The argument erupted like wildfire.
“I didn’t steal this ring!” I snapped, clutching the band that gleamed faintly on my finger. “Keith gave it to me. It’s mine.”
Faye’s lips curved into a cruel smile, her eyes glinting. “Yours? Don’t flatter yourself. That ring was given to me years ago. I left it in this house when I stayed over. And now—how convenient—you’re wearing it. If that’s not stealing, then what is?”
My chest tightened, fury clawing its way through me. “You’re lying. Keith placed this on my hand himself. Don’t twist this.”
Before I could say more, Sasha stormed into the room, her eyes blazing with contempt.
“Take it off,” she commanded, pointing at my hand.
“No,” I whispered, holding my ground.
I glanced down at the band, my heart aching. It wasn’t even worth much—an old, simple ring. He had given it to me long ago, when we had nothing, when we were poor and struggling.
Back then, he promised me the world, but this ring was enough. To me, it wasn’t about wealth. It was a memory, a vow, a piece of the man I had once loved.
Her hand struck my face before I could even flinch. The sting burned my cheek, but what hurt more was the venom in her voice.
“You’re nothing but a gold digger!” she spat, grabbing my hair and yanking me forward until my scalp screamed. “You don’t deserve that ring, you don’t deserve this family. Isn’t it enough that you stole Keith from Faye? They were the ones meant to be married!”
Something inside me cracked. For years, I had endured. For years, I had stayed silent, swallowed my pain, endured their cruelty. But in that moment, I couldn’t take it anymore.
I shoved her back, my voice shaking. “I said I didn’t steal it!”
It was then Keith appeared, his face twisted in shock.
“What the hell are you doing?” he roared. His gaze landed on his mother, who now had a gash on her temple from the fall, blood seeping down. “You dare—push my mom?!”
“No, Keith, you don’t understand—she hit me first—”
“She started it!” Faye cried, running to Sasha’s side. “Katerina lost control. She’s dangerous.”
“I didn’t—” My words tangled in my throat, panic clawing at me. “I didn’t mean it—”
But Keith wasn’t listening. His fury drowned out everything else.
“You deserve punishment,” he growled, his voice low, dangerous. He turned to the guards. “Take her. Drown her until she learns her place.”
My blood turned to ice. “No—please, Keith! I don’t know how to swim—”
He looked at me, his face hard as stone. “Then learn.”
For a second, my breath hitched. A memory, sharp and merciless, clawed its way back.
Even though I grew up on an island, the sea had always terrified me. Because it had taken everything from me. My parents—drowned in a storm that shattered our boat and left me clinging to driftwood. Since then, the water was no longer life, but death.
Keith knew that. He was the only one I had ever told, the only one who knew how I would freeze at the sight of deep waves, how even the sound of crashing tides haunted me. He had once held me in his arms, whispering that he would never let the water touch me again.
And now… he was the one throwing me to it.
My scream tore from my throat as rough hands dragged me outside. The world blurred as I fought, kicked, begged, but they were stronger. The pool glittered beneath the sun, cruel and merciless.
And then—cold. Water swallowing me whole.
I thrashed, my lungs burning, my body desperate for air. My arms flailed, but I sank deeper, heavier. The muffled world pressed in, black spots blooming in my vision.
And then nothing.
When I woke, I was back in bed, but my body was trembling, feverish. My skin burned, my lips cracked. I struggled to sit up, but weakness pinned me down.
“Oh, you’re awake,” a honeyed voice said.
Faye.
She sat beside me, a bowl in her hands. “Here. Eat something. It’ll help.” She pressed a spoon to my lips.
I forced myself to take a sip. The taste was bitter, foul, like poison sliding down my throat. I gagged and pushed it away.
The bowl slipped, hot liquid splattering across the floor.
Faye screamed, clutching her hand as if burned. “Ahh! She pushed me!” She turned to Keith, who had just entered the room. Her eyes brimmed with fake tears. “I was trying to be nice, to take care of her, but she pushed me and now burned my legs!”
Keith’s gaze snapped to me, fury flashing again. “Seriously, Katerina? You dare do this when she’s only being kind?”
My voice cracked. “I didn’t—she—”
He cut me off, stepping closer. “What should I do with you, huh? You’re impossible.”
“Maybe…” I whispered, my chest tightening, “…let me go.”
His eyes narrowed. “Let you go? So you can run to Nathan? Hell no. My mother was right—you’re cheating on me. That’s why you’ve been so dramatic, isn’t it?”
“I never cheated,” I said desperately. “Nathan is just my friend—”
“Lies.” His voice dripped with venom. “All lies.”
Tears blurred my vision. “Keith, please… listen to me—”
But he only shook his head. “You’re making me regret marrying you. I thought you loved me, but all you ever wanted was my world.”
The words sliced through me, sharp and merciless. And then, without another glance, he turned and left. He walked out with Faye clinging to him, his arm steadying her as if she were the one hurt.
As the door shut behind them, I slid from the bed, my legs giving way. I fell to the floor, pain radiating through me as my knees hit hard.
For a moment, the world spun, and memories flooded me.
Keith bandaging my wounds when I had cut my hands working on the island. Keith cooking soup when I had caught a fever, holding my hand through the night. Keith once my protector, my partner, my love.
But that Keith was gone.
Now, I only had myself.
And for the first time, I realized—I couldn’t keep waiting for him to come back.
Because maybe he never would.
