I accidentally recover my memories.

I can't wait to tell my wife, Krystal Merrill, about the good news. But that's when I overhear her conversation with the doctor.

"Ms. Merrill, are you sure you want to transform Mr. Stuart into a merman? That surgery only has a 0.01% survival rate. You've already mixed his family's ashes with his medication and made him swallow everything. Even if you're doing this to protect Theo, there's no need to go this far!"

Krystal replies icily, "No way! Randy must become a merman! If not, what will happen to Theo? All Theo did was hit and kill Randy's parents by accident! I'm doing this just in case something happens to Theo!

"Besides, once Randy becomes a merman, he will be able to fulfill the perverted clients' desires even more!"

I can only tremble uncontrollably as I stand at the doorway.

I can't believe that the woman I love the most is actually the culprit behind my parents' tragic death as well as my amnesia and disability.

Since this is Krystal's choice, I should let her have her way, then.

My wife, Krystal Merrill, said, "Hurry up. Turn him into a merman. Theo's still waiting for me to go back. It's a perfect chance to see how the merman experience differs from regular men."

The doctor's face turned pale. His voice trembled as he tried to dissuade her.

"Ms. Merrill, please reconsider this! Your request could greatly advance the research data, but this is a living person—"

Krystal interrupted with a cold laugh. Her tone carried an unyielding pressure as she said, "Don't be scared. I'll handle the police. You just do as you're told and modify him."

Her fingers traced the cold glass container, her gaze dark and obsessive. "Once he's a merman, he won't even be able to speak properly. He's already timid and frightened. By then, he'll be nothing but a worthless creature for display. He can only do as I say."

"Ms. Merrill, do you want to watch the entire modification process?" the doctor asked.

Krystal's reply was cold. "I've seen it done enough times. One more time won't matter."

I quickly lay back on the operating table.

The doctor looked at me with a face full of reluctance. "Mr. Stuart's vital signs are deteriorating rapidly. If no one takes proper care of him after this surgery, he won't last more than a month. His maintenance costs will be at least ten million dollars per month. Ms. Merrill, are you sure you won't regret this?"

Frowning, she spoke with certainty. "Regret? That's a small price to pay for Theo. Randy loves me so much. What does it matter if he knows the truth? I'll make sure he stays in the world I create for him. Ten million dollars a month? I can afford that.

"Just follow the blueprint I gave you and alter his body structure. Randy's afraid of pain, so give him extra anesthesia."

When the anesthesia was injected into my body, I felt nothing.

The next thing I heard was Krystal talking on the phone with the person responsible for the accident.

"Ms. Merrill, everything's taken care of. I'll send 1.5 million dollars to that account every month."

She responded indifferently, "Okay. Make sure he keeps his mouth shut. If anyone asks, just insist he was the one who crashed into Randy and his parents."

The voice of the culprit came through the other end of the line. "Don't worry, Ms. Merrill. Even if they kill me, I'll never say a word!"

The echo of the last words lingered in the operating room, while the dull ache in my heart had sharpened into a jagged blade, twisting deep inside.

It turned out that Theo Mosley was the real culprit behind the car accident that killed my parents and left me injured.

To protect him, Krystal had even paid someone to take the fall.

I hated her! I regretted everything! How could I ever have fallen for such an ungrateful and evil woman?

I could clearly feel them altering my body. The pain surged through my limbs and bones, and my consciousness began to fade.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

Krystal stood over me, her eyes filled with guilt and sorrow. Her voice was heavy with remorse as she said, "I'm sorry, Randy. I couldn't stop them. They said your condition worsened.

"While I wasn't paying attention, they went ahead and completely transformed your body. They said it was a scientific achievement that combined human and oceanic biology."

Krystal continued, "Randy, it's okay. No matter what you become, I will always love you. You'll always be my only husband. So please, don't overthink things, okay?"

I lowered my gaze to my transformed body. My lower half was now a pale blue fish tail.

When I moved, it swayed gently.

As Krystal stared at the tail, her eyes darkened for a moment, and she instinctively gulped.

Then, she quickly regained her gentle composure, reaching out to embrace me softly. "I'm sorry. Don't move… It's all my fault. I should've protected you."

Her performance was so convincing.

If it were before, I would have been moved. But now, all I felt was disgust.

I replied calmly, "I'm fine."

She kissed my forehead gently, sighing in relief. "Randy, I've already sent the people who hurt you to jail. Once you're better, we can go anywhere you want. What do you think?"

I just watched her without saying a word.

