For the next three days and nights, Ariel burned with relentless fever, slipping in and out of consciousness.

In her delirium, she kept dreaming of the 18-year-old Keith.

She dreamed of his rain-soaked shoulders, the way he always walked on the traffic side of the road to shield her, and the eyes that once reflected her every smile.

But in every dream, the warmth would always fade into nothingness. The 28-year-old Keith kept choosing Natalie, and their silhouettes faded farther and farther away as they walked side by side.

Ariel tried to call out to him, but no sound came from her throat.

When she jolted awake from the nightmare, Keith's furious voice echoed in her ears.

"Why isn't she awake yet?"

Through her blurry vision, she saw him standing at the hospital door, shouting at the hospital director with bloodshot eyes.

"If she doesn't wake up soon, you'd better shut this place down! I want you and your crappy doctors out of Zexville!"

Upon noticing Ariel's stirring, Keith instantly rushed to her bedside.

"Ariel, you're awake?"

Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his voice was rough and low. "Why didn't you call for help?"

A tremor rippled through Ariel's chest.

For a moment, she thought back to when they were younger. Keith used to sit by her bedside when she had a fever, anxious yet gentle.

But that fleeting warmth was quickly shattered by the memory of what happened before she blacked out.

Struggling to sit up, she hastily signed, "Natalie ordered her bodyguard to kidnap me. I want to call the police."

"I know," Keith replied grimly. "But it was just a childish prank she took too far. She already knows she was wrong. She even asked me to apologize to you on her behalf."

His tone was calm and casual, as though he was talking about nothing more than a harmless spat between children.

Ariel's eyes reddened with fury. Her movement grew so frantic that she nearly ripped out the IV, blood flowing back into the drip bag.

"What if I insist on pressing charges?"

"I've already punished her." Keith frowned unhappily. "She acted out of line, so I confined her for a day to reflect."

Ariel froze for a moment. Then, a quiet, bitter laugh escaped her lips, making every wound on her body ache.

She signed, "She threw me into a vat of corrosive chemicals. My entire body is burned, and you're telling me the culprit gets one day of confinement? Is that a punishment? Or are you just protecting her from me?"

Her signing was frantic, like a trapped butterfly beating its wings in anguish.

Something in Keith's eyes flickered with guilt. He reached out and caressed her head gently. "Stay in the hospital and behave. Don't make trouble."

But there was a hint of warning in his voice. "If I give the order, no one in the country will dare to take your case."

Ariel clenched her fists so tightly that her nails cut into her palms, blood pooling in her hands.

He was blindly defending Natalie again.

Just then, Keith's phone buzzed.

Ariel glanced at his screen and saw a flood of unread messages. She didn't need to guess to know who they were from.

"There's an emergency at work. I'll come back later," Keith said flatly. But the flicker of desire in his eyes betrayed him as he turned to leave.

As soon as the door shut, Ariel smiled bitterly. The last trace of light in her eyes faded completely.

She checked her phone. Only three days remained until her fake death.

Natalie's latest post on her Instagram was uploaded three minutes ago. It was a series of snaps flaunting expensive gifts.

The caption read, "It feels so good to have someone to rely on. Thank you for your endless love."

In every photo, her hand was intertwined with a man's. Their matching wedding rings were gleaming for all to see.

Ariel knew the man was Keith and also understood that Natalie had posted it to show off.

The ring on Natalie's finger was identical to hers. She stared at the diamond on Natalie's ring for a long moment. To complete this charade, Keith had even commissioned two of the same wedding rings.

Perhaps his love had been divided between two women from the start. It was just that one got more while the other got less.

Ariel's mind drifted back to the day Keith had knelt before her. She remembered the words he had said to her. "Ariel, will you marry me? I'll love you with all my heart, for the rest of my life.

It turned out that the promise only lasted five years.

Her smile hardened. She slid off the multimillion-dollar ring and tossed it into the medical waste bin like it was nothing.

She was done with Keith Ford for good.

Keith never visited Ariel at the hospital again. He only sent her a meaningless message.

"I'm on a business trip. Tell my assistant if you want anything. I'll buy it for you as compensation."

Ariel didn't reply. Natalie kept posting stories of her vacation with Keith every day on Instagram. Even at this point, he was still lying.

Ariel stayed at the hospital alone. She had meals and applied her medication all by herself.

The day she was discharged happened to be her birthday. It was also the day she would stage her death.

…

"Get in the car. I'll take you to your birthday banquet," Keith said, standing straight next to a black Maybach. He was wearing a suit.

