Chapter 3

The feeling of ocean water filling your lungs is like swallowing handfuls of crushed glass.

But I didn't die.

Maybe God thought the joke of my last ten years wasn't finished yet, and didn't want me to exit the stage so early.

When a passing fishing boat dragged me up, I was lying on the deck like a dead fish.

The burning in my lungs clashed with the sharp agony in my stomach. I coughed up a puddle of bloody saltwater.

In that moment, I didn't cry.

I just thought: Ethan, since death didn't want me, we have some serious scores to settle.

Three days later.

Wearing an oversized, fish-smelling old jacket I borrowed, I pushed open the door to the VIP suite at Mercy General Hospital.

Inside, the scene was picture-perfect.

Ethan was sitting by the bed, carefully holding a bowl of soup, blowing on it gently before feeding it to Lily.

Lily’s cheeks were rosy. She didn't look traumatized at all.

"Ethan, do you think Chloe... is really never coming back?"

Tears gathered in her eyes, but her mouth opened perfectly to take another spoonful of soup.

Ethan’s movements were incredibly gentle, but his voice was pure venom. "Why bring up that trash? She got what she deserved."

"But..."

"No buts. It's better that she's dead. Saved me the trouble of dealing with her."

I leaned against the doorframe and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Wow, Mr. Vance. Hearing you talk, one would think she killed your entire family."

The air in the room instantly froze.

I clearly heard the clink of the metal spoon dropping back into the bowl.

Ethan snapped his head around.

The shock, confusion, and fleeting panic in his eyes were a sight to behold.

Lily let out a sharp shriek, throwing herself into Ethan’s arms.

"A ghost! She’s a ghost!"

She pointed at me, her finger trembling. That terrified face of hers was the best thing I’d seen all week.

I stepped into the room, leaving wet, dirty footprints on the pristine floor.

"Your eyesight must be failing you, Lily. It’s broad daylight. Where would a ghost come from?"

I walked to the foot of the bed, looking down at the two of them.

"Or are you just feeling guilty? Afraid I’d come back from the grave to drag you to hell?"

Ethan finally snapped out of it.

He pushed Lily aside and marched over to me in giant strides.

His beautiful eyes were webbed with red veins. Not from grief, but from pure rage.

"Chloe!"

He grabbed my neck, slamming me hard against the wall.

The impact sent a wave of pain through my back, and my stomach cramped violently. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

But he didn't see any of it.

He only saw my "wickedness."

"You're alive?"

He growled through gritted teeth, his grip tightening.

"How the hell are you still alive?!"

I forced a weak, mocking smile. "What's wrong, Ethan? Disappointed?"

"You actually staged a fake death just to scare Lily and get my sympathy! You are sick!"

Ethan's logic was always mind-boggling.

To him, whether I was forced to jump or was just trying to survive didn't matter.

What mattered was that since I was alive, I must have been acting.

I was using my life to threaten his precious little princess.

"Ethan, is your brain made of concrete?"

I stared into his eyes, my voice hoarse. "Didn't you see Lily cut the rope on the FaceTime call?"

"Shut up!"

He cut me off furiously.

"Lily told me! You forced her to let go! You jumped on purpose just to frame her!"

"You crazy bitch, what won't you do just to make me feel guilty and stop the divorce?"

I actually laughed.

Seriously.

Ten years. I loved this man for ten years.

And in the end, in his eyes, I was just a desperate, scheming psychopath who would do anything for his attention.

"If that's what you want to believe, then sure. Let's say I was acting."

I closed my eyes, refusing to look at his disgusting face anymore.

"The show is over. I'm tired. Let me go, Ethan."

"Let you go?"

Ethan let out a cold, vicious laugh.

"Chloe, you scared Lily so badly she almost had a heart attack. She nearly died, and you think you can just walk away?"

"In your dreams!"

He let go of my neck, grabbed my wrist instead, and began dragging me out of the room.

"We are going to the transplant center right now!"

I stumbled behind him, my stomach churning so hard I almost threw up on his back.

"Ethan, have you lost your mind?"

"I’m perfectly sane! Lily’s condition is getting worse. The doctor said she needs the transplant immediately!"

He threw a sharp glance over his shoulder.

"Since you survived, it must be God’s way of keeping you alive to pay for your sins!"

"Your kidney is coming out today!"