Chapter 1

Suddenly, something went terribly wrong with the cruise ship. A deafening crash echoed through the air as the vessel lurched violently.

I jolted awake and realized that I had been reborn into the day of the disaster.

Waves pounded against the deck, making it impossible to stay upright.

I fumbled around for a life buoy. To my dismay, every single one had been slashed beyond use.

How could this be happening?

Almost immediately, a voice rang out across the deck.

"Kendrick, I'm scared! Please, stay with me!" Laurel Miller cried.

I instinctively lifted my head and saw Kendrick Thorne stumbling toward her along the railing. The moment he reached her, he pulled her into his arms. The two of them then held each other close.

By now, the ship was already splitting apart. It could break completely at any moment.

Relying on memory, Kendrick deployed the lifeboat. He was about to help Laurel aboard when my best friend, Evelyn Porter, stopped him.

"Kendrick Thorne! How could you just leave Roxanne behind at a time like this? She's two months pregnant!"

For a split second, I thought her words might make him hesitate. But instead, he scowled and shot back, "That's bullshit! If she were pregnant, I'd know about it.

"I bet you're just jealous of Laurel and don't want her to leave. If it weren't for her, none of you would even be on this cruise, enjoying the view!"

As he spoke, his gaze landed on me, filled with nothing but disdain.

Without saying another word, Kendrick pulled Laurel into the lifeboat and spat, "I'll come back for her."

That was exactly what he had said in my past life. But the sea had been merciless.

We had drifted aimlessly for three whole hours before finally reaching shore. By the time Kendrick returned with a rescue team, Laurel was barely holding on.

I wasn't going to fall for his lies again.

Evelyn watched as Kendrick and Laurel boarded the lifeboat. She let out a string of curses under her breath before rushing to my side.

After that, we crawled toward the edge of the deck, gripping the thick ropes as we inched our way to higher ground. But the raging storm sent a massive wave crashing over us.

In the next second, we were yanked into the sea.

Evelyn and I gripped each other's hands tightly, terrified that the waves would tear us apart.

By then, the cruise ship had completely broken apart. Even so, we managed to grab onto two large planks of driftwood and cling to them, struggling to stay afloat.

"Kendrick must be out of his mind! Why did he choose to go sightseeing in weather like this? The visibility is terrible! We wouldn't be fighting for our lives if it weren't for him!" Evelyn yelled.

She wasn't wrong. But she didn't know that this trip had been Laurel's idea.

Laurel's family owned an old cruise ship, and Kendrick had taken a few yacht navigation lessons before. So, he made the decision on his own.

He claimed that he didn't want me to feel jealous so he dragged us all along for this sightseeing trip. None of this would have happened if he hadn't been so busy flirting with Laurel.

The icy water soaked my legs. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen.

I had been married to Kendrick for two years. I initially planned to tell him about my pregnancy that night.

But now, I knew that I was losing the baby.

"Roxanne, are you okay? You have to hang on! Someone will save us!" Evelyn reassured me as she tightened her grip on my hand.

At the same time, she kicked furiously, trying to paddle closer. Even the ocean's pull couldn't slow her down.

She was right. Someone would come for us.

In my past life, Kendrick and I had drifted aimlessly until a tour boat, forced to turn back due to the storm, spotted us and pulled us aboard.

I was certain that it would happen again.

So, I turned to Evelyn. With a steady voice, I urged, "Listen to me. Turn on the flashlight."

Chapter 2

With that, Evelyn and I set our phone flashlights to their brightest setting.

We kept each other awake, terrified that we'd doze off. After all, if we fell asleep, we might never wake up again.

After Laurel's death in my past life, Kendrick spiraled into depression. But two months later, he suddenly snapped out of it and began treating me well.

I thought that he had finally moved on.

However, on the day our child was born, he threw the baby into the water. He drowned him without hesitation, and I could only watch it happen.

"If you want to blame someone, blame your scheming mother! Don't think for a second that I'm the heartless one!"

Then, Kendrick dragged my weakened body out of bed and tossed me into the pool to drown.

I pleaded with him. Yet, his voice remained cold as he spat, "Laurel suffered more when she drowned in the ocean. What makes you think that you deserve a good life? Who do you think you are, living and carrying my child?"

The pain had burned itself into my memory. I would never forget it.

Fueled by vengeance and hatred, I forced myself to stay awake. At the same time, I urged Evelyn to hang on.

We waved our phones frantically in the dark.

Then, the blare of a ship's horn finally shattered the silence. Help had arrived!

When the captain and passengers heard what we had been through, their reactions were a mix of sympathy and outrage.

Suddenly, a sharp pain seized my lower abdomen.

Realizing the urgency, the captain pushed the ship to full speed, determined to get me to shore and to a hospital.

We arrived within 30 minutes. And right then, I saw Kendrick and Laurel brushing off their clothes nearby.

The moment they spotted me, sneers curled at the corners of their lips.

"So, you made it back on your own after all. Why the act, then? If I had listened to you, Laurel might have lost her life."

The captain insisted that Kendrick take me to the hospital, pointing out how much blood I had lost. Although the bleeding had stopped, the damage to my body was significant.

Yet, Kendrick simply scoffed. "Drop the act, Roxanne Bradford. Laurel has a performance tomorrow, and now, thanks to you, she's fallen sick. Don't you think that you're being unreasonable right now?"

