The night before our wedding, my fiancé took me to see the "underwater starry sky." Instead, we were attacked by pirates. They hung me upside down over the ocean countless times, and even threatened to drop me into a shark tank. Just as I was on the absolute brink of a mental breakdown... The pirate standing closest to me ripped off his ski mask and doubled over in hysterical laughter. It was my younger sister! She mocked me, unable to catch her breath. "Maya, you have no idea how pathetic you looked begging on your knees." "It's a good thing I got it all on video. I'll make sure to edit it into your wedding montage tomorrow." While I was being tortured, no matter how excruciating the pain was, I never begged. But when Ethan lunged forward to save me and was beaten until he was covered in blood... I was genuinely terrified. I dropped to my knees on the deck and begged for his life. To my absolute shock, Ethan—who a second ago looked like he was dying—casually stood up, wiped the "blood" off his face, and smirked. "Don't worry, it's just fake blood. Your sister made a bet with me to see if you would actually get on your knees to save my life." "You really should thank Chloe. If it wasn't for her, I never would have known just how much you love me." Seeing the fury and betrayal on my face, he immediately shifted into a coaxing, apologetic tone. He guided me down into a submerged shark cage to see the "underwater starry sky," but as soon as I was inside, he slammed the gate and locked it. "Mia, I lost the bet. A bet is a bet. This wedding has to go to Chloe." "But you've always been so stubborn and controlling, I was worried you'd cause a scene. Just wait here like a good girl and watch the stars. Once the ceremony is over, I'll come back and get you." Watching him walk away, my heart turned to complete ash. My oxygen tank was only a third full. I knew I probably wasn't going to live long enough for him to come back and get me... or our baby. ... I gripped the iron bars of the cage. The freezing temperature of the deep ocean seemed to pierce straight through my wetsuit, chilling my very soul. Seeing my silence, Ethan's expression softened slightly. He communicated with me using diving hand signals: [Don't blame me. You used to swear you would rather die than beg on your knees. I didn't expect you to break your own rule.] My grip on the iron bars tightened, a bitter ache surging in my chest. He forgot. He forgot that he was the one who swore he would rather die than let me kneel. Back then, Ethan Sterling was notorious in our social circle as a reckless, arrogant trust-fund playboy. At a high-society gala, his stepmother falsely accused me of stealing a diamond necklace. She physically forced me to the ground, trying to make me kneel and apologize. When I refused, she ordered her security to throw me into the freezing decorative fountain outside. When Ethan finally pulled me out of the freezing water, he wrapped his arms around me, shaking uncontrollably. "Maya, I swear to God, from this day forward, no one will ever make you kneel again!" In five short years, that reckless playboy transformed into the ruthless, universally feared CEO of the Sterling Group. No one ever dared to speak down to me again, and no one ever dared to make me bow. Yet today, the person who wanted to see me humiliated and broken in the dirt... was him. But right now, I didn't have the luxury of being heartbroken. I frantically pointed at the pressure gauge on my oxygen tank. It clearly showed only one-third of the air remaining. [Let me out! The tank is almost empty. I will die!] Ethan didn't even bother to look closely. He brushed it off dismissively. [Alright, stop playing games. I prepped that tank myself. It's fine.] [Relax. The wedding ceremony goes to Chloe, but you will always be the real Mrs. Sterling.] I pressed my lips together tightly, pointed desperately at my stomach, and shook my head violently. [I am pregnant. I can't stay in the freezing water for this long.] Ethan froze for a second. Then, a deep, irritated frown crossed his face. [Maya, that is a pathetic excuse. Did you forget? You can't have children anymore.] Every single word he signed mutated into a jagged knife, plunging directly into my heart, hurting so much I couldn't breathe. When I was thrown into that freezing fountain years ago, I was pregnant. The water was too cold. I lost the baby. The trauma left me with severe internal scarring and chronic circulatory issues. The doctors told me it would be nearly impossible for me to ever conceive again. That night, Ethan sat in his study, tightly gripping the small, custom-engraved silver baby rattle he had designed himself, chain-smoking until dawn. He never brought up having children again. But he never threw that silver rattle away. It had been locked in the top drawer of his desk for five years. I knew he was waiting for a miracle. So, when I found out I was pregnant, I carefully placed the ultrasound photo into a waterproof pouch, planning to surprise him with it while we were looking at the "underwater starry sky." Terrified that the photo might get ruined by the seawater, I even scheduled an automated email to send it to him as a backup. My body began to shake violently from the cold. I frantically fumbled to pull the waterproof pouch out of my gear pocket. But when I looked up, all I saw was his back as he swam away. I hammered my fists against the iron cage, holding the photo up as high as I could. He stopped, looking back at me from a distance, completely ignoring what was in my hand. [Stop throwing a tantrum. I'll come get you as soon as I can.] His silhouette vanished into the murky darkness. The ocean floor fell into a deathly, suffocating silence. There was no "underwater starry sky" down here. He had been lying to me from the very beginning. The freezing cold slowly seeped into my core. My lower abdomen began to cramp painfully. The oxygen tank could last, at an absolute maximum, one more hour. I wasn't