvil was resting on it.

Before I could speak, the instructor gave me a rough shove from behind. My body plummeted into the open air.

The moment I hit the lowest point of the fall, my heart gave one violent spasm, and then—it stopped. I hung there in mid-air, dangling like a broken puppet with its strings cut.

Slowly, my soul drifted upward. I looked down at my tear-streaked face.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to ruin your day."

"But this time, my heart really couldn't take it."