Boom. My mind went blank.
Ella spat curses beside me, but all I could see was Cassandra’s cold, unbothered face.
Every memory twisted like a knife. She had lied about her “infertility,” lied about needing IVF.
I believed her. I trusted her.
I still remember the day the embryo was implanted—how she caressed her stomach, whispering tenderly,
“My dear, Mommy will make sure you and Daddy are the happiest people in the world.”
She wasn’t talking to me. She never was.
Tristan’s voice cut through my haze, laced with mockery:
“Cassie is brilliant. I don’t have to lift a finger, and I still get to be a father. Gareth did all the dirty work.”
I couldn’t bear another word. I turned to leave—
when suddenly, a massive wave struck, and the cruise ship lurched violently.
Tristan was standing too close to the edge, speaking animatedly. With a shriek, he was thrown into the sea.
Before anyone else could react, Cassandra grabbed a lifebuoy and jumped straight in after him.
I froze.
She was pregnant. She couldn’t swim. She’d once clutched my arm during a ferry ride, whispering that she was terrified of water.
Yet here she was, plunging headlong into the waves for him.
I couldn’t watch her play the hero for another man. I turned away and headed directly for the hospital where she had her IVF treatment.
When I saw the sperm donor’s name—Tristan—something inside me snapped.
Cassandra, you’re finished.
Later, after I’d submitted the evidence to the law firm, Ella hurried over, face grim. She shoved her phone into my hands.
The video shook with movement. On the beach, Tristan knelt, sobbing, forcing air into Cassandra’s lungs. When she coughed back to life, he crushed her in his arms.
“Cassandra, I can’t lie anymore,” he cried. “I love you! Fool, I’ve always loved you!”
The crowd cheered as they clung to each other, soaked and trembling, mouths pressed together in a fevered kiss.
The mermaid had saved her prince. Their love was unshakable. They even had a child together.
And me? Just the pitiful green bubble, popping uselessly in the sunlight.
The second video cut in. Tristan carried Cassandra into a hotel, bridal style.
At that exact moment, a message lit up on my phone: Honey, my phone’s broken. I’m using a friend’s. I’ll be sleeping at my bestie’s house tonight. Good night~
I stared at it for a long time. Then, slowly, I sat up.