I’d just set sail to escort the cargo to the border when a Category 8 typhoon warning suddenly blared.

I steer the ship back in the direction of the harbor, only to realize that the ship has run out of fuel. The distress beacon has been dismantled, too.

Immediately, I pick up the radio and call the maritime rescuers for help. As soon as the call gets connected, I hear my wife, Melanie Watkins' mocking laughter instead.

"I've already rewired the emergency number so that you can never reach the rescuers. Have fun surviving in the ocean!"

Her student, Darell Parker, is with her as well.

"Remember when you made fun of me for not knowing how to swim, Clifton? Well, now you're given the chance to show off your swimming skills! You can swim all the way back to the shore on your own! You'd better not be as slow as the sea turtles!"

The waves have almost capsized the cargo ship. If I can't get rescued anytime soon, I'll end up dying in the sea.

I can only grit my teeth before pleading to Melanie, "No one can possibly swim back to shore! Help me call the maritime rescuers—"

But she laughs coldly in return. "Why do you need the rescuers' help? Didn't you say one must learn how to protect themselves? Now swim!

"If you think the waters are too cold, then swim faster! Maybe you'll feel warmer the faster you swim!"

I give up on arguing with Melanie. After that, I head toward the cargo area with a blade in hand and get ready to sever the ropes tying the cargo down.

Said cargo contains the ransom money that's capable of saving Ella Zimmerman, the daughter of Hugh Zimmerman, the wealthiest man in Starbury.

"Drop that knife right now! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Melanie Watkins' panicked shouts crackled through the radio.

With the knife pressed against the rope, I let out a cold laugh. "I'm giving you two choices. Either you contact the rescue team to get me off this ship, or I cut this rope right now, and the more than 20 people escorting the ransom die with me."

The other teammates who had been playing dumb finally panicked. One after another, they began speaking up for me.

"Melanie, everyone knows how much Mr. Zimmerman cares about his daughter, so you'll be held responsible too if the money's gone. Just tell him where the backup fuel's stored."

The crates tied to the rope held the ransom for Ella Zimmerman, daughter of Starbury's wealthiest man, Hugh Zimmerman. The kidnappers gave us an hour to hand over the 20 million dollars in gold bars, or they would kill her.

Hugh paid top dollar to hire our technical team to deliver the ransom by cargo ship to the border. We were just 30 minutes away from the border when the fuel ran out.

Before departure, I had repeatedly checked everything to ensure that the mission would go as planned. Clearly, someone had sabotaged me on purpose, but I never imagined Melanie, my wife, to be the culprit.

Melanie swallowed hard and tried to calm me down. "The hurricane's coming. Even if the rescue teams set out now, they won't make it in time.

"Don't do anything stupid, Clifton. The backup fuel is in the aft compartment.

"Once you get it, you can reach the shore. There are only 30 minutes left, so move!"

Her voice was shrill with worry, and it didn't sound like a lie.

Clutching the knife, I stood up and headed toward the rear of the ship. The hurricane had swallowed the sea, and the howling wind stirred deep fear. Every step I took felt like a gamble with death.

I held tight to the edges and was careful not to rock the ship with my movement. One misstep nearly sent me overboard, but I finally reached the spot she had indicated.

What I found sitting in the aft compartment was a turtle shell with my name carved on it.

Darell Parker's mocking laughter came through the radio. "You're obedient, just like a sea turtle, Clifton!

"There isn't any backup fuel here. We dumped it all onshore ages ago.

"This is all your fault for trying to show off and steal Hugh's gig. Running into a hurricane is your karma!"

Melanie chuckled lightly. "You love stealing credit and lecturing us, don't you? Well, today's just your lesson.

"If you think you could threaten me with the ransom, you'd be pathetic, Clifton. I know you too well to understand that a bootlicker like you would never dare offend Mr. Zimmerman."

Her words made it clear that her earlier concern was just an act. Everything she was doing was revenge for Darell, just to get back at me.

Before the ransom run, I knew that a hurricane was coming, but I was the only one on the technical team with the skill to pilot the ship safely to the border before it hit. So, I took the job alone because I was worried about the safety of the rest of the team.

