But sometimes, I’d still sneak ashore to see Sam.

When people asked who I was, I would be ready to lie and say I was his sister.

But he never let me.

“She’s my girlfriend,” he’d say, eyes serious. “And one day, she’ll be my wife. This is Nerissa.”

That moment had made my heart flutter for real. I was falling for more than I could imagine. 

Later, my people, the merfolk, struck a deal with a group of top-tier humans.

The ones facilitating the negotiations were my parents and Sam’s parents.

But Sam’s parents disappeared.

And I was one of the suspects.

I knew he hated me, but I couldn’t tell him the truth.

Years passed and Sam became a top-tier scientist.

And I, I had to get close to him for the sake of my people.

Many times, I wanted to tell him the truth directly.

But I couldn’t.

Well, it didn’t matter. Soon, I wouldn’t have to endure it anymore.

***

Sam’s fingers set fire to my skin.

But then he stopped suddenly, his eyes fixed on the blood coating his hands.

Only then had I noticed—those old wounds, the ones from tearing out my flesh for healing pearls, had reopened again.

I gave him a numb smile, “I’m dying, Sam.”

It was like the word "die" had triggered something primal in him. He snapped. He tore open a bottle of pills and shoved one into my mouth with shaking hands. His voice was ice. Sharpened. Shaking.

“You don’t get to die unless I say so.”

He unshackled my wrists, dragged me across the lab and shoved my head into a tank of healing serum. I choked as water rushed up my nose.

I choked. Water shot up my nose.

His hands trembled, breath coming in ragged bursts. His eyes—bloodshot, crazed—watched like he was the one suffocating.

I forced myself not to breathe, trying to keep the serum from flooding my lungs.

Everything went cold. My face turned purple. But eventually, the pills kicked in. The bleeding stopped.

He yanked me out of the tank by my hair.

I was barely conscious when he clicked the shackles back around my wrists, chaining me to the headboard like an animal.

And there was Jill.

Leaning into him, all flirtation and fake sweetness, like this was just a twisted honeymoon. Her eyes found mine, brimming with venom: I want you dead, Nerissa.

***

Half-conscious, I felt someone gently stroke my hair. Tears from that person dripped into my mouth, salty and bitter.

“Nerissa... if only none of that had ever happened,” the voice called softly. "Wouldn't we be okay now?”

Was that Sam?

Was… he crying?

I forced my eyes open—but there was no Sam.

Instead, his assistant was there, tugging the rope around my ankles and dragging me into the estate’s courtyard.

Mermaids hated the sun. Especially me—who was barely clinging to life. 

Jill stood there, smiling sweetly when she saw me.

“Aren’t you hungry, Nerissa?”

I could see Sam holding onto her, his body relaxed, almost possessive. When I didn’t answer, he kicked me, his foot landing hard on the exact spot where my wounds were threatening to tear open.

Blood seeped through my clothes, soaking into my stomach.

Sam barely looked at me. With a look of pure irritation, he couldn’t even spare me a glance. Just tossed his jacket from the lounge chair at me.

“Cover that up. Jill can’t stand the sight of blood.”

Jill’s eyes sparkled for a brief moment and she turned, throwing a pile of raw meat and dirt-streaked vegetables in front of me. Her voice dripped with false sweetness.

“Eat up.” 

I don’t know why—I lifted my head and looked at Sam.

Why did I think he actually… pitied me?

Expressionless, I bent down and began gnawing on the dirt-covered cabbage. My fingers clawed at the ground, desperate, ashamed.

Jill’s concerned voice reached my ears.

“Why aren’t you eating the meat? You need meat to stay strong.”

Without thinking, I tore into it. My senses had dulled so much I couldn’t even tell what kind of meat it was.

“Does it good?” Jill giggled. “They say mermaid meat is really nutritious.”

I froze mid-chew, staring up at her.

What… what did she just say?

Jill’s smile stretched wider and the realization my stomach churn. 

 I vomited right there.

“Oh my God—my shoes!” Jill shrieked in disgust, jumping back as bile splashed on her expensive heels.

