After a morning of commotion, Alyssa offered to pick up the tab for lunch.

Charlie didn't even stop to think before turning her down. "Don't bother. If you've had your fun, just go home."

But Alyssa had no intention of listening. Ignoring his protest, she grabbed Charlie by the arm and started hauling him toward the door.

His friends, afraid he wouldn't go, made sure to pull Yuliana along with them.

They drove to the beach, where a party was already in full swing. Between the roaring bonfires and the blaring music, the shoreline was teeming with life.

The pounding bass of the heavy metal music made Yuliana's heart race, leaving her feeling unwell. She slipped away from the noise to a quieter stretch of sand, sitting in silence as she stared out at the endless ocean.

Charlie noticed her discomfort and walked over, intending to give her a slice of cake.

Yuliana saw him approaching and reached out to take it, but he brushed past her, weaving through the crowd toward Alyssa instead.

Alyssa was just about to take a drag of her cigarette when Charlie snatched it from her lips.

"Didn't you promise me you were done smoking?" he demanded.

Alyssa blinked up at him, putting on an innocent expression. "I just forgot for a second. Why are you so worked up?"

As she spoke, she reached out and took the cake from his hand with a bright, playful smile. "Thanks for this, though."

Charlie paused for a moment, his empty hand curling into a tight fist.

Without another word, he drifted back to where Yuliana was sitting and absentmindedly held out the cigarette he had confiscated from Alyssa.

Yuliana looked up and saw that his gaze was still glued to Alyssa. She didn't reach for the cigarette. Instead, she stood up and brushed the sand from her clothes.

"Thanks, but I don't smoke," she said. "I'm going to the pool."

Only then did Charlie realize how distracted he had been. He was so spaced out that he had forgotten he was holding a cigarette instead of the cake.

He opened his mouth to explain, but Yuliana was already gone. He never even got the chance to say a word.

Yuliana waded into the pool, letting the cool water close over her. The chill shocked her system, finally quieting the noise in her head.

Perhaps she had been wound too tight lately, because the sudden wave of relaxation left her lightheaded. Her eyelids grew heavy, and before she knew it, she drifted off.

The thumping music drowned out the sound of Charlie calling her name.

When he didn't get a response after several tries, panic seized him. Afraid she had gone under, he sprinted to the edge of the pool. Seeing her floating there, seemingly unconscious, his heart skipped a beat. He dove in without a second thought and hauled her out of the water.

Yuliana opened her eyes groggily. Before she could even process who was holding her, she instinctively looped her arms around his shoulders.

She was wearing nothing but a swimsuit, and Charlie was shirtless. As they clung to each other, skin pressed against skin, the atmosphere between them grew heavy with intimacy.

Her warm breath brushed the crook of his neck, sending a shiver through him. He looked down at her, his Adam's apple bobbing, until his resistance finally gave way and he leaned in.

Just as they were about to kiss, a piercing scream shattered the moment and forced them apart.

Alyssa stood there, face pale, her teeth biting into her lower lip as tears filled her eyes.

Without waiting for Charlie to explain, she turned and bolted.

Charlie froze for a split second before hastily setting Yuliana down and taking off after Alyssa in a blind panic.

"Alyssa! Wait! It's not what you think! You've got it all wrong!" he shouted as he ran.

Yuliana wondered. What was there to get wrong? The "misunderstanding" of a legal husband almost kissing his wife?

Even after all these years, Charlie was still trapped in his role as Alyssa's boyfriend. His first instinct when caught with another woman was to apologize and explain. That reflex was etched into his very bones, a habit he could never seem to break.

It wasn't until Charlie disappeared from sight that Yuliana realized the moisture on her face wasn't pool water. It was her own tears.

She changed clothes, desperate to escape the place where she so clearly didn't belong. But as she neared the shore, Alyssa burst into view again.

Charlie grabbed her by the arm, and their heated argument drifted over to Yuliana.

"I was just worried Yuliana was drowning!" Charlie barked. "I was saving her. I would've done the same for a total stranger! Is there really a reason to be this angry?"

The words hit Yuliana like a punch to the gut. So that was it. After three years of marriage, she held the same status in Charlie's heart as a total stranger.

Alyssa wrenched her hand free. "Fine! You're such a hero, so compassionate toward everyone. Go back to your wife, then! Why are you wasting your breath explaining yourself to an ex-girlfriend?"

"Alyssa, do you have to be so hurtful?"

"Hurtful? I'm just stating the facts!"

At that, the air between them fell into a tense silence.

"From now on, stay out of my life!" Alyssa snapped.

With that, she left Charlie standing there, jumped into her car, and sped away.

Without a second thought, Charlie hopped into his own car and tore after her.

The party ended miserably. The beach, so vibrant only moments ago, was now desolate and cold. The only sound left was the relentless, heartless crashing of the waves against the rocks.

Just as Yuliana was about to leave, Charlie's friends called out to her.

