I instantly noticed the tattoo on Freddie's collarbone, which was a design of a maple leaf. I had seen an identical one on Zara's lower abdomen. She had explained that she got it to mark the day we first met, when the maple leaves had turned red.

I found it ironic that I was so affected by her gesture back then, when in reality, it was actually a matching tattoo for her and Freddie. If I hadn't bumped into him that day, I would have remained unaware of her long-standing extramarital affair.

I felt a strange sense of clarity amidst my rage. I immediately exposed Freddie, saying, "I happen to know that Zara is married to a Mr. Simm, who bears no resemblance to you whatsoever.

"You're acting incredibly bold for being a homewrecker! You'd better get Zara down here this instant! I'd like to see how she intends to deal with us!"

Freddie was clearly hurt by my jab about him being a homewrecker. He snapped, "You'd better not bring up that useless man in front of me! You ought to know that in a relationship, the one who isn't loved is the real outsider!

"It just so happens that my wife is coming over to see me today, so I'll call her over this instant! You're all in for it now!"

He instantly adopted a cute, whiny voice as soon as the call connected. "When are you arriving, Zara? I'm at the swimming pool right now, getting bullied by two old men! They even called me a homewrecker! You have to come over and put them in their place!

"You should also make this swimming pool private from now on, giving me exclusive access to it! I've just picked up some new techniques in the water, and I'm dying to show them to you!"

He looked even more smug than before after hanging up the phone, saying, "Zara will be here in half an hour. You guys are done for now! She's got more than enough ways to deal with you two!"

I was trembling with rage; the mere thought that Zara had worn a mask of devotion before me while betraying me with another Freddie filled me with such revulsion that I felt on the verge of retching.

Noah, noticing my reaction, grasped the situation. He gritted his teeth with indignation and snarled, "How can Zara be such a disgrace? She's exactly like her mother! I can just as easily reclaim everything I've given her!"

Noah loathed infidelity. His wife had cheated on him with a younger man years ago and had conned him out of every cent, leading to their divorce. He had to rebuild his career while raising Zara alone.

He never imagined that the daughter he had sacrificed so much for would turn out to be a cheater just like her mother. He had recently allowed Zara to oversee a portion of his hundred-plus hotels, but he remained the one truly in control of the empire.

I was able to marry Zara because I naturally had a family background that was no less than hers. It was just that, because of my preference for the arts, the public mistakenly perceived me as a gold digger, not knowing that I was the sole heir to the Simm family.

I was suddenly eager to find out how Zara would try to justify herself to us.

I noticed the pallor on Noah's face just then. I was instantly alarmed. I quickly moved to steady him, intending to help him out of the swimming pool so that he could change into some dry clothes.

Freddie sneered and raised his chin slightly. Wyatt instantly grasped the command, hoisted himself out of the swimming pool, and kicked Noah while he was attempting to exit the swimming pool via the ladder.

I immediately moved to retrieve Noah once again after he abruptly fell back into the swimming pool.

Freddie laughed from the side of the swimming pool. "You two look so pathetic, flailing around like ducks in the water! Didn't you guys enjoy staying in there? You shouldn't come out then!"

He then turned to Wyatt and said, "You have to make sure they don't come up before Zara gets here, Wyatt!"

Wyatt, acting like a total sycophant, said, "You can rest assured that I've got this under control, Freddie! I just hope you remember to put in a good word for me when Ms. Quinlan gets here."

From then on, no matter how hard Noah and I struggled to climb out of the swimming pool, Wyatt would repeatedly kick us back into the water. It wasn't long before our strength gradually drained away, and Noah suddenly started gasping for breath while clutching his chest, too weak to even speak.

I let him lean on my shoulder and called out to those on the pool deck in desperation. "Do you guys really want to get someone killed? Dad is suffering a heart attack right now, so hurry up and let us get out of here! I swear you'll regret every second of this when Zara shows up!"

Wyatt looked nervous and turned to Freddie, clearly afraid of the consequences.

