“I’ll marry you,” I announced through the phone clutched tightly in my hand and swallowed the lump in my throat. “If you still want me, I’ll marry you.”

There was a pause on the other end before Asher’s response came. “Did something happen? Why the sudden change of heart? You told me all those years ago that you’d only ever have feelings for Matt Bennett.”

“I was stupid,” I said, blinking back tears.

“Asher, I know how much you want revenge on Matt for what he did to your sister all those years ago. This might be your only chance. My wedding is in two weeks, come and get me then.”

I hung up before he could respond. I could only imagine his surprise. I didn’t expect to call him either, but I had no choice now.

I wanted revenge, and Asher was the only one who could help me.

I used to think my life was perfect. Even though I was an orphan, I had my boyfriend Matt, my cousin Maya, and my uncle Henry. They were all I needed.

I should have seen all the signs, but I was too gullible to notice that I was living with snakes.

Everything changed five months ago on my birthday. We had just signed the biggest deal in the company's history, so it was a double celebration on an island in the south of France.

“Happy Birthday Jada!” Maya had beamed at me, sliding a champagne flute into my hand. “The deal of the decade on your big day? You’re unstoppable!”

I smiled at her, cheeks flushed with excitement. “Thank you, it doesn’t feel real.”

She looked around then, “Matt is such a sweetheart for throwing you this party. You deserve it.”

Her words remained in my head when I left her to get some water in the kitchen moments later. I truly felt lucky. The yacht was decorated with so many luxury items, I felt like I had the best boyfriend ever, until I reached the kitchen door and heard my uncle’s voice.

“Once you’re married, we’ll take everything. Her shares, her seat on the board, all the properties and all the money… Sinclair industries will be ours. Good job Matt, just keep distracting her till the wedding.”

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.

Matt’s voice answered clear as day on the loudspeaker. “She won’t suspect a thing. She’s blinded by her love for me.”

My uncle laughed. “My late brother was a greedy bastard, and even though he didn’t leave me a penny in his will, this marriage will ensure I get everything I deserve.”

I covered my mouth with my hand to stop myself from gasping out loud. This couldn’t be happening.

My father had very traditional beliefs, and even though he left me everything, I couldn’t have real control over any of it. His will stated that my inheritance would become my husband’s when I got married and that was the only way I could have access to it.

But Matt loved me. There was no way this could be true. and my uncle… he was my only remaining family. How could they do this to me?

I stumbled back, feeling lightheaded. I staggered back to my bedroom, desperate to tell Maya what I had just heard. But when I got to the room, I was greeted with the second shock of my life.

Matt had his back turned to me, and Maya was on top of him, straddling him as he kissed her. His mouth was on hers and then it was on her neck and everywhere else. His hands danced in her hair and traced her spine. Maya giggled softly like she owned him.

I wanted to scream, but nothing came out when I opened my mouth.

Maya looked up and saw me watching them. I didn’t know what I was expecting, shock maybe? But there was no sign of remorse in her eyes. She didn’t even try to stop Matt.

Instead, she winked at me and smiled, then went back to kissing my fiancé like it was the most natural thing in the world.

She got bolder after that, sending me pictures of her and Matt going out on dates without me. And Matt… he stopped hiding his affection for her. He would snap at me at the smallest thing just to pacify Maya. She became the center of his universe. He even gave away my dog I’d had since I was a little girl to some random stranger because Maya claimed she had suddenly developed an allergy to the dog.

“Jada!” Maya’s loud voice dragged me out of my thoughts and back to the present. She was walking over to the beach with a wine glass in hand.

We were back on an island now, because Maya insisted that she wanted to have the exact same birthday party as mine.

“Everyone’s on the boat, you shouldn’t be out here.”

I sighed. “Go back to your party, Maya. I’m fine here.”

Her eyes darkened. “I know what you’re doing. You think Matt will run over here to you because you look so pitiful?”

“What the hell are you even talking about?” I asked.

“Just get out of our lives already!” She snapped. “He doesn’t love you. Can’t you see that it’s me he loves?”

“Then have him, Maya. I don’t care.”

My response must have annoyed her, because before I could blink, she looked down at the large rock next to me, pulled her leg back and kicked the rock with so much force, I was sure I heard the crack of her bone.

