Aleena was playing by the lake when she accidentally drowned. Diego watched coldly as our daughter struggled in the water. Not being able to swim, a sudden large wave had knocked Aleena's life jacket off.

My five-year-old daughter was frantically splashing her hands on the water's surface, barely keeping herself afloat. I was in tears, desperately pleading with the man in front of me, "Diego, you're a swimming instructor. Please, save our daughter! She's about to drown..."

Diego looked at me and Aleena with disdain before standing up. "You've been married to me for so long and still haven't learned to swim. Two helpless people." I thought he was finally going to rescue our daughter, but instead, he walked away. "Aleena is just too timid. That’s why she never learned to swim."

"It's too hot here. I'm heading back to the hotel."

I watched his retreating figure in despair. Diego Young, it’s truly over between us.

---

"...Notify the family to sign... emergency surgery..."

I struggled to open my eyes as a wave of pain hit me. In a daze, I realized I was lying on a hospital bed. My head ached intensely as I recalled what happened before I fainted: I had noticed Aleena's consciousness fading and, being unable to swim, I didn't think twice before jumping into the lake.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't reach her. Suddenly, a wave crashed over me, pulling me under. Everything went black, and I lost consciousness...

Just then, an anxious voice brought me back to reality: "Diego, come to the hospital! Your wife and daughter both drowned. Your daughter needs emergency surgery. Get here to sign the papers!"

I trembled all over, using all my strength to turn towards the voice. The phone was on speaker, and Diego's disdainful voice came through: "Lillian is always making a big deal out of nothing. It's so close to the shore, they could almost crawl back. It's not as serious as you're making it out to be."

"Besides, with you all there, what's the problem? Without some pressure, my wife and daughter will always be helpless and never learn to swim."

With that, he hung up. The man cursed in anger, wanting to call again, but seeing that I was awake, he ran over joyfully: "Sis, you're finally awake!"

I could finally see clearly—these two men in the hospital room were members of Diego's swim club, both swimming instructors. I grabbed one of their arms anxiously, "Where’s Aleena? What happened to her?"

The two instructors sighed softly as they explained what had happened. They were at the beach and saw us drowning. They immediately jumped in to rescue us and brought us to the hospital. However, Aleena, being so young, had been underwater too long, severely damaging her lungs, and urgently needed surgery.

They had called Diego to come sign the consent forms since I was unconscious, but never expected him to respond that way. Hearing this, I couldn't help but tremble.

My daughter, she's only five...

I clutched my chest in sorrow, my heart aching. Diego Young, I will never forgive you!

After a moment, I steadied myself and stumbled to find the doctor to sign the forms. Watching the red light outside the surgery room, I broke down in tears. Thoughts of Aleena consumed me, and an overwhelming sense of hopelessness surrounded me. Just then, my phone buzzed with a news alert:

Renowned pianist Penny Hudson had nearly drowned in a pool, and her boyfriend had quickly taken her to get medical attention.

I clicked on the video. Penny, looking demure, leaned against Diego. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear. In all the years we were married, I had never seen such genuine affection in his eyes.

I scrolled through the comments section, where the public was buzzing:

"Hey, isn't that guy super familiar? Looks like the swimming instructor who went viral for being handsome."

"They make a great couple—stunning and eye-catching."

"I find this a bit overblown. It was just choking on water, does it really warrant such a fuss? Plus, I heard this swimming instructor was married. Could there be more to the story?"

"Don't jump to conclusions. Diego Young is a sought-after bachelor. If he were married, there'd surely be news about it."

I closed my phone, tears streaming down my face. The two instructors beside me had evidently seen the news, and they looked at me with sympathy, unsure of what to say. I forced a smile, thanked them once more, and suggested they head back.

This marriage was beyond repair. It was time to put an end to it.

After three agonizing hours, the doctor finally wheeled Aleena out. Thankfully, after all the emergency efforts, Aleena was no longer in any immediate danger. However, her lung function had suffered irreversible damage, and she would need to avoid any strenuous activities in the future.

I let out a deep sigh of relief, wiping tears from my eyes as I looked at my daughter's pale face. I decided to head home to make a pot of chicken soup to help her regain her strength.

But as soon as I got home, I was greeted by two familiar figures. Diego had brought Penny to our house. Penny appeared to have twisted her ankle, and Diego was crouched in front of her, gently cradling her foot, carefully examining it, and applying ointment, as if she were incredibly precious.

A pang of sadness hit me, and I couldn't help but call out, "Diego."

Upon hearing my voice, they both turned to look at me. Diego's face turned tense as soon as he recognized me. He walked over in a few strides, speaking coldly, "Penny wasn't feeling well, so I brought her here to rest for a bit. Don’t cause trouble."

I was about to say something when Penny’s soft voice interrupted, "Diego, who is she?"

Diego instantly assumed a gentler tone, replying, "Oh, she's just the housekeeper, here to make some food."

It felt like my heart was being torn apart. To him, after all these years of marriage, I was no more than a housekeeper in the eyes of others.

Just then, Diego's phone rang. He picked it up and left the room, but not before giving me a warning glare.

Now, it was just Penny and me in the room. She strutted over in her high heels, looking down at me with a smug expression, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"So, you're the wife who's been married to Diego for so many years?" she mocked.

I was stunned, not expecting her to know my identity. Then, with disdain dripping from her voice, she continued, "All these years as his wife, yet you're treated like the help. And you still cling to him like that. How pathetic."

"You think having a child can keep him tied down? Dream on!" she taunted, suddenly reaching out and gripping my wrist with a force that shot pain up my arm.

I desperately tried to pull my hand away, but her grip was unyielding, and I couldn’t break free. Just as the pain brought tears to my eyes, she suddenly released me, and her body fell backward.

Conveniently, she landed right into Diego's arms as he returned with the medicine. She feigned fear, snuggling closer to him as she whimpered, "Diego, your housekeeper is so mean! I just wanted to have a chat, and she started asking about our relationship and tried to hit me!"

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my skin as I opened my mouth to defend myself.

But Diego didn’t give me the chance. Without a word, he slapped me hard across the face.

The blow was so forceful it knocked me off balance, and I fell to the ground, my cheek burning with pain, my ears ringing.

Diego looked at me with an icy glare, "It's not your place to question my relationship with Penny. If you interfere again, you're out of this house."

With that, he didn’t spare me another glance, instead cradling Penny tenderly in his arms.

From where Penny sat, hidden from Diego’s view, she shot me a look of triumph, smiling with smug satisfaction.

I sat there on the floor, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face, unable to stop them.

With that slap, my last illusions about this marriage were shattered completely.