Freddie, however, just laughed dismissively. "You old guys are all the same, always full of tricks! You're actually having a heart attack now, huh? You didn't seem to have a problem a minute ago!"

He then ordered Wyatt, saying, "Go shut off the pool heater. I'd like to see how much longer he can keep up the act!"

I was so angered by Freddie's audacity that the veins on my forehead throbbed with rage. "I'm warning you—if Dad dies, not one of you is getting away with it once the police get here!"

Freddie leisurely took a sip of red wine and said smugly, "You should cut the act. If you want to come up, all you have to do is just beg me. You were acting so tough earlier. Did you suddenly lose your nerve after learning that my wife is on her way?"

Noah had a pre-existing heart condition, so between the intense fury of the day and the fact that he had inhaled water several times, his energy was completely spent. He was clearly in a state of severe physical distress.

I bit my lip, realizing his safety was the only thing that mattered.

I was ready to endure the humiliation and beg for help, but Noah caught my arm and said in a trembling voice, "I've never lowered myself for anyone, especially not for someone as pathetic as him. I'm fine, Connor. I won't spare Zara once she gets here. I know what it's like to be betrayed by a woman, so I've got your back."

Upon seeing that we still showed no intention of pleading, Freddie's gaze turned sinister. He turned to Wyatt and ordered, "Go fetch two buckets of ice from the kitchen. It's time to cool them down some more."

I immediately felt the water temperature drop the moment the ice was dumped in, leaving me shivering uncontrollably. Noah was in even worse shape; his lips had turned purple as he drifted in and out of lucidity.

I patted his face, but there was no reaction. I gritted my teeth as I tried to pull him toward the edge, but Wyatt kept shoving us back with a pole.

I was beyond frantic. My eyes were bloodshot as I yelled, "Dad is seriously not going to make it! You'd better let him out of the pool this instant! If there's a death on the premises, the hotel management will be held liable! Zara will have your heads when she sees what you've done!"

Wyatt, as a swimming instructor, recognized the warning signs on Noah's face. He realized that the situation wasn't good and promptly turned to Freddie, saying, "I think the elderly man is in critical condition, Freddie. I think we should get him out of the pool first.

"It would be pretty gross for you to swim here if he kicks the bucket in the water. I also doubt Ms. Quinlan wants a body on her hands either. If she loses it, I'm definitely getting fired."

Freddie thought it over before scoffing. "You're just worried about losing your job, huh? I had no intention of causing a fatality, but I can't do anything about it if they're being so stubborn.

"I've already said that I would consider allowing them to climb out of the pool as long as they beg me. If they can still struggle, they can still wait. I want to see exactly how much they can take."

Wyatt, acting like Freddie's loyal lapdog, looked down at me and said, "In case you didn't know, Freddie is Ms. Quinlan's beloved. You see, this establishment operates specifically for his benefit, and all other matters are secondary to his needs. Your presence here today was an oversight.

"You should start begging for forgiveness and mercy if you truly value your lives. You're on your own if you remain obstinate!"

I bit my lip forcefully, setting aside all dignity in light of Noah's precarious state. I then said reluctantly, "I'm begging you. Please let my father out of here first. He has a heart condition, so he's really going to die at this rate."

Freddie smirked smugly and asked in a taunting voice, "Didn't you just say I was a shameless homewrecker? I want you to repeat after me—'Connor Simm is the pathetic homewrecker, and Freddie Lester is Zara's actual husband!'"

He was incredibly sensitive about being labeled a homewrecker. He was especially resentful of Connor, a man he had never even met. He viewed Connor as nothing more than a pathetic freeloading loser and couldn't understand what made the man any better than himself.

I realized then that Freddie didn't know that I was actually Connor Simm. He still somehow managed to humiliate me perfectly, though.

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails pierced my skin. I eventually choked down my pride and said, "Connor Simm is the pathetic homewrecker, and Freddie Lester is Zara's actual husband. You've got what you wanted, right? Hurry up and let Dad out of the pool!"

Freddie's face broke into a satisfied smile, and he said slyly, "I only said I would consider it. I've made up my mind now—you're both staying in there."

