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!"

Keith was dizzy from his high fever. His eyes widened.

"Where is Ariel now?" he demanded. He struggled to get up, using so much force that he almost yanked the IV needle off the back of his hand.

"The entire rescue team searched the area for three whole days, but all they found were scraps of the dress Mrs. Ford wore during the banquet," Ethan replied.

He paused, hesitating. "According to the rescue team's estimation, there's a high chance that sharks attacked her.

"Even if she was lucky enough to escape, the waves were so strong that anyone who couldn't swim well would be swallowed up by the ocean. It's… almost impossible for Mrs. Ford to survive."

His words were like a bombshell. Keith's face turned ashen. "That's impossible!"

He stumbled to Ethan. Ignoring the bleeding on the back of his hand, he grabbed Ethan's shoulders tightly and shook him.

"Continue the search! If she's really dead, I want to see her body!"

Lifeless, he muttered, "Ariel doesn't know how to swim. She would never jump into the ocean for no reason and let herself be eaten by sharks. She hates pain…"

While he was panicking, a thought flashed across his mind. When he left Ariel on the deck by herself on that day, she didn't try to defend herself.

Her eyes were empty. She looked broken and lifeless, but he didn't notice anything. Did something bad really happen back then?

A sick feeling twisted in his gut. His eyes turned bloodshot.

"Someone must've tried to kill her!" he shouted as if trying to convince himself. "Check the cruise's surveillance footage!"

Keith, who was usually cold and decisive at work, was now irrational and erratic. It was like he was in shock.

"My condolences, Mr. Ford." Ethan couldn't bear to watch him anymore. Pity filled his gaze.

"Mrs. Ford really climbed over the railing and jumped into the ocean on her own accord. This is the evidence we found."

With that, he pulled out an evidence bag. "Please take a look at this, Mr. Ford."

Shocked, Keith snatched the bag away. It was surprisingly light.

A familiar ruby necklace fell out of it. The necklace's chain was broken, and the intricate ruby was scratched. "This is the gift I had given to Ariel as a token of my love…"

The necklace felt cold against his palm. Keith's eyes reddened, and his hands trembled.

Ariel used to treasure that necklace. She always wore it on her neck and never took it off.

Upon recalling that he had installed a hidden camera inside, Keith quickly pulled out his phone to check the footage stored in the cloud. His intuition told him that the necklace recorded the truth.

Seeing that, Ethan left the hospital room silently.

The latest video in the cloud was from Ariel's birthday. Keith took a deep breath and pressed play. The first thing he heard was Natalie's voice saying, "Since today's your birthday, I prepared a gift for you."

He had never seen her face look so sinister. She was the one who had brought that group of playboys there.

Keith's face turned paler with every second of the video. After falling to the floor, the necklace managed to record the moment Ariel broke free from their grasp and ran to the railing.

Keith tightened his grip on the phone, his knuckles turning white. He couldn't believe that he fell for Natalie's lies!

His heart clenched. It was getting hard for him to breathe. He thought he had everything in control, but it turned out that he had lost control of what happened behind the scenes long ago.

"How did things end up like this?"

…

Just as Keith was about to look for Natalie and make her pay, he ran into Ethan outside the hospital room.

"Mr. Ford, the rescue team has found news about Mrs. Ford!" Ethan reported, gasping for breath. He pulled out a photo.

"This is a photo one of the guests on the cruise took that day. This lifeboat does not belong to our rescue team. There's a high chance that Mrs. Ford was rescued by it!"

"What?" Keith snatched the photo away and looked at the blurry figures in it closely.

The photo showed a lifeboat with two people on it, one tall and one short. One of them had a slim body. He could just barely see the person's side profile.

Keith's eyes widened. His dying heart started beating again. The person's face was very blurry, but he was certain that she was Ariel.

"Good, Ariel's still alive…" His heart was finally at ease.

Keith's eyes glinted with obsession again. "Find her location immediately!"

Meeting his obsessive gaze, Ethan broke into a cold sweat. "Mr. Ford, we already did…"

He carefully observed Keith's expression as he continued, "Mrs. Ford… was probably kidnapped by your rival, Sean Miller."