Evelyn's POV:
Lena looked pleased with herself. She lifted her chin slightly and laughed coldly.
“Want the bracelet back? Then jump in and get it yourself.”
Her eyes were filled with mockery.
“Oh, I forgot."
"You can't swim, do you?”
“Then you can call the police and ask them to help."
“Aren’t you so fond of calling the police?”
Laughter erupted around us.
“That bracelet is worth at least six hundred thousand dollars. It’d be a waste not to retrieve it.”
“Isn’t it your grandmother’s keepsake? Why do you hesitate?"
Each word, cut deeper than the last.
I clenched my teeth.
Stared at the deep pool ahead, overwhelmed by helplessness. I hadn't imagined that Lena could be this cruel.
“If you can’t get it back, then blame your own stupidity. Don’t blame me.”
Lena mocked, and I closed my eyes, stepped forward, forced myself to jump in.
Splash.
The water instantly closed in around me, as if trying to drag me down to the bottom of the pool.
Water rushed into my nose and throat, my body struggled instinctively. Yet the more I struggled, the deeper I sank.
I forced myself downward, then, my fingers finally touched something icy.
That bracelet, at the bottom of the pool.
Summoning the last bit of energy I had, I struggled upward to the edge of the pool.
“Evelyn, I’m sorry, don’t push me...”
Lena suddenly screamed.
She threw herself into the water before I understood what was happening.
A sharp pull yanked me off balance, and a hand grabbed my leg.
Unprepared, water immediately flooded into my nasal cavity and throat, leaving me unable to breathe.
Underwater, Lena was smiling.
I choked violently, struggling in the water, with my strength faded.
The sensation of death closing in turned my face ashen, my body ice-cold. The sounds from the poolside echoed faintly into my ears.
“James, save Lena! Evelyn pushed her and jumped in herself!”
"She's insane!"
“James, you have to protect her!”
All the voices filled me with even greater rage and despair.
It's not true.
They are liar.
Another splash.
James dived into the pool.
A flicker of hope ignited within me. After all, James knew better than anyone how afraid I was of water.
He knew I couldn't swim.
And besides, we were husband and wife, I think he wouldn't leave me.
He had promised it.
I remembered how, in the past, James had fired one of his subordinates at the company on the spot just for trying to undermine me.
Clinging to that memory, I forced myself to conserve my strength as I waited for him, but James didn’t look at me. Instead, he swam straight toward Lena.
He lifted Lena out of the water, then shoved me hard, as if he found me utterly repulsive.
My chest tightened. I could barely breathe, struggle, and swim toward the edge again.
Pathetic.
And utterly humiliating.
The cold wind made me shiver.
On the opposite, Lena weakly leaned into his chest, sobbing.
“James, I was so scared....”
“Evelyn dropped it herself. I don’t know why Evelyn suddenly lost control and pushed me down."
“I really thought she was trying to kill me…”
Seeing her put on that fragile act, I interrupted in fury.
“Lena, it was clear...”
My voice was hoarse and weak from choking on water for so long.
James glanced at me, but the first thing he said was a cold sentence.
“Apologize to Lena.”
The words hit harder than water. I stood there, frozen in place.
My evening gown was soaked through, my body trembling from the cold, my skin drained of all color.
“Apologize?”
“Why should I?”
I lifted my head stubbornly.
“I didn’t push her.”
“She's pretending, can’t you see that?”, I said, my voice hoarse, my throat burning.
“It was Lena who threw the jade bracelet into the water.”
“That bracelet is a keepsake..."
"Stop lying”, James cut me off impatiently before I could finish.
"It’s disgusting.”
“I even heard Lena’s desperate cries for help.”
James lowered his voice as he looked at me.
“Don’t you hear what everyone is saying about you?”
“You’re really embarrassing me.”
At that moment, the murmurs around me drifted clearly into my ears.
“That’s truly disgusting. She is still refusing to admit it.”
“She can’t even swim, and she still jumped in. Now she’s blaming others?”
“Lena was the one who got pushed, and she’s still defending Evelyn. She’s far too kind…”
The girls around twisted the truth without restraint.
I'm forcing myself to calm down, nearly begging him to believe me.
“James, please, Lena threw the bracelet into the pool."
“I can’t swim. I almost…”
“Enough, Evelyn!”
“When did you become so vicious?”, James interrupted me again.
“Why did you refuse to admit it?”
“If your grandmother knew you’d turned into someone this disgusting, she would be deeply disappointed in you.”
My gaze went hollow, a chill creeping up my spine.
He knew exactly where my weakness lay.
He knew full well that my late grandmother was the one I cherished the most.
And he used that very thing to hurt me.
Disappointed?
“If she were disappointed”, I said coldly.
“My grandmother would be disappointed that I married a man who doesn’t trust me."
My words made James freeze for a moment, and my voice was trembling.
“And another thing, you are my husband, James. How can you side with an outsider like this?”
“If you love Lena so much, then let’s get a divorce.”
“I’ll set you free, and you can marry her!”
All sound died away.
Every gaze around us turned toward me.
My defiance ignited James’s anger.
He strode forward, his face darkening as he raised his hand.
Smack!
The slap rang out sharply, leaving my ears buzzing. I even staggered and fell.
My abdomen lightly struck the poolside floor.
My heart grew cold, and I wrapped my arms around my abdomen.
I was pregnant, and James knew that. How could he do that to me?
He had no right to hurt my child!
"Apologize", James said coldly.
I trembled as I stood up again, yet I still let out a cold laugh. I turned my gaze toward Lena.
“Lena, I’m sorry for coming to reclaim what belongs to me.”
“I’m sorry for not divorcing James, forcing you to resort to such disgusting tricks to humiliate me.”
Every word I spoke froze Lena’s expression, while James grew furiously angry.
He strode forward aggressively.
The distance between us closed rapidly.
I instinctively took a step back, staring at him warily.
“You’re still keeping that stubborn attitude?”
“Fine!”
Before I could react, James suddenly shoved me hard. The force was too strong, sending me straight into the pool.
Splash.
I fell straight into the water again.
Water rushed in instantly.
It was hard for me to breathe as I struggled in panic and exhaustion.
On the shore, James only spoke in a mocking tone.
“Stay down there and repent for what you’ve done.”
Then, he intimately pulled Lena away. They are leaving without hesitation.
I was left alone in the pool, ignored by everyone. I struggled weakly until I was completely drained.
“James, I regret only one thing.”
“Marrying you.”
My vision blurred, and I finally lost consciousness.