The assistant didn’t even wait for an order. He grabbed me by the collar and slapped me so hard that the tears on my face splattered to the side. My cheek stung, my ears rang, but I didn’t make a sound.

Sam had always been a neat freak. Germaphobe to the core. Yet now, he crouched down beside Jill with a pristine handkerchief and gently dabbed at her soiled shoes with the kind of patience and tenderness that made my chest tighten. So gentle. So careful.

Back then, after using my body like I was nothing more than a release, he wouldn’t even look at me—let alone help me clean up.

Now, he looked genuinely annoyed.

“Ungrateful bitch,” he snapped. “If she won’t eat it, then let the dogs have it!” 

Jill put on a delicate smile and touched his arm, her voice as soft as whipped cream. “Nerissa’s probably just not hungry, Sam. Don’t be too hard on her.” 

She tilted her head, all sweetness and false concern. “Maybe... she could help me with my painting? Make up for the mess?”

Sam sighed, the irritation in his eyes dimming under her gaze. He gave her a helpless little chuckle. “You really are too kind sometimes.”

He looked over at me then, his expression sharp again like a blade, about to say something else—but his phone rang. His features instantly softened. He leaned in close to Jill, whispering something sweet in her ear before bending down to press a kiss against her pregnant belly.

I didn’t know why, but my chest ached. My nose burned like I was about to cry.

He left and Jill’s mask dropped. The warmth disappeared from her face like it had never been there.

“I don’t like people watching me when I paint,” she said flatly. “Go to the basement.”

I didn’t argue. I turned and walked away.

In the basement, a maid tossed a few plastic buckets at me, her nose wrinkled in contempt like I was garbage. Her voice was deliberately high-pitched, mocking.

“Hey freak, the madam’s short on red paint today. And nothing beats the color of fresh blood. Fill three of these buckets, now.”

She tossed a rusted razor blade at my feet.

“Use that,” she sneered. 

I stared at the blade. “It’s rusty.”

She spat on the ground. “You think you deserve clean tools, monster? You’re not some pampered princess. You’re just a thing. And you don’t die that easy.” 

She folded her arms, clearly ready to watch.

I didn’t say a word. I picked up the blade.

And cut.

Warm, red blood dripped into the first bucket. Then the second. My hands were trembling by the time I reached the third. My whole body was cold. My lips had turned blue.

Only when the third bucket was full did I stop.

I leaned against the damp wall, eyes blank, trying to stay conscious.

Upstairs, I heard the maids gossiping as they walked by carrying stained laundry.

“Madam’s paintings really are something, huh? Shame the materials are so hard to come by.”

“Tell me about it. Took killing several mermaids just to get enough pearl powder. And even then, some of the blood was too impure. A monster is just a monster, different from us humans.”

I could feel every hair on my body rise. My limbs were numb, but I forced myself to stand.

I dragged myself back to the courtyard. And then I heard it—high-pitched, heart-wrenching cries.

I stumbled forward just in time to see Jill—smiling, serene—grinding her heel into the mutilated tail of a dead mermaid. She reached down, pried out a shimmering pearl and crushed it under her heel.

Something inside me cracked.

She turned to me, her face lit by the sun behind her, casting an almost angelic glow that belied the evil lurking in her smile.

“Nerissa,” she said sweetly, “I just realized today that each mermaid pearl is a different color. What a shame, though. I only want the white ones.” Her eyes sparkled with sick delight. “How about you help me out and collect the pearls for me?”

I opened my mouth, but the words froze in my throat—because right then, I saw him.

My little brother.

He was inside a water tank, no older than ten, his tiny hands slapping the glass in desperation. He hadn’t even learned to shift into human form yet.

“Sister! Help me!” he cried, tears rolling down his cheeks, turning into tiny pearls as they fell.

Jill made a pouty face. “Aw, he’s your baby brother? So cute! Oh, I have an idea. Why don’t we start with him? Let’s see what color pearl he has, shall we?”

She waved her hand and two bodyguards dragged him out of the tank like a sack of meat.

“No—please!” I fell to my knees. “Please, I’m begging you, don’t hurt him! Take mine instead! My pearl’s white—I swear!”

Jill twirled the blade in her hand, amused. “But where’s the fun in that? I like surprises. It’s like opening a mystery box!”

