"Mr. Chapman, she's a mermaid like no other—a rare find," the old doctor said with a sly grin, his eyes greedily fixed on me.

"Her toughest scale will guarantee your child's future is safe and sound."

I shivered as I watched Trevon gently rocking Corinne in his arms. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You want my scale? Do you even understand what that means to me?"

Of course he did.

When mermaids give birth, we lose almost all of our strength. I had nearly died bringing his child into this world, fulfilling his wish.

If he took the scale that kept me alive, I’d be nothing but a shell, barely clinging to life.

Trevon wouldn’t meet my eyes. His face twisted into a mask of false guilt before he scolded me, as if he had any right to.

"If you hadn’t interfered, Corinne wouldn’t have had complications. She went into labor early. The baby was born weak and had to be rushed to an incubator. You hurt them both. You owe them."

Then, without another glance at me, he nodded at the old doctor.

The doctor lunged forward, pinning me down and forcing a bitter potion down my throat.

Pain shot through my body like fire. Sweat poured from my forehead as I gasped for air, collapsing in agony.

Gasps filled the room.

I looked down and saw my legs—gone. In their place was a mermaid’s tail, limp and lifeless on the floor.

"My special secret potion worked after all," the old doctor said with a wicked grin. "It revealed your true form."

Without hesitation, he grabbed a surgical knife. With a few swift cuts, he began stripping the scales from my tail. Blood sprayed across the room. My screams rang out, raw and helpless.

Trevon took the bloody scales from the doctor and handed them to Corinne as if they were the most precious gift in the world.

As darkness swallowed the edges of my vision, I heard Corinne’s sugary voice.

"Trevon, you always take such good care of us. With this fish scale protecting him, our son will grow up strong and healthy. He won’t end up like that doomed monster."

Trevon smiled, finally at ease. His eyes fell hungrily on my tail.

"Soon, I’ll use your tail to make medicine for Corinne. She’ll recover even faster. We’ve got our whole future ahead of us."

---

When I regained consciousness, I was in a hospital bed, staring up at a stained ceiling.

Slowly, I reached down—and froze.

My legs were gone. The fabric of my pants hung empty, swaying in the breeze.

Trevon saw me stir and let out a long sigh, smiling like it was all good news.

"Jessica, the surgery was a success. Your tail saved Corinne. She’s healed now. She can live a normal life."

"And what about me?" I asked, tears in my eyes, staring at the cruel curve of his smile.

His expression faltered. He frowned, clearly irritated by my question.

"Didn’t I tell you again and again? Even without your legs, you can still live your life. I’ll be your legs. I’ll take care of you."

"Trading your legs for Corinne’s life—that’s your lucky break."

Lucky break?

I let out a cold, brittle laugh.

'Why don’t I give you this “lucky break”? Would you like that?' I thought.

"Trevon," I said calmly, "I want a divorce."