Second by second, time dragged on.

Suddenly, something heavy hit the water outside. The cruise ship's engines roared loud enough to swallow most sounds, but I still caught it clearly.

So it happened… Cheryl still went overboard.

Moments later, hurried footsteps pounded down the hall. The young security guard shoved the door open so hard that it slammed against the wall.

He froze when he saw me. "Why are you still here? Weren't you just…"

Before he could finish, a crowd of passengers surged in behind him.

"It's him! He's the one who killed her! I saw him push that woman into the ocean!"

"Trying to run? With this many people watching, where do you think you're going?"

"Killing someone in broad daylight? You've got some nerve! I'm going to make sure everyone knows what you did today!"

A young man, worked up and shaking with excitement, held his phone up and started livestreaming.

"Guys, this is my first time seeing a crime scene live. Hit like, and let's watch how he tries to talk his way out of this!"

I turned my face away from the camera being shoved inches from me and flexed my wrists, numb from the cuffs.

"What happened out there? I've been cuffed here the whole time. I don't know anything."

Their eyes finally dropped to the handcuffs behind my back. Doubt flickered across their faces, so I kept going.

"Ask the ship's security. I caused a scene in the lobby earlier. They cuffed me here themselves."

The young guard still looked confused, but he nodded anyway.

"Yes, I put the cuffs on him myself about 20 minutes ago. I've had the key the whole time. There's no way he left."

In my last life, after Cheryl fell, all I cared about was saving her. I never noticed the strange looks around me.

This time, I found security first and told them everything. That made him my witness.

"Wait… Did we get the wrong guy?"

"I saw him causing trouble in the lobby earlier. It took several guards to restrain him."

"Why didn't you say that sooner? What a waste of time! Move, everyone. Let's go find the real killer."

The streamer turned to leave, but then Harry shoved through the crowd, his face twisted with anger.

"Michael, Cheryl wanted a divorce. Even if you can't handle that, that's not a reason to kill her!"

He raised his voice so everyone could hear.

"You all don't know this, right? The woman who fell overboard was his wife. He killed her!" Harry's expression shifted into grief. "Poor Cheryl. She was willing to walk away with nothing just to get free of you. Why couldn't you let her go?"

The crowd lit up instantly.

"You're married. If it doesn't work out, you separate! How could you kill her?"

"Just look at his face. He looks like trouble. He's definitely the killer."

"Damn, you almost fooled us! I hate men who hurt their wives. I'm teaching you a lesson today!"

The streamer stepped forward and kicked me hard, over and over.

I was chained to the pipe with nowhere to dodge. I went down hard, and the words I was about to say died in my throat.

On his livestream, the comments exploded.

[This is terrifying! That's the second wife-murder case this month. What do women even get out of marriage?]

[That poor woman. Didn't even get her divorce before she lost her life.]

[Hit him harder! He ruined a life and thinks he can walk away? We can't let him off easy! I'm sending a tip. Kick him a few more times for me!]

Once one person started, the rest rushed in.

Fists and feet came from every direction. My clothes were torn, my face split and bruised.

The head of security saw things spiraling out of control. He pulled out his baton and shouted, "That's enough! We don't have the full story yet. If you keep causing trouble on this ship, you're all getting arrested!"

The chaos finally died down.

I dragged myself up from the floor and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth.

"I didn't kill anyone! My wife's death has nothing to do with me. If you don't believe me, check the security footage!"

The young guard snapped out of it and immediately pulled up the surveillance footage.

When it confirmed I had been cuffed in place the entire time, everyone exchanged uneasy looks.

A flicker of panic crossed Harry's eyes, but he steadied himself fast. "You can't just look at the room. Pull the footage from the deck where it happened, too."

The head of security brought up the deck cameras, and the crowd rushed over.

On screen, Cheryl and I walked to a quiet corner of the deck, talking. Then, in the span of a blink, something set us off. We started arguing.

Part of the view was blocked, so I couldn't clearly see Cheryl, but the man on screen looked agitated. In the middle of the argument, he kept turning his face toward the camera tucked in the corner.

A few seconds later, he shouted like he had lost control and shoved Cheryl hard. She went straight over the railing and into the ocean.

The man turned and ran, then the footage cut out.

My mind went blank.

The man in the video looked exactly like me. Even his height and build were the same.

But… The one who went to watch the sunset with Cheryl was supposed to be Harry. How did he turn into me?

Even the livestream chat froze.

[What's going on? How can the same person be in two places at once?]

[No way. Even identical twins wouldn't look this much alike!]

[There's no way to fake surveillance that fast. One cancels the other out. The evidence is useless!]

The streamer scratched his head, glancing between the screen and his phone. "There are witnesses and footage on both sides. Doesn't that count as reasonable doubt?"

Harry stood there, caught off guard.

It wasn't until the woman in black behind him cleared her throat that he snapped out of it.

"Take a good look. That's clearly Michael! In cases like this, the husband or wife is always the primary suspect. These guards are obviously covering for him. He must have paid them off. Don't let him fool you!"

Before his words even settled, my father rushed in from somewhere and struck me across the face.

"Michael, I didn't raise you to be this cruel! I know the company's strapped for cash. I already told you I'd find a way to fix it. You don't get to kill your wife for insurance money just because she wants a divorce!"

My father threw a stack of documents at me. The streamer hurried in close and zoomed in on them.

The chat exploded again.

[Two insurance policies? Am I seeing this right? If his wife dies, he gets four million!]

[I'm freaking out. My husband just bought me insurance, too. Is he going to kill me?]

[She went on this trip thinking he'd changed, thinking he'd be better. Turns out he planned this whole thing to take her life. What is wrong with people?]

As public opinion shifted, Harry's lips curved just slightly, a smile so faint that it almost slipped by. "Now we've got witnesses, evidence, and motive. Michael, what else do you have to say?"

"Trash like this deserves to pay with his life!"

"Yeah, make him pay!"

"Make him pay! Make him pay!"

The crowd surged again, fists in the air as the chant grew louder.

Even the young guard who had just backed me up looked at me now with disgust.

Right then, my phone started ringing.

I looked at the young guard. He instinctively reached for my cuffs, but Harry cut in sharply.

"He's a killer. If you let him loose and he hurts someone else, what then?"

I swallowed the anger burning in my chest. "With this many people watching, what do you think I can do? You sound pretty scared. What, feeling guilty?"

"Don't twist this around on me!"

Harry tried to argue, but under my insistence, the head of security stepped in and had my hands moved to the front instead of behind my back.

My secretary's voice came through the line. I listened carefully to every word. When the call ended, the weight on my chest finally lifted, and I let out a quiet laugh.

My father wiped at his eyes like he was grieving. "No matter what tricks you try, you killed Cheryl. That doesn't change. From today on, I'm done with you. I'll make sure the police punish the man who murdered my daughter-in-law!"

If I hadn't lived this once already, I might have believed he was truly disappointed in me.

A cold smile touched my lips. "Dad, you care about Cheryl this much… What, is she your real daughter or something?"