Standing across from me, his gaze held no warmth—only scrutiny.

A chill ran through me at that sight. This was the man I had spent my nights with, and now he was looking at me as if I were nothing but a speck of dust.

Pain twisted in my stomach, and my legs trembled so badly that I could barely stand.

At that moment, Laurel glanced at me before weakly tugging at Kendrick's sleeve.

"I know that everyone hates me. It's fine," she muttered. "You should take care of Roxanne. I'm feeling weak from the cold, but I'll manage."

She was playing the victim again, twisting everything to make it look like I was to blame.

Kendrick shot me an irritated glare upon hearing that.

"Stop it. So what if you were in the water? I know you too well. You always blow things out of proportion just to get my attention," he said coldly.

In my past life, he had said the exact same words to me at the hospital. Back then, I told myself I was imagining things. So, I let it go then.

But time had revealed the truth to me.

My expression hardened, and I looked at him as though he were a stranger. A beat later, I retorted, "Why aren't you doubting her? She was never in the water.

"I'm your wife, Kendrick. And yet, you abandoned me to save your childhood sweetheart. You truly are an outstanding man, huh?"

I took a deep breath before adding, "I want a divorce. I don't want to be with you anymore."

At last, the words I had buried for so long broke free.

Kendrick stared at me, stunned. A second later, rage flashed across his eyes.

"Stop being ridiculous. Aren't you tired of this act? You're just throwing a tantrum because I put her on the lifeboat first, aren't you? You're insane!"

The old me wouldn't have fought back. But not anymore.

Every choice Kendrick made, every time he left me behind, made one thing clear—he had never loved me.

Beside him, Laurel let out a small gasp.

Before I could react, Kendrick scooped her up and walked away without looking back.

Furious, Evelyn lunged toward him, ready to attack. But I held her back.

A fresh wave of pain ripped through my lower abdomen, and my vision blurred. I closed my eyes. Then, everything faded to black.

Chapter 3

By the time I woke up, it was already the next night.

I stared at the empty ward and couldn't stop my mind from drifting back to everything that had happened in my past life.

Kendrick and I had worked for the same company. He was my subordinate, and I had always admired his abilities.

So, I took him under my wing, watching for the right opportunity to promote him.

Over time, we developed feelings for each other. He confessed, and soon after, we decided to marry.

However, just one month before the wedding, Laurel appeared.

She claimed that she was his childhood sweetheart and that they had grown up together. To top it off, she insisted that they had been promised to each other since birth.

From that day forward, Kendrick began avoiding my calls. Worse, he gave me the cold shoulder whenever he felt like it.

I assumed that he just needed some space before the wedding, so I chose not to push him.

Then, he said he wanted to spend some time by the sea. Hoping to ease the tension between us, I agreed.

Yet, I walked in on Kendrick and Laurel on the bridge, locked in a passionate kiss. Even with undeniable evidence, he dared to claim that it was just a trick of angles and that I had seen it wrong.

How foolish I had been to believe their lies.

But my poor baby…

Right then, the sound of the door opening pulled me back to reality.

Evelyn stepped inside, carrying a jug of water. The moment she saw me, her eyes brimmed with tears.

"I-I'm sorry… Your b-baby…"

Even though I had braced myself for this, pain still ripped through my chest at her words. I had failed to protect my child in this life and the last.

Now, I wanted to know where Kendrick and Laurel were. I refused to believe that they weren't together.

Evelyn's expression changed slightly before she lowered her voice. "They're in the ward next door. Laurel insisted on it.

"That bitch claimed that she had severe psychological issues and nyctophobia. She said that she couldn't be alone and needed someone to stay with her."

What a pathetic excuse. I was sure only Kendrick would fall for something that ridiculous.

All I could think about now was divorcing him. As for the rest, none of it mattered.

Besides, I didn't believe for a second that the ship had sunk by accident.

When the disaster struck, I had reached for a life buoy, only to find that every single one had been damaged. Clearly, someone had sabotaged them.

I had a strong suspicion that Laurel was behind it.

Evelyn's eyes gleamed with something unreadable.

After a brief discussion, we agreed that she would help me investigate. If we found solid proof, we could have Laurel charged with attempted murder.

Once Evelyn had left, I decided to focus on my recovery. This miscarriage had left me weak, my body cold and drained.

But what terrified me most was the thought that I might never be able to have children again.

…

To my surprise, Laurel showed up not long after.

Her complexion was flawless, and she moved with steady poise. She didn't seem like someone suffering from any kind of illness.

I, on the other hand, was ghostly pale. Even my lips had turned blue.

"Women who miscarry really are something else. Anyone who doesn't know better might think you don't have long to live," Laurel remarked with a sneer.

Then, her gaze flicked to my stomach. "Serves you right for losing the baby. What were you thinking, tagging along on the trip while pregnant? You brought this on yourself."

We were both women. Where did her hatred for me even come from? How could she curse my child?

Nevertheless, I weakly asked, "What do you want?"

Laurel's face twisted with malice, and her eyes burned with resentment as she replied, "Ken and I are engaged. But you came out of nowhere and ruined everything. Did you really think that I'd let you off that easily?"

I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.

"If you want him, take him. There's no need for all this drama. Trash belongs in the garbage. And you? Well, you're a perfect match for him."