The plane touched down with a thud, and a wave of relief washed over me like a soothing balm.

My pulse, which had been pounding like a war drum, began to slow as I secured my position in front of the emergency exit.

The moment our wheels kissed the tarmac, I yanked open the evacuation slide with adrenaline coursing through my veins, the metallic clang of the slide deploying echoing through the cabin.

Smoke began to creep across the ceiling like a malevolent fog, and panic surged once more among the passengers.

I abandoned the intercom system, its sterile voice now a relic of order, and opted instead to dash around the cabin, my voice a lifeline as I shouted instructions to maintain order amidst the chaos.

"Stay calm! Follow the slide! Keep moving!" My commands sliced through the dense air, each word a tether to sanity.

Finally, when I was certain that every passenger had made it out safely, a deep sigh escaped my lips.

I slid down the escape chute myself. The moment my feet hit the ground, tears spilled onto my hands uncontrollably, a torrent of emotion I could no longer hold back.

This time, the tragedy that had claimed so many lives before hadn't occurred. Everyone made it out alive, and that revelation opened a floodgate of clarity: Laura was solely responsible for the death and chaos of my previous life.

Fury bubbled within me, a cauldron of rage that threatened to spill over. I dug my nails into my palms, the pain a tether to reality as I scanned the area for the source of my anger.

It didn't take long to spot my fiancé, Captain Mark, cradling Laura in his arms not far away.

As soon as he caught sight of me, his face twisted in rage.

"Tessa, who gave you the right to kick Laura out during an emergency? If she ends up choking or anything, I'll report you to the crew and you'll be out on your ear!"

Laura coughed softly in Mark's embrace, her delicate frame shaking with sobs. When she saw me, tears streamed down her cheeks, carving paths through the soot on her face.

"Tessa, I was just scared! Why did you hit me and lock me up? I almost didn't make it back!"

I fixed her with a stare that could freeze water.

"As a flight attendant, you should have kept your head during a crisis! What if your over-the-top sobbing had set off a panic? You think you'd walk away from that scot-free?"

Laura's face drained of color as she clung tighter to Mark's neck, her body trembling uncontrollably. "I was just really afraid. I didn't mean it."

With Laura clinging to him like a lifeline, Mark tightened his grip on her, his eyes blazing with fury as he turned to me.

"Tessa, I can't believe you would intentionally harm a colleague over something so minor. I'm seriously disappointed in you!"

I retorted coldly, my voice dripping with disdain, "You're defending someone who messed up big time. I haven't even pointed fingers at you yet, so what's your right to be disappointed?"

At that moment, the evacuations had finished, and the supervisory crew approached us, their faces etched with seriousness.

"We've pinpointed the cause of the fire—bird strike on the wing. Instead of wasting time bickering here, you three need to get moving!"

As I looked at the surprisingly calm crew leader, a mix of frustration and fury bubbled up inside me. "I'm trying to address the very real issue of a colleague's behavior under pressure.

"When things got tough, she chose to wail and panic, spreading that fear to the passengers and blocking the escape route! She almost delayed everyone's chance to get out safely!"

My voice rose, each word a testament to the boiling anger within me.