Despite ghosts not needing to breathe, my chest constricted at the sight as if I would be locked in that suffocating space again.

At the same time, Hadden continued to comfort Julia with an arm wrapped around her waist.

"It's going to be alright. Eat more, okay? You've gotten skinnier again. I'm sorry you had to go through that. Look how much skinner you've got. What's a few days of starvation to that fatso anyway?

"I can't believe she would dare do such a thing to you! I won't let her out until she apologizes and learns her lesson."

I watched silently, heartbroken from where I stood behind him. I wanted to cry, but there were no tears left.

The fact that I had suffocated and struggled for my life in the pool meant nothing to him, not when compared to the few gulps of pool water Julia had choked on.

I could not swim, and I could not get out.

It was ridiculous to think that I was still begging him to let me out until my dying breath, pleading with him to let me live. It was all for naught.

All he did was laugh as I pushed against the metal cover with everything I had.

"Why'd you let Julia choke on the water if you're so scared of drowning? I'm only giving you a taste of your own medicine!"

I remembered looking around the pool, terrified. I remembered admitting to anything he accused me of, hoping that would get him to let me out.

But he didn't.

Right before I lost consciousness, I heard him order someone to solder the metal cover on the pool for good so that I would 'learn the consequences of my actions'.

There was nothing I could do but stare helplessly as he locked the outside world away from me.

Then, blood began to pool from under me, and it did not stop.

Hadden made sure Julia was pleased again before he ordered his assistant to retrieve my body.

"Release Felicia and clean her up before you bring her here. I don't want to scare Julia."

If you looked at Hadden's face, you would think he was offering me a benevolent gift.

Upon receiving his orders, his assistant quickly went to gather the necessary men.

Julia did not move from her spot as she swung Hadden's arm sweetly.

"Don't scold Felicia anymore when she comes out, okay? You two are still husband and wife, after all. You're going to spend the rest of your life with her. I don't want things to be awkward between you two."

Hadden looked at her with adoration before pulling her close and kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Don't worry. She wouldn't dare. You wouldn't have choked on the water if she hadn't pushed you into the pool. I can't even imagine how scary that must've been for you.

"You're being too forgiving with her, Julia. She keeps taking advantage of your kindness because she knows you're soft."

Hadden sounded furious as if I were the one who had done something unforgivable.

All of this sounded like a cruel joke.

Julia was the one who came to me last week. She was the one who taunted me. "I heard you're pregnant now, but so what? One word from me, and I can make sure that kid never sees the light of day."

I did not want to talk to her, so I went to my room upstairs. I did not know she went to the pool downstairs, threw herself inside, and called Hadden while crying.

"Hadden! I've always known that Felicia didn't like me, but I didn't think she hated me so much that she'd push me into the pool! I was so scared. But… if my death is all it would take for both of your happiness, I think it's a small sacrifice I'm willing to make.

"Be happy, Hadden."

Hadden ended his meeting early when he received the call and rushed home.

He dashed to the pool and cradled Julia, who was still choking on pool water, in his arms.

"Julia, Julia! Stay with me! Come on! Julia, please. I need you…"

I remembered thinking how ridiculous it was as I watched the scene from above.

I was thinking to myself if it was really necessary. Julia could swim, so why was Hadden acting like she was going to die?

It was only when Hadden dragged me to the pool by my hair that I realized how much he truly cared for Julia.

"How could you be so cruel?! How could you push Julia into the water?! You almost killed her! I almost lost her because of you!

"I won't let you get away with doing whatever crap you want to do, Felicia. I'll make you suffer twice the pain and fear you put Julia through. And I won't let you out until you learn what you did wrong!"

Even now, Hadden still believed that I was the one at fault, that I should have admitted to everything he accused me of.

What a shame, then. It was too late for that now.

"Mr. Rowse, w-we can't find any signs of life in Ms. Lowe… She's… dead…"

Hadden's hand froze mid-air as he tried to coax Julia into drinking a yogurt drink.

I searched his face for any signs of regret, maybe even fear, but I found nothing. Instead, Hadden smirked as he continued to feed Julia.

"As if she would die so easily. If that were the case, I would've gotten rid of her long ago. Tell her to stop pretending, or I'll have the funeral parlor cremate her."

