I glared at Quentin, the guy I'd been living with for three years. I could taste a slight metallic tang in my mouth.

He clamped down on my jaw and flashed a sinister smile. "You look just like your mom. I have no idea how I stood you for these three years."

The look of disgust in his eyes hit me like a punch. He shoved my jaw aside and immediately wiped his hand with a tissue.

"Your dad is my stepdad. Your mom couldn't even keep her husband in check but had the nerve to blame my mom for stealing him. She drove my mom to her death! Your mom—Veronica Grant—forced her to die! You'd better stay put, or I'll make you and your mom vanish from this ship without a trace."

Quentin's words slammed into me, leaving me paralyzed. I didn't even notice when he walked out. The small cabin went dead silent. It was so quiet I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

I ran to the door, grabbed the handle, and twisted it with all my might. It was locked. I banged on the door and shouted for help.

A few moments later, a man's voice came from outside. "Can I help you?"

He sounded like a crew member.

"I'm locked in! Can you open the door, please?" I yelled.

My whole body was shaking as I waited for an answer. Soon, I heard the knob rattle. I pulled the door open and found myself staring into the attendant's surprised eyes.

Without a second thought, I blurted, "The medical center. Where's the medical center?"

He was about to speak, but his eyes drifted past me. He lowered his head a little and said, "Mr. Yale."

I froze.

Quentin's voice, smooth and even, sounded from behind me. "My wife's been struggling mentally. It's been getting worse lately, and she's been acting out. Don't take it too seriously. Make sure the other staff is aware."

The attendant shot me a sympathetic look before turning to leave.

Desperation flooded me, and I grabbed his arm. "No! That's not true! Please, help me get to the medical center! I need to see my mom!"

Quentin grabbed my hair and yanked it hard. A sharp pain shot through my scalp, scattering my thoughts. He roughly dragged me back into the cabin and slammed the door behind us, his eyes dark and threatening.

I mustered all my strength and got to my feet. I forced the tremor out of my voice as I demanded, "What are you trying to do? How's my mom? I need to see her!"

Quentin ignored my desperate pleas and sat down on the couch, watching me with a twisted grin.

"The Grants really hit rock bottom, huh?" he taunted. "How did they end up raising someone as dumb as you? What am I trying to do? I want you and your mom under my thumb for good.

"I've got a stake in this cruise. If I decide to, your mom's life could be gone in the blink of an eye. So you'd better play along. I might let you live a little easier for our kid's sake."

I was at a loss for words. For three years, I thought I had a happy life. I never realized that everything between us was just a web of lies.

Once he was done talking, he left the cabin and locked the door behind him, just as I expected. I frantically searched the cabin for my phone, only to realize it was gone, along with my IDs.

The sound of the waves crashing against the hull felt like death drawing nearer, filling me with a heavy, suffocating fear.

Quentin didn't return for two days, and each day, an attendant would bring me my meals.

One night, I realized the attendant had forgotten to lock the door. When I pulled it open, I almost cried from relief.

After making sure the hallway was empty, I slipped out. My nerves were so taut that I could barely stop my whole body from shaking as I crept down the long hallway.

I was nearing the end when I heard a familiar voice that made every hair on my body prickle. It was Quentin. Then I heard him say my name.

I hesitated, but after a beat, I decided to creep closer to the slightly open door.

I was too afraid to get too close. Then, a voice I recognized drifted over—it was Quentin's buddy, Felix Jefferson.

"The Grant women were a piece of cake to fool, huh?" he taunted. "I thought we'd get some pushback, but everything went down smoothly. But then again, you nailed the acting. I bet Winnie still thinks you're just some regular office worker who saved up forever for those three cruise tickets!"

Felix cracked up.

His words made me dig my nails into my palms. The pain felt like a sharp stab to my heart. Then I heard Quentin's voice.

"The Grants always acted like they're above everyone, didn't they? Look at them now, knocked so low that it's not even fun getting back at them. Veronica probably wouldn't last much longer anyway. The real gut punch for her is knowing her precious daughter's carrying my kid."

I instinctively rested my hand on my slightly rounded belly. It turned out that the baby I'd welcomed with so much joy was nothing but a pawn in their game.

"Winnie's quite pretty," Felix said. "When you're done with her, do you mind letting me have a turn?"

His disgusting words snapped me back to reality.

Quentin's voice grew cold. "She's my wife. Don't ever joke about that. I don't find it funny."

I almost felt a sense of relief, but I hated myself for it right away. How could I feel relieved about anything in a situation like this?

I quietly slipped out of the hallway. When I spotted an attendant, I quickly asked him where the medical center was. Once I got the directions, I rushed there as fast as I could.

The cruise's medical center was small, and when I barged in, there was only one doctor. I rushed over to him and mentioned Mom's name. He pointed me to a closed door.

I flung the door open and saw Mom lying in bed with an oxygen mask over her face. Tears immediately blurred my vision. I dropped to my knees beside her, feeling completely drained.

Her eyes were shut, and her fingertips resting on the bed were ice-cold. I grabbed her hand tightly, so overwhelmed with worry that I didn't even notice anyone else walking in.

Suddenly, I felt a foot press down on my calf, sending a sharp pain through my body. I cried out in pain. Then, I heard Quentin's voice come from above me.

"Your mom's life is in my hands now. We're at least three days from port, so you know what you need to do."

Pushing through the pain, I turned to him, knelt down, and gripped his pant leg. My voice cracked as I begged him.