I hadn't taken a single penny more in commission compared to the rest of them, but they misunderstood and wanted me dead, lost at sea when the hurricane arrived. It was a perfectly planned setup to make me disappear.

I crushed the insulting sea turtle shell in my hand and snapped into the radio, "This is your last chance, Melanie! If I die, Ella won't get rescued, and you'll be the first person they come after!"

My rage was met with nothing but heartless mockery.

Darell adopted a theatrical, taunting tone. "Oh, we don't want you to die, Clifton. We're all rooting for you to send the ransom over and save Ella with your own hands.

"You taught us to swim across the entire sea, didn't you?"

The rest of the team's laughter followed.

"Shall we place bets to see if he can tow the cargo ship all the way to the border?"

"I'll bet 100 dollars that with his build, he won't last ten minutes in the sea."

"He used to brag about being a professional maritime rescuer. I'll bet 200 dollars that he hits a shark the second he touches the water!"

The sea was a churning graveyard of pitch-black water. I gripped the radio and hoarsely screamed Melanie's name.

Then, the hurricane hit, and I was swept straight into the sea by the waves.

Pinned under the cargo ship, I thrashed wildly and barely managed to grab hold of the ship's rescue rope. The seawater was piercingly icy, and every wave that swept over my skin chilled me to the bones.

When a red light started flashing on the ship's security camera, I knew that someone had spotted me. So, I swam toward it with all my strength, only to hear laughter coming from behind the screen.

"He looks like a drowning rat! Didn't he say he could swim for several miles?"

"See? I told you he wouldn't last two minutes in the sea."

It was the technical team joking with Darell.

Then came the sound of fingers tapping lightly on a desk, followed by Melanie's amused voice. "Look how happy everyone is to see you in trouble, Clifton. That's what your usual conduct gets you.

"Six months ago, during training, you forced Darell to practice diving until he nearly drowned. Two months ago, you targeted him on purpose, refused to teach him the proper swimming strokes, and mocked him for not being fit for your team.

"Just the day before yesterday, you humiliated him and kicked him out of the team. Did it ever occur to you that you'd end up begging him for mercy one day?"

Her voice was venomous and filled with pure hatred. Every word was just Darell's one-sided claim to dress himself up as the victim. But she had buried that hatred deep inside and waited for this exact moment to take revenge.

Darell chimed in right on cue with a tearful voice, "You're the only one who can stand up for me for all the humiliation I've suffered, Melanie.

"We can't go soft this time. He needs to learn what happens when he messes with me!"

To make sure that I could see, she switched on the ship's video feed to show that she was sitting on Darell's lap, her hand reaching to the back of his head as she passionately kissed him.

When she looked back at the security camera, her gaze was ice-cold. "Don't worry, Darell. I'll make sure he suffers enough."

My hands were clenched so tight that blood seeped from my palms. Gritting my teeth, I tried to fight back. "We've been together for ten years, Melanie. You should know that I'm not the type to let personal feelings interfere with the job. Besides, why would I even harm him?"

The wind howled stronger by the second. Soon, the cargo ship would be swallowed by the sea.

If I wanted to survive, I had to clear up this misunderstanding.

Melanie remained unmoved. She raised her hand and pointed at the clock on the security camera. "Look closely. You've got 40 minutes left until the kidnappers' deadline.

"Now, you have two choices—use everything you've got to tow the ship to the border and save Hugh's daughter, or wait to die."

With the hurricane closing in, dragging a cargo ship to the border was impossible, so both choices were a death sentence!

Darell could barely hide his scorn. "Both paths lead to death, but the second option lets you die more slowly. That sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn't it?

"Also, Melanie said that if you actually make it to the border, she'll post your video online. You're guaranteed to be a headline sensation!

"With a body like yours, she can even line up some rich ladies for you to serve. The money you make can buy me designer sneakers.

"But first, you have to make it back alive."

His expression was full of greed and contempt before Melanie cut the feed and left the cold, final words. "I've tracked the cargo ship's location. If you don't make it to the border, I'll immediately call in a rescue boat.

