The Seat That Got Me Killed

It was the summer holidays. I was going to Shinborder to see my wife, then comments started popping right in front of me. "Five minutes later, your wife's going to tell you to not give up your seat for anyone." "A pregnant woman's going to ask for your seat. You refuse, as per your wife's request. That pregnant woman ends up dying a sudden death from standing too long. Her baby dies too." "Your wife's male bestie is this cabin's attendant. He'll testify that you caused the woman's death by refusing to give up your seat." "The Internet will hunt you down. Your wife will stand against you. In the end, the pregnant woman's mother will stab you eighteen times, and you die." I was stunned. Maybe this was a hallucination from teaching the SAT students for too long. Then, the moment I sat down, I got a text from my wife. "It's hard to get tickets this time of the year, Michael. It took me forever to get a first-class seat. Enjoy it. Don't give it to anyone." My hand shook. I was reminded of the last line of the comment. "Your wife and male bestie set this up. They bought out the pregnant woman so you'll be killed, all so they can get your mountain of inheritance and insurance payout." I looked at the nearby pregnant woman and went to the second-class cabin right away. Chapter 1 Making a Change My brain was in overdrive. If that pregnant woman didn't see me, maybe she would be fine. I stood at the entrance of the second-class cabin and looked around. An old woman was standing nearby, and she had a friendly air about her. I went and bent over, then I spoke as naturally as I could. "You look just like my grandmother, ma'am. You remind me of her. I have a spot in the first-class cabin. 1A. Window seat, very spacious. It's cramped here, and I'd like to switch seats with you. Take it as a helpful gesture." The old woman quickly shook her head. "I can't. First-class cabin? That must be expensive. I can't do this to you." "It's alright, ma'am. I'm a young man. It's the same for me anywhere I sit. You're not getting any younger, and this place is like a sardine can. You deserve a better seat. Just help me out a little." I was as sincere as possible, and the old woman looked at me with tearful eyes. "You're a kind man." She stood up. I helped her with her luggage and supported her as I escorted her to the first-class cabin. My attention never left that pregnant woman. Her baby bump was only starting to show. She was scrolling through her phone and didn't notice me. Eventually, I came back to the second-class cabin, and my heart was racing. I quickly powered off my phone. My parents died early, but they left me three properties and a big pile of inheritance—something only my wife knew about. Last year, she insisted on getting personal accident insurance for me, and she wrote herself down as the beneficiary. I argued with her, saying that it felt unlucky. If it weren't for the comments, I'd have no idea she would conspire with her male best friend, Zack Lawson, to frame and kill me. Dream on. Once I got back, I would get a divorce. It was the summer holidays, and I had fun in Shinborder. … Five days later, I bought a ticket home. I thought that was over. I thought if I changed seats, that pregnant woman's tragedy wouldn't happen. The moment I stepped into the station, a group of people surrounded me, and in the lead was my wife. She strode up to me, looking furious and sorrowful. "How could you do this, Michael?" She was loud enough to get everyone's attention. Before I could do anything, a middle-aged woman pushed through the throng. She stormed up to me and slapped me hard. My head turned, and my ear rang. "You bastard! You killed my daughter and her baby! If you hadn't refused to give her your seat, she'd never have died from exhaustion! I'll skin you alive! I'll get revenge for them!" I covered my cheek, my mind blank. This was odd. That pregnant woman died? But I had changed seats, so how'd this come back to me? Chapter 2 Their Lies "Rot in hell, you bastard! My daughter was only 27 and five months pregnant! Now she's dead, and it's all your fault!" She was crying hysterically, her body shivering. The tourists stopped and took out their phones to record this moment. My wife was standing beside her, her face filled with fake disappointment. "I can't believe you're this kind of person, Michael." Her voice was shivering, as if she was holding back her rage. "That first-class ticket cost me more than a thousand. I wanted you to enjoy your ride, not kill someone! She just wanted a seat! You could've just given it to her!" I looked at her, the woman whom I'd shared a bed with for three years. Perfect acting, I'd say. If it weren't for the comments, she could've even fooled me. I said coldly, "You're taking their side even when the truth isn't out. Why?" My wife froze, then her agitation flared. "You think further investigation is needed? She lost her daughter and grandchild, Michael! And you turned your phone off! You didn't take my calls! Why? Hiding because you feel guilty?" Zack spoke up. He was in a crisp attendant uniform, and his work ID was clipped on his chest. He looked every bit a man of justice. "I know it might sound harsh, coming from her, but you are in the wrong. I saw it too. That woman told you her stomach was acting up, and she begged for your seat. You refused and told her to not get herself knocked up if she couldn't afford a ticket." He shook his head. "I wanted to talk to you, but I had work to do, so I didn't get there in time, and the lady…" The crowd jeered. "Whoa, what's with that guy?" "It's just a seat." "And he said that to the woman? Unbelievable." I nearly laughed watching him lie. He was my wife's childhood friend. I used to think he was a straightforward and honest man. The truth was something else: they already had a thing going on. "You saw it yourself, eh?" I looked Zack in the eye. "Someone died in the cabin you managed. They should've lodged a complaint to you, but instead, they're blaming me?" He went white. "That's none of my business. This happened because you refused to give up your seat…" "Enough!" The cops' leader spoke up. "The public's talking a lot about this, so we need to crack it ASAP. We'll record your statement, Zack, but first, the whole story." The chief