The Trials of Love

The day before our wedding, my fiancé invites our family onto a cruise ship. He says he wants to test the authenticity of my feelings for him.

He shoves my mother off the ship when the waves are at their choppiest. Then, he jumps into the water, too.

I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. I panic, not knowing what to do.

My mother had already choked on a lot of water, but she pushed me away weakly. She cried, "Save Adrian first! He can't swim!"

However, after I drag Adrian Lawson onto land and go back for my mother, I find that she's already stopped breathing.

Adrian watches me cry, his expression frosty. "Drop the act. Your mother was a swimmer when she was younger—how can she be dead? I can't believe you didn't save me first.

"Vi is right—you don't love me enough. Our wedding is postponed. It'll happen only after you've reflected on your mistakes and I've received an apology from you and your mother."

After that, he leaves while holding Vivian Sinclair's hand.

He doesn't know that my mother can no longer swim after a major illness a few years back. He's shoved her to her death.

By the time my mother was pulled ashore, her body was already cold, and she had no breath left.

Trembling all over, I held her tightly while trying to wake her up. But she remained completely still.

However, Adrian Lawson walked over impatiently and kicked my mother's lifeless hand, which had slipped to the ground.

"Enough with the act! Everyone knows your mom is a professional swimmer. There's no way a little wave could have drowned her. Even if you're trying to play the victim in front of me, I won't just let this matter go so easily.

"I have zero tolerance for betrayal. The woman I marry must be fully devoted to me and put me first in everything. You've really disappointed me."

Even after his harsh kick, my mother didn't respond in the slightest.

A flicker of uncertainty flashed through Adrian's eyes, and he hurriedly crouched down to check on her.

His childhood sweetheart, Vivian Sinclair, stepped in front of him. She shifted her gaze to my mother's pale face before letting out a mocking laugh.

"She looks perfectly fine to me. She doesn't seem like someone on the brink of death."

She rested a hand on Adrian's shoulder, speaking as if she knew everything. "I've heard that professional swimmers can hold their breath for minutes at a time. Two or three minutes is nothing to them.

"I think they planned this together just to scare you. That way, once you marry into their family, you'll have no choice but to obey them and let them control you."

Adrian froze. He clenched his fists and stood still.

Slowly, he turned his gaze toward me and asked, "Camilla Prescott, is this true?"

Just as I was about to answer anxiously, he cut me off. "Don't bother explaining. I find it hard to believe anything you say right now. As punishment, our wedding will be postponed for six months. Once you've learned how to love me properly, I'll reconsider marrying you."

With that, he turned away without hesitation, walking off arm in arm with Vivian.

At that moment, I suddenly felt my mother's fingers twitch.

It was like grabbing onto a lifeline. I immediately crawled forward and grabbed Adrian.

"My mom is still alive! She can still be saved! There's no hospital on this island, but please, I beg you to ask a private doctor to take a look at her!"

Seeing that he remained unmoved, I lowered my voice further.

"Have you forgotten how good she was to you? She treated you like her own son! When you had the flu, despite the lockdown, she still risked everything just to bring you food! She would never harm you! And she would never use this as a scheme before the wedding!"

Adrian seemed slightly shaken. His steps faltered for a brief moment.

He stared at me deeply for a long while before finally agreeing. "Fine, I'll call the doctor."

Vivian tried to stop him. "Adrian, there's no need—"

But Adrian cut her off. "This is the last time I will trust you. If the doctor comes and finds that your mother is perfectly fine, you will have to pay the price for this."

I nodded frantically. As long as a doctor could come and save her, I didn't care about anything else.

But just as the doctor, dressed in a white coat and carrying a medical kit, rushed over, my mother suddenly coughed violently. She spat out a mouthful of seawater.