"This is bad! Yuliana!" Ethan Carter shouted, stamping his feet in panic. "Charlie just jumped into the ocean!"

By the time Yuliana reached the scene, Alyssa's car was already submerged in the ocean. Alyssa was slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious.

Without a second thought, Charlie plunged into the water, fighting the battering waves to reach her.

He swam with everything he had, shouting over the roar of the waves, "Alyssa! Alyssa, don't be afraid! I'm coming for you!"

"It's my fault… It's all my fault," he choked out. "I shouldn't have made you angry. I shouldn't have let you drive off alone. If you hadn't been so upset with me, you wouldn't have been speeding. This never would have happened…"

He trailed off. The mere thought of it seemed to cause him unbearable pain. He took the full weight of the blame upon himself, consumed by remorse.

Yuliana stood on the shore, a memory surfacing of the time she nearly died from an alcohol allergy last year. Back then, Charlie had stayed away, claiming he was buried in overtime. He never once visited her during her entire hospital stay.

The contrast between love and its absence was glaringly obvious.

The saltwater was piercingly cold at this time of year. Charlie's face had turned deathly pale from the cold, yet he pushed forward with a terrifying determination.

When he was still some distance from Alyssa's car, his face suddenly contorted. Yuliana recognized that look—he hadn't warmed up before diving in, and his calf was cramping.

"Can any of you swim? Someone, help him!"

But none of Charlie's friends gathered there knew how to swim. They could only stand there, uselessly watching the tide.

Charlie's strength was flagging. He struggled to stay afloat, nearly dragged under by the waves several times, choking down mouthfuls of saltwater. His lips had turned purple, and his face grew more ghastly by the second, yet he refused to turn back.

"Charlie, come back!" his friends on the shore shouted. "Otherwise, you'll lose your life too!"

But Charlie didn't listen. He fought the current as if he had already decided that if he couldn't save Alyssa, he'd rather go down with her.

Finally, he reached the car. Seeing Alyssa motionless inside, he shouted her name at the top of his lungs, "Alyssa! Alyssa, wake up! Look at me!"

But Alyssa had completely lost consciousness and remained unresponsive. In a desperate frenzy, he slammed his bare fists against the window—once, twice, over and over until his hands were shredded and bloody. Blood stained the frothing water around him, yet the glass refused to yield.

As the water rose past Alyssa's chin, Charlie delivered one final, bone-shattering blow. The glass finally gave way, the shards slicing deep gashes into his hand.

He hoisted Alyssa onto his back. No matter how many waves slammed against his face, he wouldn't let the woman on his back suffer even a scratch.

After they finally made it ashore, Charlie had barely set Alyssa down before he passed out.

Fortunately, the ambulance arrived just in time to rush them both to the hospital.

Charlie's friends watched the ambulance fade into the distance, letting out a collective sigh.

"Charlie is usually cold and distant with everyone. How did he end up so hung up on Alyssa? He's reckless when it comes to her. Once, just to keep her from drinking, he drank himself into the ICU, nearly losing his life."

"Yeah, he'd give her his heart if he could," another added. "Remember that high school hiking trip when they ran into a mudslide? He pushed Alyssa to safety and got trapped in a cave himself. The rescue team spent three days and nights saving him. Any later, and he would've been a goner."

"Everything Charlie has ever risked his life for has been for Alyssa. I thought he still had feelings for her, so I was trying to get them back together."

They kept reminiscing about the epic love story of Charlie and Alyssa, completely forgetting that Yuliana was standing right there.

Their words left Yuliana's mind blank. At that moment, she finally understood why everyone had looked at her in shock when she stood up at Charlie's wedding. Looking back, she must have seemed like a complete joke to them.

His heart had already belonged to someone else. No matter how hard she tried, she was never going to move the needle even a fraction of an inch.

She had been wrong from the very beginning, and this total defeat was entirely her own doing.

…

When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor was already wheeling both of them out. The group crowded around him anxiously.

"The lady is out of danger. But the gentleman… The bones in his hand are shattered. He may lose the use of that hand permanently."

The doctor couldn't help but add with a sigh of admiration, "In all my years, this is the first time I've seen a man so willing to sacrifice himself for the one he loves."

Yuliana stood at the back of the crowd. Watching the agony etched on Charlie's face, she lowered her eyes and let out a cold, hollow laugh.

It wasn't until the morning of the third day that Charlie finally drifted back to consciousness.

Even before he opened his eyes, he was mumbling Alyssa's name in a daze. Probably caught in a nightmare, he suddenly jolted awake, his forehead slick with sweat.

"Alyssa… How is she?"

His mind was so consumed with thoughts of Alyssa that he failed to notice the dark circles under Yuliana's eyes—evidence of two sleepless nights spent watching over him.

Yuliana nodded, her voice hoarse. "The doctor said she's out of danger. She just needs a few months to recover."