"What do you want me to do? Quentin, I'm begging you—please help my mom! Her heart condition is really bad. She's already had two surgeries. Take your revenge on me if you have to, but please, let my mom go!"

I couldn't make out his expression. My knees throbbed with pain from kneeling on the hard wooden floor.

He grabbed a handful of my hair, jerked my head up, and slapped my cheek with his other hand in a mocking way.

"Revenge on you?" he sneered. "You're nothing. As long as you keep doing what I want, I'll keep dangling your mom's life over your head. Letting her die peacefully is too easy for her."

I couldn't remember how I made it back to our cabin. Quentin had brought me inside, locked the door, and left.

I sat on the bed, feeling numb. When I finally looked down, I saw a bright red stain on my pants. I stared at it, forcing a wry smile.

Just a week ago, a slight pain in my belly had sent me rushing to the hospital to check on my baby. But now, I desperately wished it would just fade away like the blood.

All the love I'd felt for it vanished instantly, replaced by something dark and bitter.

After cleaning the bloodstain, I sat by the small cabin window, staring out at the endless ocean, feeling lost and helpless.

The next day, Quentin led me out of my cabin and into a small banquet hall. There weren't many people, but most of them were familiar faces, all wearing smug, gloating expressions.

It suddenly hit me why Quentin's friends had always acted so weirdly around me—polite but keeping their distance on purpose.

I looked down, not wanting to meet their mocking stares.

Just then, a woman called out from nearby, "Quent, you're here! Where's my birthday gift?"

I looked up and saw Amelia Jefferson heading our way. She wrapped her arm around Quentin's and shot me a look of disdain as she sized me up.

"Winnie, what happened to you? You look hideous now, and you're making Quent look bad. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ever ended up like you," she quipped.

She was Felix's sister. I'd only met her a couple of times, and I had no idea how to respond to her cruel jab. All I could do was lower my head again. I couldn't figure out why Quentin had brought me here.

Suddenly, a glass of red wine smashed at my feet, splashing a few drops onto my shoes.

"Oops, my hand slipped. Winnie, why don't you clean that up?" Amelia's voice dripped with malice.

I snapped my head up and looked at them. Then, I met Quentin's eyes.

"What are you waiting for? You didn't think I brought you here to actually enjoy the party, did you?" he questioned.

The frost in his stare sent a chill down my spine. The image of Mom with her eyes closed flashed in my mind. I looked down and slowly crouched.

Before I could reach the broken glass, something slammed into my back. I toppled forward onto my knees. My palms hit the shards, and they dug into my skin.

Felix's voice, light and casual, floated over to me. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there."

The pain was so intense that it stole my voice. I felt like I was pinned to the ground and couldn't move. Then, out of nowhere, a pair of hands yanked me up.

"You can't even handle something this small, huh? All you do is embarrass me! Get out!" Quentin chided.

He hauled me up roughly, dragged me back to the cabin, and slammed the door behind him as he left. By then, the pain had spread so much I couldn't tell where it was coming from, and the smell of blood hit me.

Just then, someone walked into the cabin and stood beside me. I turned my head and saw two medical staff in white coats.

Without saying a word, they opened their first-aid kit and started cleaning my wounds. After a quick cleaning and bandaging, they packed up their stuff and left.

Just before the door closed, I heard one of them say, "How are we supposed to deal with that body from this morning—the one who died from a heart condition? Does this ship even have a morgue? This is my first time on board, and we've already got a death."

I jumped off the bed and rushed to the door before it closed completely. I grabbed that person's sleeves and held on tight.

"What was the name of the person who died from heart disease?" I asked. My voice sounded off like it wasn't even mine.

The medic stared at me, shocked and caught off guard. Then, he stammered, "I think the last name was Grant…"

A wave of shock hit me hard. I couldn't even hear myself anymore as I screamed, "Take me to her! I have to see her!"

The medic winced as I gripped him too tight. He struggled to pry my fingers off and said, "Calm down. I'll take you there."

The short walk felt like it dragged on forever. Finally, I saw an iron bed covered with a white sheet.

Quentin's hesitant look from that morning flashed in my mind. The air around me felt like it froze. I crawled up to the bed, silently begging it not to be Mom, over and over. It couldn't be her.

Then, I pulled back the sheet. Mom's face was under it, unnervingly still.

I forgot how to breathe and collapsed onto her chest, which wasn't moving anymore. Her body's coldness cut through me. I screamed for her, desperate to make her open her eyes. But nothing happened.

My mind went blank. I didn't know how long it was before Quentin appeared behind me. I didn't hear anything he said. All I could feel was him trying to pull me away from Mom.

Suddenly, I saw a door leading out to the deck. Without hesitation, I broke free and ran toward it, throwing it open. I climbed onto the railing, the ocean wind biting at my face.

Quentin's angry shout came from behind me. "Winnie! Get down from there. Are you even brave enough to die? Do you want to kill our baby, too? Have you forgotten how hard it was for you to get pregnant?"

I turned to face the man I now hated with everything in me. I pulled a paring knife out of my pocket, the one I'd taken from the banquet hall.

"I'm not keeping this baby of yours!" I yelled.

Without thinking twice, I drove the knife into my belly and let myself fall backward into the open air. I didn't feel any pain.

In those last moments before I fell, I saw Quentin lunging toward me, his face full of shock and pain. I thought maybe it was just my mind playing tricks as my life slipped away.

The freezing ocean swallowed me whole. It felt almost like Mom's arms wrapping around me.

Was I finally going to see her again?