She stepped forward, raising the knife toward my brother’s chest.

“Don’t worry, little fishy, Nerissa will have her turn. I’m just going to— AH! What the hell are you doing?!”

“No! Don’t hurt my sister!”

With eyes burning red, my little brother fought back with everything he had and sank his teeth deep into Jill’s wrist.

But before he could even pull away, Sam stormed in and kicked him hard across the room. I watched, frozen, as his tiny body hit the ground near me—his teeth shattered, blood mixing with his tears.

Sam cradled Jill in his arms like she was made of porcelain, rage burning so brightly in his eyes it nearly scorched the room.

“Nerissa. You made my parents disappear and now you want to hurt my wife too?”

I was already crying, shielding my brother with my body, my voice trembling.

“I’m sorry… please… please kill me instead. He’s just a kid… Please, let him go.”

“Oh? You want me to let him go?”

Sam’s glare cut through the air like a blade.

“Then tell me—where are my parents? You give me that answer and I’ll spare his life.”

That again. Same question over and over. 

My knees gave out, every ounce of strength draining from my body. For the first time, I looked at Sam not with guilt—but with pure hatred.

“You know nothing! You understand nothing!” I snapped.

“I already told you—when the time comes, you’ll know everything. Why are you still hurting my family?”

I hate you, Sam Wilkins. I hate you.

He averted his gaze, refusing to meet my eyes.

His tongue pushed against the inside of his cheek as he let out a cold laugh.

“Fine. If you won’t talk—then your brother will pay the price.”

Everything after that happened so fast.

In one swift motion, Sam plunged the dagger straight into my brother’s heart.

I think I heard something crack, a sickening sound that would haunt me forever. My brother’s soft face turned pale and cold. Without his mermaid pearl, his body went stiff, the warmth draining from it too quickly.

I sat there, motionless—numb, no longer able to beg or plead. I didn’t care anymore.

Jill, now heavily pregnant, tried to hobble over to help me up, but before she could reach me, she tripped and fell, landing just half a meter away.

She cried—those pathetic little sobs, like a kitten.

“Nerissa, they were just sea creatures. Who cares if a few die? But I... I have a baby inside me. A human baby. Are you trying to kill my child too?”

Sam had never believed me and this time, I didn’t bother to explain.

“Yeah,” I said through gritted teeth. “I want all of you dead!”

He trembled with fury, ready to strike me, but then Jill screamed. Her water had broken.

Sam cast one last furious glance my way.

“I’m gonna deal with you after the baby’s born.”

I gave him a weak smile. He wouldn’t get the chance. I was already dying.

They locked me in a storage room—no light, no warmth. Just shadows and silence. I curled up on the floor, my body trembling as my temperature kept dropping.

Above me, the floor shook with commotion. Jill’s screams echoed through the cracks—she was giving birth. She cried all day and all night, until finally, the baby was born safely.

Sam let out a breath of relief, leaning against the door as he lit a cigarette.

Then—an urgent knock.

His assistant came rushing down the hall.

“Mr. Wilkins! There’s someone at the front gate!”

Sam barely looked up. “Who?”

“Your parents, sir. They’re here!”

He shot off like a bullet.

When Sam reached the gate, he expected hugs, tears—an emotional reunion. But instead, the first words out of their mouths were filled with panic.

“Is Nerissa here?! You have to take her to the ocean—now! Without seawater, she’ll die!”

Sam froze. His heart dropped, but he forced a casual shrug.

“She hurt Jill, so I locked her in the storage room. Come on, Dad—she’s a mermaid. She can’t die.”

“Let’s not talk about her,” he tried to redirect. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Like a thunderclap on a clear day, Mr. Wilkins’ hand whipped across Sam’s face, a loud slap ringing out.

“What the hell have you done?!” he demanded. “Where’s the storage room? Take us there now!”

Sam dragged his feet as he led them to the door, swinging it open like it was nothing.

“See? She’s fine.”

But one look—and his parents collapsed into sobs.

Sam turned around to see what they were looking at.

Half my face had already turned to foam.

And then, something I never thought I’d see happened.