approached me, fished out a phone, and showed me a snapshot. It was the chat history between the pregnant woman and her mother. "My stomach's acting up, Mom. It's probably the pregnancy. I'd like to switch seats with the guy in 1A, but he refused and told me not to get myself knocked up if I'm poor. It's the summer holidays, for crying out loud. I couldn't get a ticket fast enough!" Chapter 3 Questions The chief pulled the phone back, and he was looking serious. "Mr. Michael Zimmer, the lady sent that text to her mother before she died. Our men have checked, and this seat is bought under your name. We've found out you bought a ticket leaving Shinborder today, so we came. We have some questions for you." Something was odd. That pregnant woman didn't know my name and face. She was only insistent about that seat—1A. "I have a question, chief." I looked the chief in the eye. "There are a lot of seats in the first-class cabin, so why was that woman so insistent about getting 1A? That message is too obvious. It's like she wrote it that way specially for you guys." The middle-aged woman bristled. "Bullshit! You're smearing my daughter's name? She's dead! She had a reason to get your spot! Because it's in the front row, and it's a window seat! My daughter was carsick, and only that seat could make her feel better! She was five months pregnant and sick! You could've just given her the seat!" The chief raised his hand to silence everyone. "You make a valid point, Mr. Zimmer. We'll look into that, but the fact is that the woman did die, and we need to find out what happened." The crowd was getting bigger. Someone was livestreaming, while some were cursing me. "Man, he should go to prison!" "Yeah, he could afford first-class tickets, but so what? He has no heart!" "It's viral right now, this case. I just saw it this morning." The chief nodded. "It is viral now, and the public's pressure is mounting. Our superiors want us to find the truth as soon as we can." He looked at me and softened up. "Mr. Zimmer, the victim's family and Zack are saying you're the criminal. Can you provide us with proof that you aren't?" I took a deep breath. "Chief, I told you, that message is too obvious. It's weird, don't you think? Any sane pregnant woman would've asked the attendant for help if they weren't feeling well, but she adamantly wanted my seat." The chief said nothing, but it struck the middle-aged woman's nerves. "You're calling my daughter a con artist? She's dead! Con artists don't sacrifice themselves for a scam, let alone their children! You bastard! You just hate my daughter!" I looked at her. "I didn't call her a con artist. It's possible someone told her she must get that seat. Someone probably led her to believe that seat was the only thing that could save her. Zack's expression shifted. "What? What are you talking about? Who would even do that?" I smiled. "I haven't named names. You're awfully jumpy." He choked on his words. My wife stepped forth, looking every bit the disappointed partner. "Enough! Confess your crimes already and stop changing the subject! She's already dead, and you're still trying to weasel your way out? You killed a woman and her baby! We don't have children, but you should be more understanding of pregnant women." Chapter 4 Snicker The middle-aged woman was getting more agitated. "You're still childless at your age? I bet you have azoospermia! You're impotent, so you're jealous of my daughter! You refused to give up your seat so you could kill her!" Zack quickly agreed, "That reminds me. I saw him staring at the woman's belly, and his eyes were filled with jealousy." My wife sighed. "And you told me you wanted the DINK life when you actually have azoospermia. You could've told me the truth, but you lied to me. That's fraud." My wife turned to the chief. "I'm sorry for what my husband did, chief. He's usually not like this, but he probably fried his brain from working stressful hours teaching the SAT kids. We've been married for three years, and he told me he wanted to lead a DINK life. But now I know the truth. So, that's why…" She sighed, as if she'd been treated unfairly. The crowd started whispering again. "I see. That's the case with this guy." "Of course he's jealous of a pregnant woman. Twisted mind." "Scary. Duped his wife into marriage and killed a pregnant woman." I laughed mirthlessly and charged ahead to slap both Zack and my wife. My wife covered her cheek, staring at me in shock. Zack was stunned as well. "That's enough acting out of you two," I snapped, my voice devoid of warmth. "I was busy teaching the SAT students and had no plans for having my own children. Don't twist it into azoospermia. You slandered me, called me a fraud and a man with azoospermia. I'll be suing both of you when we get back!" My wife was still holding her cheek. "You're just mad because we saw through you!" Zack snapped out of it and backed her up, "Yeah! I bet you hit us because you know you did something wrong!" He turned and said loudly to the crowd, "See? That's his true colors! We struck a nerve, and he hit us!" Some among the crowd backed him. "What a lowlife." "Assault is criminal. The cops are still here." I looked at these people, their faces fueling my fury further. Then, I turned to the chief. "I told you, the woman's death has nothing to do with me. If you want to make me the criminal, then show me the proof. If you can provide nothing, I'll be suing your asses! All of you!" The middle-aged woman took a piece of paper out. "Here's the proof! My daughter's death certificate, and she was pregnant! The doctor signed it, and a forensic doctor verified it! And Zack's the attendant! He's a witness! You can't get away now!" She turned to the crowd and showed them the paper. I snickered. "Is that so?" I took my phone out and made a video call. A kind old woman waved at me from the screen. I raised my voice so everyone could hear me. "Sorry for calling you, ma'am. I ran into a situation here, and I need your help. You remember I switched seats with you on the train that day, right?" The old woman nodded with a smile. "Of course I do. You gave me your first-class seat and went to the second-class cabin. I'll remember that forever. What happened?" I looked at the chief. When the chief saw the old woman, he went white. "M-Ma'am?"