Hearing his answer, I thanked him and fell into deep thought.
Both Stuart Finch and Cecily Chavez had reacted completely naturally—nothing in their tone or eyes suggested any resistance or evasion.
So where was the problem?
Why had they, in my previous life, insisted so adamantly that they'd never seen Mervyn after clearly having met him?
To maximize Mervyn's presence, I pulled him up from his seat.
Under his puzzled gaze, I addressed the entire cabin:
"Sorry to interrupt everyone for a moment."
"Today is a very important day—I'm bringing my boyfriend home to meet my parents for the first time. We've been together for three years, and we're planning to get engaged after this visit."
"Being on this flight with all of you at thirty thousand feet feels like a special kind of fate, so I was hoping you could give us your blessings. Would that be okay?"
Every passenger on the plane turned to look at us.
No one hesitated. Warm applause and well-wishes filled the cabin:
"Congratulations! Wishing you happiness forever!"
"What a sweet couple! May you have a hundred years of harmony!"
"And babies soon!"
Amid the chorus of blessings, Mervyn broke into a sweet smile.
His cheeks flushed as he thanked everyone, then quickly pulled me back down into my seat.
"Mia, what's gotten into you today?" he asked, bewildered. "Being so public about it—you're making me blush."
I gripped his hand tightly and said with complete seriousness:
"I'm just so afraid of losing you."
Now everyone on this plane was our witness.
I refused to believe anything could go wrong.
Hearing this, Mervyn reached over and gently stroked my hair.
"Silly girl. I love you so much—how could I ever let you lose me?"
"Is it because you're nervous about me meeting your parents?"
To ease my anxiety, he pulled out a banana from his carry-on—my favorite snack.
He carefully peeled it and held it to my lips. "Stop overthinking. Eat something. We've still got over an hour before we land."
I stared at the banana he was offering, and my breath caught.
In my previous life, this was the exact moment I'd gotten up to use the restroom because I needed to pee. When I came back, Mervyn was gone.
All that remained was this banana, already peeled.
Right now, I could feel the pressure in my bladder too—but I didn't dare leave my seat.
I took a bite of the banana and clutched Mervyn's hand even tighter.
"From now on, you don't leave my sight. Not even for a second."
Mervyn chuckled helplessly. "Okay, okay. I won't leave your side."
The words had barely left his mouth when the plane lurched violently.
"Attention, passengers. We are experiencing severe turbulence due to strong air currents. Please fasten your seatbelts, hold onto your armrests, and remain seated."
As the announcement played, the shaking intensified.
The cabin lights began flickering wildly.
Then everything went dark.
Everyone gripped their armrests, frozen in place, too terrified to move.
Two seconds later, the lights came back on.
The plane steadied.
Heart still pounding, my first instinct was to grab the arm beside me.
But my hand closed on empty air.
I whipped my head around.
Mervyn's seat was empty.
Mervyn was gone.
He'd been holding my hand just seconds ago.
How could he have vanished in the blink of an eye?
Sheer panic crashed over me. I tore off my seatbelt and shot to my feet, frantically scanning the cabin.
