Over Labor Day weekend, my workaholic husband finally agreed to take our two kids on a beach vacation.

I was out on the water with my son, Blake Warren, when the ocean surface suddenly exploded with 99 towering columns of water. Blake nearly tumbled into the sea from the shock, screaming as he clung to me desperately.

From a yacht not far away came the cheers of my husband, Zachary Warren, and his secretary, Celeste Quinn.

I gripped my phone tightly and called him. "Zachary, have you lost your mind? Stop this right now! Blake is here too!"

Yet, he only sneered. "You wouldn't let Celeste come on this trip, and she's been upset for days because of it. She got her feelings hurt, so I have to make it up to her somehow. Besides, it'd be better if that bastard son of yours just died anyway.

Then, he ordered someone beside him, "Fire 50 more torpedoes. Teach her a lesson she won't forget."

Before he had even finished speaking, wave after wave of water columns erupted around my boat.

As Blake was about to fall into the water, I screamed with every ounce of strength I had left. "Zachary! Stop this now! This is your own son, Blake!"

The roar of the crashing waves and explosions drowned everything out, and Zachary Warren could not hear my screams at all.

As the spray settled, Celeste Quinn's excited shriek rang out. "Wow! Zachary! Look at that! It's so spectacular!"

Zachary pulled her close and kissed her several times, his voice growing even more tender. "You like it? This is an exclusive ocean fireworks show just for you. As long as you're happy, forget a few water columns... I'd buy you this entire ocean if that's what it takes."

My heart sank, but I did not have time to process the pain. Blake was already trembling in my arms, his mind breaking from the terror. He shakily raised his wrist where his smartwatch was strapped, tapped on his father's contact, and stammered through tears into the device.

"Daddy... please... stop... I..."

Before he could finish, another torpedo exploded nearby.

On the other end, Zachary let out an impatient, mocking laugh. "Don't call me that! My son doesn't stutter like you, you autistic little brat!"

Celeste immediately chimed in with fake concern. "Oh, Zachary, don't be so harsh. But... that child will be okay, won't he?"

"Relax, he won't die!" Zachary's voice was cold, completely devoid of warmth.

Those words made my heart sink lower and lower.

On my first blind date with Zachary, I had been completely honest about having a son with autism.

Back then, he had said, "Ms. Harper, I have a son too. The two boys can keep each other company, and I promise I'll treat your son like my own."

In just three years, he had forgotten that promise entirely. But for all his scheming, he had failed to realize the child on this boat was the son he loved most.

I forced myself to focus and stumbled through the storage compartment, finally finding the backup emergency radio.

I pressed the talk button and screamed hoarsely, "Zachary! This really is Blake! Are you trying to kill your own son?"

"Shut up! How dare you curse my son! Penelope Harper, do you think I'm blind? I can see perfectly well that Blake is wearing a white tracksuit today! You think I'll fall for this pathetic act and rescue you two? You really underestimate me!"

His voice came through the radio, filled with contempt.

My whole body shook as I recalled that the boys had swapped clothes this morning. The boys had always been close, and they had been excitedly calling out at the door before we left, wanting to share their outfits, so I had agreed with a smile, thinking it was adorable.

I never imagined that an innocent gesture would become a death sentence.

"No, that's not it! He really is Blake. They switched clothes!" I explained desperately.

Suddenly, Blake Warren began convulsing in my arms from the successive shocks, white foam spilling from his mouth.

"Zachary! Stop! Blake is dying!"

"Don't try to fool me. If your son dies, then he dies. What does that have to do with me?" Zachary's indifferent voice drifted through the radio.

Another dull thud came, not from the ocean surface this time but from beneath our feet. The bottom of the boat had been blown open from the repeated impacts, and seawater was gushing in, causing the vessel to slowly start sinking.

I frantically checked on Blake's condition, only to feel something warm and sticky on my hand. I discovered in horror that his calf had a wound so deep I could see bone, and blood was pouring out continuously, soaking half his pant leg red.

Looking at Blake's deathly pale face, my heart ached so badly I could barely breathe. He was the only one in this family who treated me like family.

Three years ago, I married into the Warren family with my autistic son, Asher Harper. My mother-in-law had never liked it when I brought Asher along, and everyone in the Warren family treated us like we were invisible.

Only Blake, who was just five years old at the time, ran over to Asher on his little legs and shoved his favorite action figure into his hands.

He said in his sweet voice, "Asher, let's play together."

He was the one who accepted us with the purest kindness, and there was no way I could let anything happen to him.

I quickly took off the only life jacket and strapped it tightly onto the half-conscious Blake. "Blake, sweetheart, hold on tight to the boat. I won't let anything happen to you!"

He weakly forced out a smile. "Mommy, I- I'm okay. Don't worry."

I touched his head, gritted my teeth, and dove into the freezing, bone-chilling water.

Blake's leg wound could attract sharks at any moment underwater, so I had to swim to the main yacht to get the first-aid supplies and bring them back to save him. I had barely swum about 30 feet when another explosion erupted beside me.

The powerful shockwave launched me into the air and then slammed me back down hard into the ocean.

If it were not for my years of swimming training and my fierce will to survive, I probably would have passed out on the spot.

On the yacht, Celeste covered her mouth in fake surprise. "Oh my, is Penelope going to be okay?"