Natalie was sitting in the passenger's seat, wearing a red dress. She had red lipstick on. It made her smile look especially alluring.

"Ariel, I'll be relying on you today," she said. "Even though I'm your stand-in, it's still my first time attending such a fancy event."

When Ariel saw her, she looked down at her white dress and realized something. Keith prepared the same dress for her, but Natalie's dress was bright red. Even on her own birthday, she had to stand on the sidelines and act as "Natalie".

…

Priceless gifts filled the lavishly decorated ballroom on the cruise ship. Love letters Keith had written for her were displayed on the big screen, but Ariel was numb to it all.

Using her name, Keith had made her the perfect princess of a fairy tale and married her. But in the end, she was nothing but a prop.

Throughout the banquet, Ariel stood quietly in a corner like an outsider. She watched Keith and Natalie welcome the guests as husband and wife, just as Keith and Ariel had at their engagement party.

While she was lost in thought, a waiter carrying a tray bumped into her shoulder when he passed by. After returning to her senses, Ariel found a note in her hand.

The handwriting on the note was familiar yet strange. It read, "I'll whisk you away at 8:00 pm tonight."

"What's wrong?" Keith suddenly appeared behind her. He frowned, displeased. "What did that waiter do to you?"

His words were tinged with jealousy.

Ariel shook her head and discreetly hid the note in her fist.

Keith looked at her skeptically. He thought she seemed different somehow.

But before he could question her, the guest behind him greeted him. Keith had no choice but to leave after saying, "There are too many people here. Be good and stay in this corner."

Ariel glanced at the clock on the wall. In ten minutes, she would jump into the ocean and fake her death. She slipped out to the empty deck and waited for the right time to jump into the ocean.

Suddenly, someone called her name from behind.

Natalie walked up to her with a smile. "Since today's your birthday, I prepared a gift for you."

At her words, a few notorious playboys showed up behind Natalie and pretended to grab her.

"I don't know you! Let me go!" she yelled.

Keith, who rushed to the scene at the sudden commotion, saw what was happening.

Natalie threw herself into his arms, her voice trembling, "Ariel, I'm really sorry about last time. You've suffered through this before, so why are you punishing me in the same, horrible way?"

Keith's eyes darkened. He looked at the men before him and saw that they were all playboys who were notorious for toying with women.

Thinking that Natalie never had the chance to get to know any guys from the upper class, Keith believed her words. The way he looked at Ariel immediately turned cold and distant.

"Are you jealous?" he asked. Complicated emotions filled his eyes. "I'm happy that you care about me, but doing something like this is simply disgusting. You should reflect on your actions."

With that, Keith grabbed Natalie's hand and left without another glance.

"Will Ariel be alright if we leave her back there by herself?" Natalie asked with fake concern.

"What's going to happen to her?" he replied dismissively. "She brought them here. They won't lay a hand on her."

Watching Keith's back as he left in determination, Ariel curled her lips and said, "Keith, you'd better not regret what you did today."

Her soft voice was carried away by the wind.

Keith's footsteps slowed. For some reason, he felt a strange sense of unease. But upon remembering that Ariel was mute, he dismissed it as his imagination and walked on.

After Keith and Natalie returned to the ballroom, the group of playboys grabbed Ariel and leered at her. "You've got such a sexy body. How many men have you slept with?"

Ariel fought back desperately. The ruby necklace she was wearing snapped in the struggle and scratched her neck.

The necklace fell to the floor. Flashing red, the hidden camera inside the pendant recorded everything.

Seeing that Ariel was fighting back, the group of playboys cursed. "You're just a secretary who slept her way up to the top. What are you acting all innocent for? Mr. Ford's already sick of you!"

Right then, the clock struck eight. It was time for her to jump into the ocean and fake her death.

Ariel bit the man who was holding her down as hard as she could and ran to the railing when his grip loosened. Spotting the lifeboat hidden in the dark, she threw herself into the ocean without hesitation.

The group of playboys stumbled backward and ran away in fear.

"Holy shit! She jumped into the ocean!" one of them shouted.

…

Fireworks were going off in the sky.

However, Keith was distracted. His eyes kept searching for Ariel to check if she had returned to the ballroom.

When he swept his gaze across the windows, he saw the exact moment a figure in white jumped into the ocean. His heart sank at the sight.

His breathing hitched. The glass of wine he was holding crashed to the floor, splattering its contents everywhere.