“Arrrrrghhhhhh!”

“Maya!” Matt’s panicked voice echoed as he rushed down the sand toward us.

Of course he would come running like a loyal dog. He was always ready when it came to Maya. But if anything happened to me, he acted like it was just another normal day.

She collapsed into him, clutching her foot dramatically as tears welled in her eyes. “It hurts, Matt. It hurts so much,” she whimpered, burying her face in his chest.

He glared at me over her shoulder like this was somehow my fault. “What the hell happened, Jada?”

“She pushed me!” Maya answered, her voice trembling with fake emotion.

“She kicked a rock,” I said flatly. “On purpose.”

“Don’t you dare blame her!” he snapped, scooping her into his arms like she was made of glass. “You’ve been acting insane for months. God, look at you— just sitting there while she’s in pain?”

“She’s an adult woman who decided to kick a rock on her own. What do you expect me to do? Obsess over her like you’re doing right now?”

Matt looked at me with venomous eyes. “Have you always been so evil? She’s your cousin! How can you do this to her?”

“I’m fine Mattie,” Maya sniffled, eyes glistening with fake tears. “She didn’t mean it… she’s just upset. It must be hard for Jada to see me having the same party as her. I should’ve known she didn’t want to come celebrate with me.”

“She’s just trying to celebrate with her friends, why can’t you be happy for her?”

I almost laughed. The hypocrisy was just too much.

Matt kissed the top of her head, comforting her like she was a child. “We’ll get you back on the yacht and straight to the hospital, okay?”

Then he turned back to me. “And you, you’ll stay here and think about what you’ve done. Maybe some time alone will teach you to be kinder.”

I stood at alert. “Are you insane? We’re way too far from town. You can’t leave me here on this island. It’s going to be high tide soon!”

“Watch me.”

He carried her away, leaving me on the beach like I was invisible.

“Matt please…” I cried, but of course, he didn’t turn back.

He was too focused on the fragile princess Maya in his arms.

Soon enough, the sound of their voices faded, replaced only by the waves slamming against the shore like they were mocking me. I stood there in tears, staring at their retreating figures until they disappeared in the distance.

For hours, I sat on the sand, knees pulled to my chest, watching the party lights glowing faintly in the distance. Laughter drifted over faintly, adding salt to injury.

They didn’t come back for me.

They didn’t even look back once

The night deepened, the air was turning sharp and cold.

I only had my bikini on, and it was freezing cold. I’d left my phone on the yacht, so I couldn’t call anyone.

The tide crept closer until the water licked at my bare feet, then my shins. I stood, wobbling from exhaustion and hunger, but the sand was too soft.

One strong wave crashed into me, dragging me under. Salt burned my throat as I gasped and choked, swallowing more water than air. The current tossed me like a rag doll. I flailed, clawing against the pull, but it was relentless.

My body screamed for air, but I was so tired— so tired of everything.

For a moment, I didn’t fight it.

Then I heard Maya’s voice in my head, laughing. “Just get out of our lives already. He doesn’t love you.”

No.

I kicked upward, clawing at the water until everything went black. It was useless. I didn’t know how to swim.

---

When I opened my eyes again, I was blinded by harsh white lights.

The smell of antiseptic and the constant beep of machines told me I was in the hospital. I tried to sit up but my chest burned.

“You’re awake,” a nurse said gently. “You’re very lucky. One of the locals found you washed up on shore and brought you here. You’d been in the water for a long time.”

“What?” I asked in confusion.

“You swallowed a lot of salt water and passed out from suffocation, it’s a miracle you even survived.”

I looked around the room in a daze. “How long have I been here?”

“A little over a week now.”

My eyes widened. “A week? Did anyone come for me?” I asked even though I already knew the answer.

“Yes ma’am,” she answered, much to my surprise. “You didn’t have an ID on you, so we put it out on the news, and a man arrived here days ago.”

“A man? Did you get his name?”

She walked over to the small table on the other side of the room where a large bouquet of flowers sat, and picked up a card. “He left this.”

I turned the card over. There was a handwritten note.

[ Get well soon. — A.G]

I immediately knew who it was. Asher Galanis.

“I have to go home.” I was already removing the IV in my hand despite the hesitation on the nurse’s face.

