Chapter 1

To throw a welcome-back party for his first love, Chloe, my husband rented a private yacht.

A sudden rogue wave hit us, throwing everyone on board into the freezing ocean.

Life vests were limited. My husband, Ethan, who was a professional lifeguard, gave the only available life vest to Chloe.

He shoved a piece of floating yacht wreckage toward me, telling me to hold onto it with our child and wait for rescue.

I clung to the edge of his jacket, begging him to take our son and me back to the shore first.

Our son was screaming for his dad, his voice cracking with terror.

Ethan violently shook my hand off.

"You're a lifeguard's wife. You need to understand sacrifice!"

But what he never cared to remember was that I had severe thalassophobia. I was terrified of the deep ocean.

Watching Ethan's retreating back, I kicked my legs desperately, holding five-year-old Leo in one arm while grasping the slippery piece of wreckage with the other.

Wave after wave crashed over us. I could barely breathe. Leo was coughing violently, having swallowed too much saltwater.

Looking down into the endless, pitch-black abyss beneath my feet, my head spun with intense vertigo.

The strength in my fingers slowly slipped away. I could only watch in despair as my body began to sink.

My last shred of consciousness heard Leo screaming, "Mommy! Mommy!"

I’m so sorry, Leo. Mommy has to leave you now.

Today was the day Ethan's childhood sweetheart, Chloe, returned to the country. Knowing she loved the sea, Ethan had rented this yacht just for her.

But the sudden storm caught us off guard, dragging us all into the water.

I had still hoped. Even though we only married because of an unexpected pregnancy, we had lived in mutual respect for seven years. I thought he would surely save his wife and child.

After all, Leo was his own flesh and blood.

But the power of a first love was just too strong.

It only took one sentence from her: "Ethan, I'm so scared of the water."

To comfort Chloe, Ethan took the only life vest meant for me and my son and handed it to her.

I had struggled and refused to let go of the vest, but he yelled at me, "Go hold onto that wreckage! It can support both of you!"

"Ethan, you can't do this! Leo is only five!"

My pleas only met with his cold, detached stare.

"As a lifeguard's wife, you should have some spirit of sacrifice. Besides, the rescue boat will be here soon. Just wait."

My entire body went numb. Looking at the dark ocean floor, I began to shake uncontrollably.

"Leo is too young. Can you please let Chloe wait here instead..."

"Can you stop being so selfish?"

He cut me off impatiently before I could finish.

"Chloe is terrified of water. She needs me."

If she was so afraid of water, why did she want a yacht party in the first place?

Seeing that I still wouldn't let go of the life vest, he forcefully pried my fingers off.

The sheer terror made me grab his shirt, my hands trembling violently.

"Look at Leo! He is your son!"

Leo tried his best to keep his head above water, crying, "Daddy... save me... I'm so cold."

My voice broke into a sob.

"Ethan, please save me. When I was five..."

"Enough!"

Holding Chloe tightly in his arms, he looked at me with pure disgust.

"You're an ER doctor. You know how to survive."

"When you were five, didn't you survive the ocean on your own? Why couldn't it have been you who died back then instead of my brother?"

The sheer cruelty of his words paralyzed me.

"No... that's not what happened. Back then..."

He didn't have the patience to listen. He turned around, swimming toward the distant shore with Chloe in his arms.

The roaring waves drowned out my cries. Soon, their figures vanished from my sight.

A bitter smile touched my lips. He had loved Chloe for so many years. Now that she was back, she would always come first.

I used to think Chloe would fade from his memory over time, but I was wrong.

Absence only made his obsession grow stronger.

As I sank into the deep, dark ocean, I used my last ounce of strength to push Leo onto the wreckage, giving him the best chance to survive.

Looking in the direction Ethan had vanished, I found it almost funny.

Our seven years of marriage meant absolutely nothing to him.

I closed my eyes, letting the darkness swallow me whole.