Did Ariel just jump into the ocean?

The fierce waves quickly swallowed Ariel. Watching her disappear into the ocean, Keith's eyes widened.

"Ariel, no!" he shouted instinctively. His desperate cry attracted everyone's attention.

Keith was always calm and composed. It was the first time anyone had seen him lose his composure. All the guests fell silent and looked at his pale face in confusion.

"What's wrong, Keith?" Natalie asked, her expression stiff. She smiled awkwardly and grabbed his arm. "Aren't I right next to you? Why did you shout so loudly?"

Keith shook her hand off and pushed her away without hesitation. Then, he rushed to the deck.

Since Natalie was wearing heels, she was knocked off balance and only managed to steady herself after stumbling back for a few steps. She almost fell to the floor.

Her sweet smile faltered. It was the first time Keith had treated her so roughly. Upset, Natalie looked in the direction he had been staring.

The fireworks in the sky lit up the surface of the ocean. The waves sparkled in the light.

Whenever light shone on the surface of the ocean, Natalie could see a slim figure moving with the waves. The dress she was wearing looked surprisingly familiar.

It was Ariel!

Natalie was shocked for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by excitement. Ignoring the guests, who were whispering amongst themselves, she quickly raised the hem of her dress and hurried after Keith.

The wind was strong outside. She almost lost her balance.

Grabbing the railing tightly, Keith looked at the faint silhouette in the ocean. "Someone, get in the water and rescue Ariel!"

"Y-Yes, sir!" At his command, his subordinates had no choice but to prepare the lifeboats and toss a few lifebuoys into the ocean.

Suddenly, several large waves came crashing in. Ariel's figure disappeared beneath the water.

Keith's heart seized. "Ariel! Ariel!"

He called out her name at the top of his lungs again and again until his voice was hoarse. However, all he could hear was the sound of the waves and the wind.

Keith's mind went blank. No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't figure out why Ariel would jump into the ocean and kill herself.

Today was her birthday. She should be happy instead.

Endless questions wrapped around his heart like thorny vines. The thorns dug deeper with every heartbeat. Now that things had come to this point, no one could answer him.

Staring at the dark surface of the ocean, Keith panicked and lost his rationality. He quickly climbed up the railing.

"I'm going to rescue her myself."

"Mr. Ford, don't!" Ethan Reed, his assistant, rushed over, face pale at the sight. He quickly stopped Keith from climbing over the railing. "This is a shark-infested area. It's too dangerous for you!"

"That's right! It's too dangerous!" Natalie agreed. She held onto Keith's suit with Ethan. "Natalie must have jumped into the ocean to die. No one can stop her if she's made up her mind!"

Her eyes glinted coldly as she added, "Maybe that group of playboys did something to her. She must've felt too ashamed to—"

"Shut your mouth!" Keith roared and kicked her aside. Natalie had never seen so much bloodthirst in his eyes. "I don't have time for your nonsense!"

With that, he jumped into the ocean without a second thought.

The raging waves drowned out the shouts behind him. Keith had only one thought in his mind: he had to save Ariel.

The waves were ruthless. They slammed into Keith's body over and over again.

His suit was wet and heavy. The seawater that filled his mouth was cold and salty.

Suddenly, he spotted something white in the water. It was the hem of Ariel's dress!

Seeing that the waves were going to crash into him again, he swam toward the dress like a drowning man reaching out to a lifeline. "Ariel! Hold onto me!"

When he finally grasped the white dress, Keith sighed in relief. "Are you alright—"

His heart sank. It was just a white scrap of fabric. When he was stunned, fierce waves crashed over him and swallowed him up.

He could hear his subordinates shouting from the ship, "Mr. Ford, watch out!"

Noticing the sharks around him, Keith turned pale. His arm had gotten wounded at some point. The blood oozing out of it was attracting the sharks.

Suddenly, he felt something tearing into his thigh. Keith groaned in pain, but his eyes were still looking for Ariel. His blood dyed the ocean around him red.

Seeing the lifeboats rushing to him, Keith shouted stubbornly, "Save Mrs. Ford first! Forget about me!"

His subordinate exchanged bewildered glances, but no one obeyed his commands. In the end, they dragged Keith onto a lifeboat.

Covered in wounds, Keith was slowly losing consciousness from the heavy blood loss. Murmuring Ariel's name, he quickly passed out.

When he woke up in the hospital three days later, Ethan barged into the room, yelling, "Mr. Ford, the rescue team has brought news about Mrs. Ford!"