Chapter 1

During the paragliding competition, my wife, Emma Carter, secretly altered my tow device so that the man she had never gotten over could win.

By the time I discovered it in midair, it was already too late.

All I could do was watch helplessly as the enormous paraglider carried me down into the old-growth forest below.

As I died, Emma’s unconcerned voice seemed to echo in my ears.

“Aren’t you supposed to be so capable? Even if I altered your tow device, why don’t you still go win first place?”

After a burst of excruciating pain, I slowly opened my eyes.

Only then did I realize that my entire body was translucent and floating in midair.

A roaring crowd filled the space beneath my feet, and it was the awards ceremony for the paragliding competition.

My wife, who was hosting the event, excitedly placed the gold medal around Adrian Blake’s neck.

When she rose onto her toes to hug him, she even kissed his cheek with a sweet, loving look in her eyes.

When asked to give his victory speech, Adrian smiled at Emma and spoke with conviction.

“I’m thrilled to be standing on this podium, and I also want to take this opportunity to thank Emma, because without you standing by me day after day, I never could’ve returned to competition, much less won this medal!”

Emma covered her mouth in delighted surprise, her face glowing with a charming smile.

“You’re talented and you worked hard, and I simply didn’t want to see you lose your chance to achieve your dream.”

Even the media began marveling over what a beautiful love story they had.

As I watched the two of them entwine their fingers and lean sweetly against each other onstage, my heart felt as if it were being pierced by needles.

Why?

Emma was my lawfully wedded wife.

And that gold medal, the symbol of honor and achievement, should have belonged to me!

Yet in reality, I was the one who had lost my dream, and I was also the one who had died with unfinished business.

I suddenly remembered how Emma had held my hand before I left that morning and told me that paragliding competitions were too dangerous, saying she wanted me to withdraw.

I had merely smiled, affectionately ruffled her hair, and promised to bring home a gold medal for her.

At the time, I thought she was genuinely concerned about my safety.

Only now did I realize that all she cared about was helping Adrian win the championship.

Adrian and I had been rivals ever since I entered the sport.

Whenever both of us competed in the same event, the battle for the gold medal was always a hot topic.

Many people online even gambled and placed bets during the annual competitions.

Adrian had simply never beaten me.

That remained true until three years ago, when he was caught using performance-enhancing drugs before a competition and was subsequently suspended and sent overseas.

Only then did interest in our rivalry gradually fade.

During those three years, I swept championships at paragliding competitions across the country, became one of the sport’s hottest athletes, and earned the online nickname “Peter Pan.”

Even for today’s competition, almost everyone online had bet on me to win.

But now I hadn’t even appeared.

The gamblers below the stage instantly erupted and began demanding that I show myself and explain.

After all, how could a competitor in excellent condition with extraordinary talent possibly finish at the bottom?

“Where is Lucas Reed right now? Bring him out here to explain! What the hell happened?”

“He must’ve been paid to deliberately throw the competition, because how else could a perpetual loser like Adrian possibly beat Lucas? Does he think the audience is blind?”

As the host, Emma forced herself to step forward and smooth things over.

“Please rest assured that this competition was entirely fair and impartial, and I promise that the organizers will release the competition footage afterward and conduct rigorous physical examinations of the competitors to ensure that no violations occurred!”

But instead of calming everyone down, her words only made the venue even more chaotic.

At that moment, a staff member rushed out from backstage and said anxiously:

“One competitor’s paraglider malfunctioned during the event, and he may have fallen into the old-growth forest, so we’re currently unable to contact him!”

As soon as he said that, the microphone fell from Emma’s hand and struck the floor with a thud.