"Don't worry. Everyone will be just fine except for you."

My heart completely sank, and I was completely weak and exhausted from soaking in the freezing seawater. If the hurricane struck again, I probably wouldn't last five minutes.

With no rescue coming, my only way out was to swim over.

I closed my eyes, hardened my resolve, and decided to gamble my life on one last desperate swim toward the border.

Suddenly, commotion erupted from a rescue boat in the distance before a voice boomed. "Hurricane landfall imminent! Rescue team's final patrol! If you're in distress, signal with your lights!"

With the last of my strength, I hauled myself onto the deck and slammed on the light switch. The rescue team spotted me and began turning their boat in my direction.

Just as it drew near, the cargo ship's lights went out with a sharp click. It wasn't just the lights, but all electrical systems on board had shut down.

The radio lay on the deck. Melanie's voice was colder than the sea as it came through. "Pathetic. I told you that swimming over is your only option."

Refusing to give up, I mustered every ounce of strength and roared, "I'm here! There's someone in the water who needs rescue!"

But the sea was too dark, and I could hear confused voices coming from the rescue team. "Why did the lights suddenly go out? Did we imagine it?

"Anyway, the hurricane's coming. Let's move!"

As the rescue boat drifted farther away, the sea was once again swallowed by darkness.

The hurricane lashed at my face, and the cargo ship was violently tossed in the waves. It creaked and groaned, already showing signs of breaking apart.

This was just a Category Two hurricane. By the time it reached Category Five, I wouldn't stand even the slimmest chance of survival.

Weakly, I picked up the radio, and my voice was hoarse with pain. "Melanie! We've been married for five full years…

"Can't you just let me go, even if it's just for old times' sake? I'll actually die here!"

What came through was Darell's sharp laughter. "What marriage are you even talking about? Did you seriously think that the five-dollar marriage certificate was real?

"Let me tell you the truth—just the night before you two signed the papers, Melanie and I were playing Truth or Dare. My dare was for her to buy a cheap fake marriage certificate and trick you with it."

His words seemed to explode in my ears, and I felt like I had just been struck by lightning.

It hit me that that was why she hadn't shown up on our wedding registration day. Instead, she had sent a lawyer to handle the paperwork.

The lawyer's expression had been strange, and she had repeatedly suggested that I post the marriage certificate online. I thought she just wanted people to congratulate us, but it turned out that she had been warning me that the marriage certificate was fake.

Five years… Melanie had lied to me for five whole years.

The radio crackled as the water seeped in. Melanie's voice came through in broken fragments, but each word carved deep into my heart, leaving dense wounds.

"It's been five years, and I've long gotten sick of you, Clifton. You're shallow, and money is all you can see. You don't have a romantic bone in your body compared to Darell.

"I'm so done with you."

I curved my lips into a self-mocking smile. "Fine. Since you've had enough of me, let's just die together today. No one gets to live!"

Staring at the sea that could swallow everything, I smiled, gripped the knife, and charged recklessly toward the aft.

Melanie was betting on my sense of duty and that I would never sink the ransom. Once I drowned, the rescue boat she had arranged would arrive to take the ransom I had escorted to the border. Every bit of credit would go to Darell.

Well, I refused to let them have it.

I pressed the knife against the ropes. Below it were ten full crates of gold bars.

When I began slicing through the ropes, panic finally broke out in the control room. "Clifton, stop!"

"You're about to die! Are you trying to get us killed, too?"

"Hugh will hunt us to the ends of the earth! Drop the knife, now!"

Only Melanie continued flirting with Darell and indifferently said, "He loves me too much to put me in danger."

"Exactly! You're all just overreacting. His family's lives are still in Mr. Zimmerman's hands…"

They continued mocking me until they saw the rope snap on the monitor and the ransom began to sink into the sea. That was when they immediately panicked and screamed, "Calm down, Clifton! I'll send the rescue team over now!"

"Drop the knife!"

I looked straight into the camera and gave a cold laugh. "Too late!"

With the last of my strength, I severed the final rope.

As the ten crates of gold bars sank into the sea, I closed my eyes and leaped after them.