Zachary wrapped his arm around her waist and laughed. "Don't worry. She was a state swimming champion. This is nothing to her; she won't drown."

The smell of blood was attracting sharks, and I looked back worriedly toward the small boat with Blake. Fortunately, the torpedoes Zachary kept launching to torment me scared off the circling sharks.

I breathed a sigh of relief, clenched my jaw, and swam desperately to the side of the main yacht.

Salty seawater poured into my mouth and nose, choking me until I could barely breathe.

I begged hoarsely, "Zachary, he's hurt, he's bleeding badly... Give me the first-aid kit!"

He looked down at me coldly, as if watching a joke. "Why would I save your bastard son? I've been sick of looking at him for ages."

So this had been his plan all along. He had wanted Asher dead, and by cruel accident, he had hurt Blake instead.

I shouted, "The child on the boat... really is Blake!"

I tore a necklace from my neck, revealing a four-leaf clover pendant hanging from it. "Look! His grandfather hand-carved this lucky charm for Blake... He never takes it off!"

Zachary saw the pendant, and his expression finally showed a flicker of doubt.

However, before he could speak, Celeste immediately wrapped herself around him and said sweetly, "Zachary, don't let her fool you! Asher obviously stole Blake's necklace! That brat can barely talk, but stealing things is what he's best at!"

Her words instantly erased the last trace of hesitation in Zachary's eyes, and he grew even more furious.

"Penelope, you're so full of tricks! Blake's been afraid of water since he was little. Why would he go out on the ocean with you? The staff just called me and said he got tired playing on the beach and fell asleep at the hotel!"

I was completely devastated. I remembered that before we set out, I had wanted to take Asher on the small boat to try it out, but Asher had just quietly shaken his head and pointed to the beach, indicating he only wanted to draw there.

Just as I was about to head out alone, Blake, who had always been somewhat afraid of water, ran over and grabbed my hand.

"Mommy, Asher doesn't want to go, so I'll go with you! I'll protect you!"

His face was so serious. He had only gathered the courage to overcome his fear of water so he could keep me company.

And now, thinking back on it, I had indirectly caused all of this.

I looked at the small boat bobbing in the waves in the distance, my heart frantic with worry. "Zachary, what will it take for you to save him?"

A cruel smile curved his lips as he took a document from Celeste's hands. "Sign this custody waiver agreement. You will give up all rights to Asher and agree to send him away. As long as you sign it, I'll have someone rescue that bastard."

For Blake's sake, I had no choice. "Fine, I agree!" I said those words with a trembling voice.

However, the moment the words left my mouth, a torpedo blasted the small boat to pieces!

"Why?!" My eyes burned red as I screamed the question at the smiling couple on the yacht.

They looked like they were enjoying a party while my world was ending.

Celeste was casually playing with a remote control. She pouted her red lips, blinked innocently, and said, "Oops! Penelope, I'm sorry. My finger must have slipped."

I whipped my head back around, and my heart clenched in terror. Among the shattered debris of the demolished boat, Blake's small figure was desperately clinging to a floating piece of wreckage, swaying precariously in the waves. His leg injury had worsened, and blood was gushing out uncontrollably, turning the water around him a horrifying dark red.

'No! This will definitely attract sharks!'

I could not waste another second confronting them, so I turned and swam back with everything I had. Behind me, the two of them laughed without restraint.

Even Zachary sounded uneasy as he stared at the blood spreading across the water. "Celeste... nobody's really going to die, right?"

Celeste giggled as she leaned against him. "Don't worry, Zachary. That's definitely just paint from drawing! Penelope's autistic son never talks and only sits around drawing all day. Maybe he spilled his art supplies."

She paused, then called out to me mockingly, "Penelope, you're always scheming with these pathetic tricks! We're helping your little bastard build survival skills. I heard doctors say things like this can help treat autism!"

Zachary lovingly tapped her nose. "You are just too kind. It's certain people who don't appreciate it."

Then, the two of them pressed the remote again, and more torpedoes exploded along the path I was swimming. Massive walls of water rose up again and again, shoving me farther away and keeping me from reaching Blake.

I used every last ounce of strength to swim toward Blake. "Blake! Grab my hand!"

Just as my fingertips were about to touch his, I watched in horror as half of Blake's arm disappeared into a shark's mouth.

The excruciating pain made him lose his grip, and he plunged into the bottomless dark waters.

"No!"

My world shattered at that moment.

The chaos finally drew a nearby marine rescue team to the scene. But when they pulled me onto shore, I felt no relief at surviving. My heart was already dead.

Zachary and Celeste arrived late, and he casually tossed me a document and a pen while holding her. "The kid's already dead, so just sign this settlement agreement, and we'll put this behind us. We're still family, after all."

I looked at him, my heart cold and empty, without even the energy to hate. I slowly shook my head, my voice hollow. "I can't sign that settlement."

"Penelope, don't push your luck!" Zachary was about to explode in anger.

Suddenly, a timid, childish voice came from behind us. "M-Mommy... w-what happened t-to Blake?"

The expression on Zachary's face froze instantly as he whipped around, his eyes widening in shock. "No... That's impossible..."

He lunged forward like a madman and ripped off the white sheet. "Blake!"