The yacht I'm steering crashes into a huge wave, scaring my husband's junior, who has a heart condition.

So, my husband orders someone to tie me up and dangle me in the ocean by a rope. He even tells the captain to head straight into the waves.

"You know Wren has a heart condition, yet you still scared her! How can you be so evil?"

I beg him to let me go and tell him that I was following a charted path; I didn't mean for anything to happen.

However, he just mocks me. "You've been a yacht driver for so long. Haven't you experienced anything like this before? I'll make you go through what Wren did! Let's see whether you'll pull this again!"

After a day and night of this torment, he relents and decides to pull me back up. It's too bad he doesn't know that the waves have already torn me to shreds.

"How's Sierra holding up? Is she still unwilling to apologize to Wren?"

The bodyguard, Pete Barclay, froze.

"Mr. Shaw, Ms. Lane has been hung outside the yacht for almost a day and night," he replied tentatively. "Should we let her go—"

Zachary Shaw snorted. Grabbing a wine glass from the table, he hurled it toward Pete and snarled, "Let her go? Then who's going to pay for the vile things she'd done?

"Wren is sick again because of Sierra's jealousy. How is she going to pay for that?"

Blood trickled from the fresh wound on Pete's forehead.

"Wait." Zachary faltered.

Staring at the incoming waves, he ordered, "Tell the captain to steer the yacht straight into that wave, and let Sierra know that this is the last one. If she makes it through, I'll pull her up and let her rest for a while."

Pete shuddered at the sight of the monstrous wave ahead.

In the instant the yacht slammed into the wave, the entire vessel shook violently. Even Zachary had to grip his chair to keep his balance.

Once the waters finally calmed, the yacht settled into a steady rhythm.

Wren Olsen padded out of the room, her white shirt buttoned haphazardly.

"Zach, what just happened?"

Zachary's face lit up with joy. "Wren, are you alright? Why didn't you rest a little longer?"

She shook her head, gently looping her arm around his. "It's fine. I feel much better now."

He didn't pull away. The two of them stood there, leaning against each other.

As if suddenly remembering something, Wren hastily asked, "Zach, where's Sierra? She's nowhere to be seen. I must've scared her when I fainted. I need to apologize to her!"

Apologize? Her façade made me sick.

I was already dead. How on earth was she going to apologize to me?

The collision between the crashing waves and the yacht tore my body apart, and even the sea creatures had been drawn by the scent of blood, feasting on my remains.

Blood from my scraped wrists was smeared across the yacht's outer shell, a telltale sign of my struggle.

I wondered how Zachary would react if he found out about my death. He would've been delighted, wouldn't he? Now that I was gone, he could finally be with his beloved Wren forever.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, his eyes filled with the fear of nearly losing her.

"You're such a fool. After everything that woman did to you, you're still willing to forgive her? You even want to apologize to her!

"Did you know what she said when I told her to apologize to you? She had the nerve to tell me she regretted it.

"How ridiculous! If that were the case, she shouldn't have done that in the first place. Regret means nothing after she's already hurt you!"

I hovered in the air as a soul, stunned. My heart clenched as I recalled what I said earlier. He was right. I indeed regretted it when he ordered to throw me in the sea.

But what I regretted was ever being with him. It finally dawned on me how ruthless he was when he ordered Pete to tie me up and dangle me over the yacht.

Desperate to survive, I used the weight of my body to rub against the yacht, again and again, until the ropes tore deeply into my wrists. The will to live fueled my strength, and I was so close to escaping.

But as soon as Zachary saw that I was about to escape, he ordered the people to replace the rope with iron shackles.

"Are you trying to escape your punishment? Not a chance!" he snarled. "Even you, who knows how to operate a yacht, couldn't handle these waves, yet you dared to treat Wren like that!"

To make sure I learned my lesson, he had the captain steer us straight into the most treacherous waters.

Crushed by the relentless waves and overwhelmed by the pressure of the deep sea, my body was reduced to ruins.

With my screams swallowed by the waves, I sank into the depths of the ocean.

…

"Alright, haul Sierra up! She needs to come and apologize to Wren properly!" Zachary said. "She's already married to me, so she shouldn't be so petty all the time. Why does she get jealous so easily?"

Hearing this, Pete left.

Beside Zach, Wren shot him a helpless look and said indulgently, "Zach, no matter what, Sierra is still your wife. You shouldn't treat her like this. Honestly… I'm fine now.

"I'm just an outsider, after all. Sierra probably just doesn't like that I'm always hanging around you, which is why she got upset."

Zachary snorted, his eyes burning with rage as he said, "Because of her jealousy, your heart condition flared up! I heard everything from the doctor. Heart diseases can be fatal if not handled properly. I can't even imagine how much pain you were in!

"Wren, you're just too kind." He sighed. "If you were a little tougher, she wouldn't have been able to bully you!"

The two of them clung to each other tightly, like lovers reuniting after a long separation. Just as their lips were about to meet, Wren suddenly pulled away.

Panic flashed in her eyes as she spluttered, "No, I can't… No matter what, Sierra is my senior, and she's helped me a lot. I can't get between you two!"

"She was the one throwing a jealous fit in public," Zachary said with a scoff. "It's not your fault at all!"

He pulled her back into his arms again.

Meanwhile, I was seething with fury. These two shameless people! They were the ones who insisted on throwing a yacht party and forced me to be the pilot.

"Wren wants to have some fun. She even reminded me to let you tag along so you wouldn't overthink things."

