Chapter 60 a I didn't know when I woke up , just that when I did , all I could hear was the howling wind . My body ached all over , and I was lying on a freezing metal floor . The biting cold reminded me that I was thousands of feet in the air . I forced myself to glance outside , only to see pitch black . At 3,000 meters , even breathing felt like a chore . Just that one glimpse sent me into a full - blown panic . My chest tightened , my vision flickered , hives broke out across my skin , and I couldn't even feel my legs . I collapsed onto the floor of the cabin , trembling as I looked around . " There was nothing but a single bottle of water and one parachute . I checked the time . It was already 9 PM . } Mick should be waking up around now . He must be so scared without me . But I had no choice . If I wanted to see my son again , I had to jump . Hands shaking , I strapped on the parachute and began rehearsing the motion to pull the ripcord over and over , again and again . Yet I couldn't guarantee I'd even be conscious after jumping . I might pass out the second I leave the aircraft and end up a pile of shattered bones on the ground . But staying meant death , so jumping gave me a sliver of hope . And if I didn't make it , at least I knew my grandmother would take care of Mick . That thought gave me the courage I needed , and I jumped . " The sheer rush of terror jolted me awake mid - fall , so I managed to pull the chute at just the right time , but everything after ⚫ that went dark . When I woke up again , I was surrounded by dense jungle . A group of student hikers had luckily found me . At first , they thought I was some extreme sports enthusiast . Yet I didn't bother correcting them and just let them help me get back to the city . The moment sunlight hit my skin , every inch of my body screamed in pain . It felt like my bones had been hammered one by one . Still , I forced myself toward the hospital . But the moment I arrived , something felt off . " Everyone looked at me with such pity in their eyes . < I glanced down at myself , torn clothes , bloodstained , and filthy : looked like a homeless woman . If Mick saw me like this , he'd probably be scared . As such , I cleaned up in the nearest restroom , just enough not to terrify my own son . Then I hurried to his room , only to find it empty . My heart skipped a beat . " Maybe they just moved him to a regular room ? Maybe he got better ? " I quickly dialed his attending physician . But the silence on the other end of the line made my stomach turn . Then came his voice , low , hesitant . " Your husband … he didn't tell you ? " N Something in me froze , W " Mick went into cardiac arrest around midnight . He passed away . Your husband said … maybe this was as long as he was meant to live . So he took Mick's heart and said that the only value your son had left might be to be a match for Jewel , " he explained . Seeing me stunned , he continued , " I tried calling you , but I couldn't reach you . And since your husband is listed as Jewel's legal guardian , and you and your grandmother never officially disclosed your relationship , we had no legal grounds to delay the procedure . " Each word stabbed me , over and over , every syllable a poisoned blade sinking deep into my chest . Mick was really gone ?! No. No , that couldn't be . Just yesterday afternoon , he looked at me and told me he loved me . How could he be gone today ?! I shoved the door open and ran to the bed , throwing myself onto the sheets , desperate to catch even the faintest trace of his scent . & there was aathing Antithe sold taila amalt of dininfactant U But there was nothing . Only the cold , sterile smell of disinfectant . " " No. No ! I don't believe this ! Where is he ?! Where's my son ?! Give me back my child / " I screamed and screamed , like a woman completely unhinged . " " He's right here , " a voice said calmly . I turned and saw Melanie . \ She stood there in a white Chanel suit , elegant and polished , like she'd just walked off a runway . In her arms , what looked like a small , decorative box , like an accessory . " This is his ashes ," she said lightly . " I figured you might want them . " She then tossed the urn toward me , and I lunged like a rabid animal , tears pouring freely . " But the tears blurred my vision , and I couldn't see where it landed . " Then I heard the crashing sound of porcelain hitting the floor . " And just like that , in the first light of dawn , Mick's ashes scattered into the wind .