Her voice faltered. "But your hand…"

At her words, the crushing weight on Charlie's chest finally lifted.

He dismissed her concern, saying, "My hand doesn't matter. As long as she's safe, I'd pay any price."

Still, he was too worried to rest. Despite his weakened state, he tried to force himself out of bed to see her.

However, the moment his feet touched the floor, his body went weak, and he collapsed.

Yuliana couldn't hold him back. It was the nurse who came to administer the IV who helped lift Charlie back onto the bed.

Anxiety was etched into his every feature. He was desperate to know how Alyssa was doing.

After racking his brain, he finally came up with an excuse.

"Yuliana, Ethan called Alyssa's distant cousin. He should be at the hospital by now. Could you go find him and give him my regards? And… check on her while you're at it."

What a "convenient" errand.

Yuliana didn't argue. She simply nodded and did as he asked.

After a brief stop at the supermarket for a fruit basket, Yuliana made her way toward Alyssa's hospital room.

She was just about to knock when she heard Alyssa's voice drifting from inside, coy and flirtatious.

Then came a man's voice, "I never expected Charlie's friend to call me. If he ever finds out about us, our whole plan goes up in smoke."

"What are you worried about?" Alyssa replied. "I use a separate phone when I'm with him. I even saved your number as 'Cousin.' He'll never suspect a thing."

"That's my clever girl," the man chuckled.

Yuliana's heart jolted violently, yet she stayed where she was and kept listening.

The man continued, "We were supposed to get married this year. I never thought you'd get into an accident. Looks like the wedding will have to be postponed."

"What's the rush? Once I've squeezed more money out of Charlie, we can book an even bigger ballroom for the wedding," Alyssa said dismissively.

Yuliana's hands curled into tight fists as she heard that.

Alyssa was in a relationship—about to get married, even. To her, Charlie was nothing more than a human ATM to fund her wedding.

Just then, a doctor came in to change the IV, pushing the door open and startling the two inside.

Alyssa looked up and went pale the moment she saw Yuliana standing there.

"What are you doing here?"

Yuliana walked in and set the fruit basket on the table. "Someone asked me to check in on you. But seeing how well you're recovering, I'm sure he has nothing to worry about."

With that, she turned and walked out without looking back.

Terrified that Yuliana would blow her cover, Alyssa ignored her injuries and scrambled after her, finally catching up with her at the stairwell.

"Are you going to run back and tell Charlie? Do you really think he'd believe a word you say?" Alyssa demanded.

Despite her defiance, the guilt was plain on Alyssa's face. Her words sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than anyone else.

Yuliana turned to face Alyssa, her voice cutting like ice. "Why are you lying to Charlie? You're about to get married, yet you refuse to let him go. Is it really just for his money?"

Alyssa arched a brow and sneered. "The money is part of it, sure. But what I really enjoy is watching him lose his mind over me. I love having him wrapped around my finger, basking in the way he worships me."

"Charlie was willing to die for you. And you're just trampling all over his heart?" Yuliana shot back.

Seeing Yuliana's righteous fury, Alyssa scoffed. "That's his choice. I'm young and beautiful, and I hold all the cards. Even the high-and-mighty Charlie Zimmer is nothing more than a dog begging at my feet."

With each word she spoke, her arrogance grew, leaving Yuliana at a loss for words.

Yet her silence only emboldened Alyssa. She looked Yuliana up and down with disdain, as if watching a pathetic clown in a cheap comedy.

She let out a mocking scoff. "Besides, you should be thanking me. I let you play Mrs. Zimmer for three free years. You're nothing but a thief living someone else's life."

She leaned closer and whispered, "I'll tell you another secret. I didn't actually go abroad on our wedding day. I hooked up with two seniors a few days earlier and accidentally got pregnant. I was at the clinic getting an abortion.

"If Charlie hadn't been trying so hard to spite me, do you think he would have looked at you twice?"

The rage Yuliana had suppressed for years finally hit its breaking point.

She instinctively raised her hand, but before she could even touch Alyssa, a twisted, unreadable smile flashed across Alyssa's face. Suddenly, as if struck by a massive force, Alyssa threw herself backward and tumbled down the stairs.

Before Yuliana could even register what had happened, a violent shove sent her crashing to the floor.

Charlie rushed down the stairs, his face stricken as he gathered a bruised Alyssa into his arms. He looked up at Yuliana—who stood frozen in shock—with eyes blazing with fury.

"Alyssa is in a fragile state! How could you lay a hand on her?" he roared.

Tears streamed down Alyssa's face as she clung to Charlie's hand, her voice a fragile whimper. "It's my fault. I'm just your ex. I shouldn't have shown my face in front of your wife. She had every right to push me."

Charlie's expression darkened with every word. Yuliana knew that no explanation would ever reach him.

Yet to him, her silence was an admission of guilt.

He looked away in disappointment, lifted Alyssa into his arms, and walked off without sparing Yuliana another glance.