Chapter3

Three months later. The Aegean Sea.

The alarm bells shattered the tranquility of the night as the cruise ship struck a reef, but it was too late.

The storm came without warning.

Just minutes ago, the sea was calm, but in an instant, huge waves more than ten meters high surged up, like an ancient sea beast awakening, opening its pitch-black maw to swallow everything on the surface of the sea.

"Bang--"

A giant wave crashed onto the hull, causing the entire cruise ship to tilt violently. Tables, chairs, wine glasses, and figures on the deck all slid to one side.

I instinctively grabbed the railing, my fingernails digging into the wood, just to barely keep my balance.

Before I could react, a second giant wave struck, even more powerful than the first.

"Snap—"

A piercing sound of metal snapping echoed through the storm.

I looked up abruptly.

The mast, weighing tens of tons, snapped in the gale and crashed down in my direction.

Time seemed to slow down.

I watched helplessly as the massive metal mast crashed down on my lower body, with no time to dodge.

"Snap—"

That was the most terrifying sound I've ever heard in my life.

It wasn't the sound of the mast breaking; it was the sound of my own bones shattering.

The moment my legs were struck by the mast, excruciating pain shot through my brain like a high-voltage current, instantly shattering all my consciousness. I didn't even have time to scream, because the seawater had already flooded my mouth and nose.

Warm blood gushed out wildly, quickly staining the surrounding churning seawater red.

I opened my mouth, wanting to shout, wanting to call for help, but all that flooded my mouth was salty, bitter water.

A feeling of weightlessness washes over you.

I was swept into the icy seabed by the raging waves, my body tumbling and spinning in the whirlpool, completely out of control.

Seawater filled my ears, my nasal cavity, and my stomach. My eardrums swelled, and my lungs felt like they were about to burst.

The suffocating feeling of impending death gripped my throat.

But I don't want to die yet.

Driven by the instinct for survival, I frantically groped and struggled in the darkness. Every stroke felt like a final, desperate attempt to survive.

My fingertips touched a piece of hard buoyancy cotton—

life jacket!

I clung to the life jacket tightly, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw.

This was the last life jacket I had after the ship crashed. It was my only chance of survival.

I dragged my legs, which were completely numb, and with the last bit of strength in my body, I struggled to the surface.

I had just held the life jacket to my chest and was about to put it on—

Amidst the surging white waves, a familiar figure struggled to swim towards me.

It's Vivian.

She struggled to paddle through the waves, moving closer to me.

I endured the excruciating pain of my shattered legs, and was about to reach out to her for help—

She lunged at me and grabbed my arm as I was holding the life jacket.

"Give me!"

In the storm, her voice became shrill and distorted, almost a shout.

She didn't even glance at the blood spreading beneath me.

They didn't even ask, "Are you hurt?"

Her hands gripped my blood-stained fingers tightly, her nails digging deep into the flesh of the back of my hand.

That hand bears the scars left from when she pulled out her IV three months ago, and the bloodstains left from when she peeled off her wedding ring.

At this moment, she pinched open those wounds that had just healed again.

Blood gushed out, mixing with seawater, making it impossible to distinguish the color.

"Vivian... my leg... is broken..." I managed to say, my voice ripped apart by the wind and waves.

She didn't listen. Or rather, she simply didn't care.

All she could see was that life jacket.

She treated me like an enemy, prying my fingers apart one by one, forcefully, and forcefully, until she broke my grip on my lifeline.

"Splash—"

The life jacket was suddenly pulled away.

The moment I lost buoyancy, seawater rushed into my mouth and nose, choking me and making my lungs feel like they were about to explode.

I struggled to the surface, coughing up blood, only to see her turn around and put the life jacket on Julian, who was not far away.

Julian was splashing around in the water, his face filled with terror.

Upon seeing the life jacket on his body, he immediately hugged it tightly, comfortably placing half of his weight on Vivian's shoulder.

"Waaaaah... I was so scared... I thought I was going to die..." His voice trembled deliberately.

Vivian hugged him and gently patted his back: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here."

The icy seawater took away the last bit of warmth from my body.

I looked at the woman I loved with my life, the woman for whom I drank so much that I had a stomach hemorrhage, for whom I took the blame and ruined my reputation, for whom I gave everything, and my voice was broken beyond recognition.

"Vivian... my leg is broken."

I swallowed a mouthful of bloody seawater, my whole body trembling uncontrollably, my teeth chattering.

"I can't hold on... I'll sink..."

This is the last time in my life I will ask her for help.

Vivian finally turned around and looked at me.

There was no fear, no pity, no heartache in his eyes.

Only indifference that is taken for granted.

“Julian can’t swim! He’ll die!” She held the man in her arms tightly, her tone irritated and ruthless. “You’re in such good physical condition, what’s wrong with holding on a little longer? The rescue team will be here soon!”

boom--

A bolt of lightning struck the sea, illuminating her indifferent face.

Am I physically fit?

I have broken my leg.

My stomach is still bleeding.

I have old wounds, hidden ailments, and scars left by her repeated hurts.

After she took the only life jacket that could save her life and gave it to someone else, she told me to "hold on a little longer".

These words precisely shattered the last piece of the protective mirror in my heart called "obsession".

Both legs, which were fractured, completely lost sensation.

As I watched her back as she clung tightly to Julian, rising and falling in the waves, I suddenly felt so tired.

I'm so tired.

Seven years have passed.

From age 24 to 31.

I gave her the best years of my life, my most ardent heart, and my most selfless devotion.

What she gave me was a slap, taking the blame, prying open my fingers and taking my life jacket.

That's enough.

That's enough.

I let go of my hands, which were desperately paddling.

No more struggling.

He let the icy seawater wash over his chin, fill his nasal cavity, and stuff his lungs.

My body plummeted rapidly, like a stone sinking into the boundless, dark depths of the sea.

Consciousness began to fade.

My vision began to blur.

In the last second before I plunged into the deep sea and was completely swallowed by darkness, I clearly felt—

The love and humility that tormented me for seven years were finally stripped away completely along with this broken body.

From then on, I had no more worries.