I was burning with rage. I looked at Freddie with sheer loathing and felt compelled to disclose Noah's identity. "You've crossed the line! You ought to know that this man over here is Zara's father! If something happens to him, Zara will never forgive you when she gets here!"

Freddie burst out laughing before saying with a sneer, "You lowlifes really have no shame with these lies. You were literally calling him 'Dad' earlier, and now he's suddenly Zara's father? You're quick on your feet, I'll give you that.

"You've ruined my mood for swimming today, so I'm going to make sure you learn your lesson. Maybe next time you'll think twice before crossing someone like me!"

Noah slumped against me, his body shaking while his breathing became shallow and far apart. He was in the middle of a major cardiac episode.

I knew that if he didn't get his emergency heart medication right away, he wasn't going to make it. I cried out in a strained voice, my eyes turning completely bloodshot. "Help! Please help us! He's about to die soon!"

It was just that the swimming pool area was deserted; there wasn't another soul in sight.

Upon seeing this, Wyatt panicked. He then turned to Freddie and asked worriedly, "What if—"

Freddie cut off Wyatt, displaying a complete disregard for human life as he remarked casually, "You have nothing to worry about. Other old men could even swim in winter. He's probably just putting on an act now.

"Zara is arriving soon, so just let them up after she arrives. They could probably hang on a few more minutes. If anything serious was going to happen, it already would have."

I knew that if Noah didn't get medical attention immediately, he would be dead within minutes. I was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of total helplessness at that moment.

I then noticed the hotel manager, Dylan Smith, rushing over. I instantly yelled at the top of my lungs, "Help! Help me! Dad is having a heart attack! Get him out of the water and call 911 right now!"

Dylan had met Noah years ago but didn't recognize him now. He felt uneasy after seeing Noah's condition. He had heard about the incident and only came over hoping to curry favor with Freddie.

He rapidly calculated the risks of antagonizing Freddie versus the professional consequences of a death on the premises, despite the life-threatening situation.

He then smiled faintly and addressed Freddie, saying, "It'd be best to allow them to exit the pool first, Mr. Lester. If a fatality actually occurs, the facility would be rendered unusable for your future leisure."

Freddie spared him a glance and considered it briefly before replying haughtily, "I'll let them come up since you asked."

Dylan wasted no time in having Wyatt pull both Noah and me out of the water.

Noah was lying on the ground, motionless.

I didn't even stop to catch my breath before racing to the changing area to retrieve my bag. I frantically poured out the heart medication and tried to force it into his mouth.

Freddie unexpectedly kicked the medication bottle and the pills straight into the swimming pool. He then sneered derisively after sensing my fury. "You ought to cut the act now. You've already come out of the swimming pool, so get out of here this instant!

"You'd better make sure you steer clear of me from now on. I'm feeling really generous today, so I'll let both of you off the hook this time!"

I was filled with rage. I rushed forward and punched Freddie. I then glared at him with my bloodshot eyes and barked, "I'll make you and Zara pay if anything happens to Dad!"

Freddie, shocked by the punch, shrieked, "You freaking madman! I knew I shouldn't have shown you any mercy! I should've just left you both to drown in that swimming pool!"

I was about to attack him again, but Wyatt and Dylan restrained me by the shoulders, allowing Freddie to slap me over a dozen times.

I snapped out of my senses after feeling the sting on my face. I realized that further delay would prove fatal for Noah.

I wrenched myself free from their restraint, took out my phone from the bag, and immediately dialed Zara's number. "Dad is having a heart attack at the swimming pool area at the hotel in Joraton, Zara! Get a medical team here this instant; otherwise, Dad's gone!"

"Your father should have been more careful if he had known that he had a heart condition. I'm in the middle of a meeting right now, so just call for an ambulance yourself, Connor," Zara stated dismissively before ending the call.

I trembled with rage. How could she not realize that it was her own father who was having a heart attack?

It wasn't long before Freddie looked toward the entrance in delight and exclaimed, "You're finally here, Zara!"