His assistant seemed to want to say more, but Hadden interrupted with an annoyed look, "She has half an hour to clean herself up and apologize to Julia, or she's going back into the pool."

His assistant looked frantic, but he did not know how to breach the subject.

Looking at his hesitance, Hadden grabbed the vase from the table and threw it at his assistant.

"What are you waiting for?! Go and tell her what I said!"

His assistant had no choice but to leave.

Hadden turned back to Julia and kissed away the yogurt stain at the corner of her mouth. She smiled shyly, which earned her a pleased smile and a warm hug from Hadden.

"You'd better not go easy on her later, Julia. I swear I'll have her kneel when she apologizes to you later. She'll just do it again if she doesn't learn her lesson now."

Julia looked conflicted, almost as if she felt bad. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Hadden?"

"Why not?"

I did not know how to react to that, so I started laughing maniacally.

This was the man I loved?

I wanted to leave, but it seemed like I was bound to him.

I had no choice but to watch and laugh at how stupid I had been.

My marriage with Hadden might have been a business arrangement, but for me, it was love at first sight.

The first time I saw him was in high school. I was a transfer student, and that made me a target for bullying. I tried my best to defend myself, but I was heavily outnumbered.

Just as I was about to give up, he appeared—my knight in shining armor.

I was too excited to sleep when my parents told me I would be marrying him, but I didn't know he only agreed as a way to receive funds to save his company's capital chain.

Perhaps he only stood up for me back then because Julia was the main perpetrator, and he did not want her to get in trouble.

In the years of our marriage, I was always the one taking care of him. I cooked every meal because I was worried he would not like the food outside.

Slowly, he warmed up to me as well and would surprise me with gifts. I thought we would have our happy ending, but I was too naive.

I remembered telling him excitedly that we would be parents, only for him to conclude that it could not be his child after Julia offhandedly brought up a few 'observations'.

"You're pregnant? Julia told me she saw you out with another man the last time. It's his kid, isn't it?!"

I was going to explain myself when he grabbed the vase and threw it on the ground. He called me a cheater…

Ghosts should not feel pain, but for some reason, I felt as if I had returned to the pool. I could not breathe.

At this moment, Hadden was frowning, furious that I had yet to show myself and apologize.

"It's already been half an hour. Where is she?! Hasn't she learned her lesson yet?

"You'd better have a good reason for not showing up, Felicia!"

I watched as the hand he had wrapped around Julia's shoulder clenched and unclenched with increasing panic, and the glass in his other hand shook nervously.

"Wait here, Julia. I'm going to go find out what the hell is taking her so long. I'll drag her here if I have to."

With that, he got up and walked toward the swimming pool he had locked me in. Just before he approached, he held his breath.

"Why is it so smelly?"

His assistant was pale as he vomited again into the rubbish bin. "You should take a look for yourself, Mr. Rowse."

He was finally going to see my body. Somehow, I found myself excited.

I wondered how Hadden would react when he saw my body. Would he feel as scared as I did when I saw it?

Hadden walked over. The cover above the swimming pool had been removed and was discarded to the side.

The black cloth covering the pool had almost been removed, but the water was just as dirty as I last saw it.

Frowning, Hadden shouted at the pool, "Get out of the pool and get over here, Felicia! Or do you want me to lock you inside forever, huh?!"

I floated to him in my agitation and spoke out loud, not that he would hear me, "I wanted to come out. Don't you know that I tried to push against the cover even until my dying breath? I did everything I could to survive! But none of that worked, so I'm dead now."

Of course, Hadden could not hear me. How could he?

He shouted again, "You won't get my pity like this! I wouldn't have had to lock you in there if you hadn't tried to drown Julia. Get over here now!"

He walked to the side of the pool even though the smell of decaying flesh made him want to vomit. He grabbed a mop beside the pool and hit it against the shadow of my body in the water.

"Disgusting! Go clean yourself!"

He hit the water hard, and my body was already bloated from how long I spent in the water. One jostle was all my body needed to float to the top.

The way my body was positioned looked grotesque.

Hadden staggered backward in terror, and the mop he picked up dropped to the ground with a clang.