Krystal tenderly stroked my cheek and said, "Rest for now. I have to go back to the company for a bit. I'll come back to stay with you tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded like a robot and watched her disappear from my sight.

Mom and Dad had just died. How could I sleep?

The next day, I insisted that Krystal take me to the family chapel to honor my parents.

Krystal couldn't argue with me and took care of the discharge formalities.

She helped me into a wheelchair and wheeled me to the family chapel. When I saw the photos, a cold chill ran through me.

Those were Theo's parents' photos!

She had tricked me after my amnesia, telling me that Theo's parents were mine. I had been praying for the wrong people for three whole years!

At that moment, Krystal's voice rang out in my ear. "Randy, why are you in a daze? Are you missing them?"

As I stared at the photos, I felt nothing but anger.

However, she had already bowed to the photos and murmured, "Mom, Dad, I've brought Randy to see you."

My blood froze instantly, and I spat out a mouthful of blood.

Startled, Krystal quickly carried me back to the bedroom, trying to comfort me. Eventually, she fell asleep at the bedside.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed twice. It was a call from Theo.

I pressed the answer button and placed it to my ear.

"Honey, I hope I'm not disturbing your time with Randy. Your waist must be sore from all the time with me. Come back soon, and I'll give you a massage.

"Oh, and honey, I got your pregnancy report. We're having twins. The doctor said it's a boy and a girl. Honey, maybe we should let Randy take care of the babies after you give birth. After all, he wanted a baby with you…"

Then, he added in a wheedling tone, "Okay, I won't keep you. Come back soon, alright?"

The call ended.

My eyes turned red-rimmed as I looked at the sleeping woman. Back when I wanted to have a baby with her, she always pushed it off, saying, "Randy, you're a logrolling practitioner, so you definitely need to prioritize your career. We can have a baby after you finish the competition and win an award, okay?"

What I once thought were acts of thoughtfulness turned out to be nothing but lies.

I closed my eyes and dialed Edward Newman, my godfather in Oswana, asking him to come get me.

After Krystal woke up, she took a quick call and hurried out.

Not long after, the bedroom door was kicked open.

Thinking Krystal had returned, I looked up, only to freeze in horror.

Theo was walking toward me, flanked by four obese, middle-aged men.

My voice trembled as I asked, "Theo, what are you doing here?"

He didn't answer at first. He just scanned my face and scoffed. "Look at what 'recovery gift' I brought you."

As the words left his mouth, the four men began eagerly unbuckling their belts.

"Holy shit! Is this the legendary merman? This is wild!"

"Damn, I'm getting hard just watching him!"

"Come on, let me get a taste of you! Show us a good time!"

My face drained of color, and a violent shudder took hold of my body.

Theo let out a low, dark chuckle. "Don't act like it's your first time. These are Krystal's clients. Make sure you serve them well."

He then turned to the men. "Do whatever you want with him. Just don't kill him."

With that, he walked out and shut the door.

The men started a livestream, pointing the camera directly at me.

One of them grinned at the screen. "Hey, everyone, want to know what a merman tastes like? Today, the four of us are going to give you a live show!"

As soon as he said that, several dark shadows lunged at me.

I fought desperately, but the sound of my clothes tearing echoed in my ears.

I tried to scream for help, but a thick, foul-smelling object was shoved brutally into my mouth and down my throat. I choked, and my vision blurred as tears streamed down my face.

I couldn't make a sound. All I could manage were broken whimpers squeezed from the depths of my throat.

"Damn, this merman is great. His tongue…" The man groaned in satisfaction.

Behind me, a wave of agonizing, tearing pain began to pulse.

Another man clicked his tongue in annoyance. "For fuck's sake, he's bleeding already. But… It makes it more exciting!"

Just then, the door swung open. A spark of hope flared in my eyes.

It was Krystal. Standing beside her was Theo, looking like a pathetic victim. But his next words dragged me straight into hell.

"Honey, please don't be mad. Randy said he couldn't hold back anymore. He begged me to find someone to help him out. I didn't know what to do, so I thought of your clients—"

Krystal didn't let him finish. She pulled him into her arms and said in a voice softer than I had ever heard, "Don't be scared. Why would I blame you?"

Her gaze finally drifted to me. The eyes I once adored were now filled with nothing but icy contempt.

"You'll always be more important than him."

As Krystal spoke, I closed my eyes in utter despair, bracing for the inhuman violation to continue.

Suddenly, the heavy, rhythmic thud of disciplined footsteps echoed through the hall, followed by a familiar, chillingly stern voice. "Anyone who touches my son shall die!"