I got five stitches on my arm, and it left an ugly scar.

When we were in college, Lily would tear up at the most minor injury that I got from playing basketball. She would treat my wound with utmost care. She often said she was worried I did not take care of myself.

However, she had not even spared me a glance when Ryan had hurt me.

I felt uncomfortable with the stitches on my hand.

I wanted to get some fresh air. When I walked out of the emergency room, I bumped into Lily.

She was holding a tube of ointment for Ryan. She was momentarily stunned when she saw the stitches on my arm and stopped me.

“Leon…

“I was afraid that Ryan might’ve sought revenge against you. If his family’s legal team sued you, you wouldn’t have been able to recover from it.

“But… I’m sorry for neglecting you. Let’s go on a boat ride this weekend, just the two of us. Let me make it up to you, alright?” she said pleadingly.

In the past, I would have given in. However, at this moment, I just felt tired.

She left me and followed Ryan, and she could do that again.

I did not want to feel abandoned, and I wanted a proper closure for our five-year relationship.

“Alright.”

As the yacht sailed out into the sea, a person whom I wanted to see the least stepped out from the cabin. It was Ryan.

“Why are you here?” I suppressed my anger and asked.

“Ryan didn’t feel that we’d be safe on our own. He said that he knows how to sail a yacht, so it’d be safer with him here,” Lily said.

My biggest concern when it came to safety was Ryan.

“Either he leaves, or I do,” I said.

Lily’s smile froze on her face.

“Leon, it’s Ryan’s birthday today! Can’t you just sit down and have a proper conversation with him today?

“You’re my fiance, and he’s my lifesaver. Please don’t make this more difficult for me, alright?”

It seemed that this little outing she had put together for me had been for Ryan instead.

I felt numb.

At the same time, the yacht started to sway violently. It seemed like it was sinking.

“What’s wrong?” Lily looked petrified.

“There’s something wrong with the generator.

“Leon, the only other man here is you. Come with me to take a look.”

After that, he leaped into the sea.

However, just as he hit the water, he let out a piercing scream.

“Ah!!! My leg! My leg’s cramping!”

He yelled and flailed in the water. It seemed like he was drowning.

“Ryan!!!” Lily looked terrified and almost jumped in.

It was dangerous, so I stopped her.

“Wait, you don’t know how to swim. You almost drowned when you were younger. I’ll go.”

Just as I was about to reach Ryan in the water, he locked me in a death grip and dragged me under.

“Help! Help…” Ryan yelled as he tightened his grip on me.

He was doing that deliberately. He wanted to drown me!

“Lifebuoy! Lily, throw the lifebuoy!” I yelled as I did my best to pull myself free from Ryan. My legs were already cramping.

The lifebuoy could only support one person. Lily looked at the two of us struggling and hesitated.

She then threw the lifebuoy at Ryan with all her might.

“Leon, Ryan checked this area before. It’s a safe zone. It’s not too far from the shore. You know how to swim, so you can swim back to the shore!” she yelled at me, but the wind scattered her voice.

“Ryan can’t die! I can’t forgive myself if something happens to him!”

After that, she scrambled to pull Ryan onto the lifeboat she was on and left immediately.

I was alone in the middle of the vast ocean, alongside the sinking yacht.

She was right. I was good at swimming.

But was that enough of a reason to leave me deserted?

I lost my strength, and my limbs started to turn numb from the cold.

I felt an excruciating pain. I looked down and saw that a shark had bitten my leg!

The blood colored the water red.

“Help me! Is anyone there? Please… help…”

My survival instinct kicked in, and I tried to swim away.

A yacht sped toward me from a distance.

However, I began to lose consciousness because of the pain and blood loss.

…

“Aren’t Ryan and Lily here? Why don’t I see them?”

On the deck, a middle-aged woman dressed in luxury clothing stood beside a man with a confused expression on her face.

“Even though Ryan is just our adopted son, we treat him like he’s our own.

“If he knows that we took a boat out here to give him his birthday present, he’ll be ecstatic!”

Suddenly, she turned around and saw a young man struggling in the water.

“Dear, look!”

She pointed at that young man’s arm and teared up. She trembled and said, “The birthmark on his arm… Is that our son who went missing twenty years ago?

“Quick! Quick, save him!”