But on the yacht, despite knowing full well that I was Zachary's wife, Wren clung to him, shamelessly flaunting his affection for her right in front of me.

A clueless server thought they were a couple and even complimented them on being a perfect match.

However, Wren had the audacity to accuse me of setting her up out of jealousy. Without hesitation, Zachary took her side, smashing a glass in anger and demanding that I explain the rumors he assumed I had spread.

In the end, they were finally placated after the poor server apologized alongside me.

Most importantly, that massive bout of waves yesterday had nothing to do with me at all! The route was set from the beginning, and when the waves hit, I remained calm and maneuvered the yacht smoothly.

But just as the yacht settled into a steady rhythm, a group of bodyguards stormed in and dragged me out of the cockpit.

Holding a weakened Wren in his arms, Zachary bellowed, "How vicious of you to steer straight into the waves on purpose! Don't you know that she has a weak heart?"

Wren stroked his face gently as if they were parting in a melancholic drama.

"Don't be mad, Zach." She gasped dramatically. "Sierra didn't mean it. I just don't know if I'll be able to hold on long enough to see all the places we planned to visit together…"

With that, she pretended to lose consciousness in a particularly exaggerated manner.

Anyone could tell it was a façade, yet Zachary fell for it completely. He even got so furious that he slapped me hard across the face, shouting, "She has a heart condition! Why do you keep trying to harm her? Are you really that spiteful?"

Without letting me explain, he ordered his men to tie me up on the deck, forcing me to fend against the menacing ocean. He even deliberately sailed into rougher waters, just to teach me a lesson for Wren's sake.

He, on the other hand, took Wren to his room and tended to her for the entire day. No one knew what they were actually up to.

Now, he was still waiting for me to come back up and apologize to Wren.

Little did he know that I was already dead.

…

"Oh no, Mr. Shaw!" Pete suddenly barged in, his presence dispelling the romantic tension in the air.

Displeasure flickered in Wren's eyes. "Zach, does Sierra not want to see me? I knew it! Deep down, she—"

"Ms. Lane is dead!"

Wren's words caught in her throat, and she was suddenly at a loss for words.

I had assumed Zachary to be shocked, but he simply frowned and widened his eyes in disgust.

"Enough! I was just trying to teach her a lesson. To think she has the nerve to play dead!" he snapped. "Since she's already dead, feed her to the dogs. I don't ever want to see her again in the future!"

Just then, the captain hurried out of the cockpit and said, "Mr. Shaw, something's wrong with the yacht. I can't start it anymore!"

"You useless piece of shit!" Zachary fumed.

Jutting a finger at Pete, he continued, "Tell Sierra to get over here right now. If she can't fix the yacht and we all end up being stranded at sea, she's going to be very sorry!

"What are you waiting for? Do you not want your salary?"

Pete had no choice but to obey with a nod.

Wren looked down and muttered, "Zach, does that mean we can't make it to the campfire on time…"

Zachary's heart ached when he saw how devastated she was. Taking her hand in his, he fixed his gaze on her and reassured, "Don't worry, we'll definitely make it on time.

"If Sierra refuses to come, I'll get someone to drag her here. You'd better not forgive her easily this time. You have to make her pay for her actions!"

Wren nodded helplessly. "Zach, but no matter what, Sierra is still your wife…"

A knot formed between Zachary's brows. "She's just my wife in name. Someone like her isn't worthy to be my wife!"

I swerved around, desperate to flee from them—only to realize my soul could only linger near them.

Never had I expected the man I had loved for ages to turn into this two-faced bastard.

Back in college, he was the one who approached me first and confessed his feelings. I never imagined that someone as outstanding as him would ever cross paths with me. Unable to resist his relentless pursuit, I eventually fell for him.

I was completely unaware that Wren was his first love. She had lost contact with him after going abroad, so only then did he pursue me, using me as a stand-in for his longing.

Later, Wren returned and enrolled in the same school as us.

The two rekindled their old flame, and Zachary started staying out all night. To think he had the audacity to accuse me of getting in between them!

How ridiculous! He had no right to use me as a tool in their relationship.

After being dead for a while now, this was the first time I had felt genuine rage. But all I could do was watch helplessly.

As the sky turned darker, Zachary looked like someone had punched the living daylights out of him.

"Where's Sierra?" he shouted angrily. "Did you think I was stupid enough to believe that she's dead? I'm not a fool!"

As understanding as ever, Wren nudged him and said, "Forget it. Sierra probably just doesn't want to see me. Zach, don't argue with her because of me."

Enraged, Zachary sprang to his feet and stormed off. "I'd like to see just how long she plans to keep up this act!"

As he reached the yacht's deck, he swatted the flies swarming around and snapped, "What the hell is going on? Did someone dump trash again? Why are there so many flies?"

No one answered him.

Zachary strode forward and shoved the crowd aside. "Pete, what's going on?"

Pete remained silent, trembling as he pointed at the sack on the ground.

"M-Mr. Shaw, you should see for yourself…"

Inside the sack lay my battered and broken corpse.

The flies swarming around it annoyed Zachary, and he kicked the corpse hard.

"Hey, Sierra. Stop pretending!" His voice was dripping with impatience. "Get up and clean yourself up. You're covered in filth. It's no wonder the flies won't leave you alone!

"The audacity to play dead just because you were punished for a little while. You're so dramatic! Hurry up! You'll be sorry if Wren and I miss the bonfire festival in Xenas."

A squishy noise sounded as he kicked the sack, and his shoe sank into something disturbingly soft and sticky.

Startled, he yelped and yanked his foot back in horror.