“Ma’am, you’ve been in a coma for days, we have to monitor you.”

“I’m fine. I have to get home right now.”

When I arrived home, laughter spilled out from the dining room when I pushed the door open.

I frowned and walked in, only to find Matt, Maya and Uncle Henry seated at a table full of our mutual friends. The table was decorated and everyone was dressed up in fancy clothes.

For a split second, I foolishly thought Matt had come back to his senses. I thought he must have found out I was coming home and he arranged this dinner for me, until he looked up.

“Oh… Jada, you’re here.”

“You sound disappointed,” I said, already cursing myself for being so delusional. “What’s going on here?”

Maya smiled then. “Oh, Dad and Mattie are just throwing me a dinner party since my birthday was ruined by the incident.” She pointed to her bandaged foot.

Uncle Henry cleared his throat. “Jada, I heard what happened on the yacht.”

“Oh you did? And nobody cared to look for me for more than a week? You left me out at sea to die and now you’re throwing a feast to celebrate?”

“Oh please, enough of the theatrics Jada,” Matt said. “You’re here, aren’t you? It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“I almost died!” I screamed.

Maya rolled her eyes.

“What exactly happened?” One of our friends chimed in, eyes darting between me and Maya. “Why would you attack her like that?”

I blinked. “Attack her? You all think I pushed her foot into a rock?”

Maya dabbed delicately at the corner of her mouth with a napkin. “Don’t be mad at them, Jada. I told everyone it wasn’t your fault. You’ve been under a lot of stress. I understand.”

My stomach twisted.

Matt set down his wine glass, eyes cold. “We all know you’ve been having… issues lately. Maya’s just trying to be gracious.”

“Gracious,” I repeated flatly.

“Maybe it’s best if you rest upstairs,” he said. “We’re trying to have a nice evening.”

“You can have some of the leftovers when we’re done… if you’re hungry.” Maya added.

Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. They just watched me, silently judging. All the friends I introduced to Maya and Matt had turned on me. Nobody even cared about my side of the story.

I smiled faintly. “You’re right. I should get some rest.”

And then I turned and walked upstairs without another word.

My phone was on my bed when I entered my room and I picked it up to find missed calls from Asher. I dialed him back immediately.

He answered on the first ring. “Jada? Are you okay? I just got to the hospital and the nurse said you asked to be discharged.”

“Yes. I’m okay. They told me you stayed by my bed for days”

“Of course. I flew in the second I saw your face on the news.”

“You didn’t have to do that…”

“You almost drowned, Jada. I have no idea what exactly happened, but I can bet it had something to do with that Matt Bennett. You’re not safe with him. I’m coming over there to get you right now.”

I couldn’t stop the warmth from spreading in my chest. No one had cared about me like this in a long time. It felt like I was experiencing true love for the first time.

I closed my eyes. “I want nothing more than to leave too. But I can’t, not yet. There’s only three days until the wedding now. We just have to be patient.”

There was silence on his end before he asked in a soft voice, “are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Okay. Three more days and you’ll be mine.”

I called my lawyer the second Asher hung up.

“Miss Sinclair,” my lawyer answered groggily.

“I want you to draft eviction notices,” I said in a steady voice. “I want everyone out of my house in three days. And I want you to put a pause on the contracts that’ll bind Matt Bennett to my inheritance.

There was a pause. “Miss Sinclair, about that…”

I frowned. “What’s going on?”

“Matt Bennett has filed an appeal to the board to grant him full ownership and control of everything before the wedding. This was over a week ago. I’ve called countless times and sent a ton of emails but I couldn’t reach you.”

“What!? He can’t— he can’t do that right?”

“As it stands, you have more rights than he does right now because you’re not legally married yet. But don’t forget that your father officially betrothed you to him before he died. It’s public knowledge. Your father introduced him to everyone before he died. So if he’s able to prove that you’re mentally unfit, he might get the board to agree to his proposal.”

“What do you mean mentally unfit?”

“That was the basis of his appeal. And you know how these things work, Miss Sinclair. The board will only do things in the interest of the company, they don’t care about being loyal to you. So if they think Matt is a better fit for the job, they’ll give it to him.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It all felt like one big cruel joke.

“What do I do?”

My lawyer sighed. “You call a meeting tomorrow and fight like hell.”