going to survive long enough for him to come back. Chapter 2 I placed my right hand over my stomach, tears blurring my vision inside my mask. "It's okay, baby. Don't be scared. Mommy is going to get you out of here." My eyes darted to the specialized, heavy-duty smart watch strapped to my wrist. The sight of it brought a complex wave of emotion. When I first started learning how to scuba dive, I made a critical error and nearly drowned in the training pool. Ethan was the one who pulled me out. After that, he gave me this custom-engineered watch. It maintained a cellular signal even at a depth of 150 feet. He promised me that if I ever called it, no matter where he was, he would come. Acting on pure survival instinct, I dialed Ethan's number. The video call connected. Through the screen, I heard the deafening cheers of a wedding reception. No one seemed to have noticed, or cared, that the bride had been swapped. Ethan apparently didn't realize the call had connected in his pocket. As he moved, the camera lens swept across the venue. The massive bridal portraits had all been replaced with pictures of Chloe. The venue decorations, which were supposed to be blue roses, had been swapped out for white lilies—Chloe's favorite. And the custom haute couture wedding gown that I had waited an entire year for... was currently draped flawlessly over Chloe's body, looking as if it had been tailored specifically for her. In that moment, a brutal, horrifying realization crashed over me. This wedding... was never meant for me from the very beginning. My best friend, who was supposed to be my Maid of Honor, was still wearing her bridesmaid dress, but she was affectionately linking arms with Chloe. "Chloe, Ethan actually flew you out to Vegas to get a confidential marriage license and threw this massive reception? I honestly thought you guys weren't going to do a wedding." "Especially since Maya is so petty and controlling. If she threw a fit, you'd be the one who ended up looking bad." When my best friend was brutally bullied in middle school, I was the one who stood in front of her, taking the hits to protect her. She used to tell me I was the only person in the world who loved her unconditionally. My sister playfully adjusted her veil, a smug, triumphant smile curling her lips. "Honestly, I didn't even want to get legally married yet. But Ethan was so worried I'd feel insecure. He said that once you sign the papers in Vegas, it's legally binding everywhere, so he insisted on taking me." "And this wedding too. Ethan wanted to permanently reserve a guest room in the bridal mansion for me, but my sister threw an absolute fit and refused." "Ethan only came up with this whole 'bet' idea to break her ego and put her in her place." One of Ethan's groomsmen let out a loud, mocking laugh. "If Maya knew the whole 'bet' was just a smokescreen, and that whether she kneeled or not, she was always going to lose... man, I can't even imagine the meltdown she's gonna have." A month ago, that exact same groomsman was being hunted by loan sharks. His own family had disowned him. I was the one who hid him, paid off his debts in secret, and protected his fragile, crumbling pride. My mother walked into the frame, a warm smile on her face. "Maya has a soft heart. You just need to coax her a little bit after this is over, and she'll be fine." Her tone shifted, carrying a hint of genuine reluctance. "I just feel terrible for Chloe. Just to appease her sister, she's going to have to move to Europe, and it's going to be so hard to even see her." Ethan's arm wrapped naturally around my sister's waist, offering reassurance. "Mom, you don't need to worry. Whenever you miss Chloe, I'll fly you out on the private jet to stay with her." My heart felt like it was seized by a hydraulic press, crushing it until I couldn't draw a breath. Even my mother knew! Every single one of them had conspired to hide this from me! My entire body convulsed with violent tremors. I forced myself to regulate my emotions, breathing as shallowly as possible, terrified of wasting even a fraction of an ounce of air. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. I frantically tapped the screen of the smartwatch, sending an emergency SOS ping. Ethan finally noticed his phone vibrating. He paused, a flicker of panic crossing his face as he looked at the screen. "Maya, did you hear all of that?" It doesn't matter anymore. None of it matters. Right now, I just want to survive! I just needed him to see the ultrasound photo. If he saw it, maybe he would let me live. I looked down, fumbling with the waterproof pouch, when Ethan's heavy sigh echoed through the speaker. "It's probably for the best that you know. I've been making Chloe sacrifice too much for too long." "She's pregnant now. I have to prioritize her emotional well-being." My hand, gripping the photo, froze. It felt like my heart had been violently shredded. After falling into that freezing fountain years ago, I developed a crippling phobia of deep water. Two months ago, he gently coaxed me back into scuba diving, promising me that he would help me conquer my fear and take me to see the "underwater starry sky." I fought through the panic attacks, step by agonizing step, battling the nightmare of losing my first child. But from the very beginning... he was only doing it to humiliate me and get revenge for Chloe! To him... Chloe's "emotional well-being" was worth risking my actual life to appease. On the screen, Chloe smoothly held a small box up to the camera. It was a velvet box I had seen a thousand times. Inside was the silver baby rattle Ethan had kept locked away for five years. His "miracle" had already been provided by someone else. I was on the absolute edge of a total psychological collapse. But I couldn't break down. I could not break down. My entire body shaking, I gently tapped the screen of the watch, transmitting a desperate, pleading code. Two taps every 1.5 seconds. Five times in a row. Ethan once told me that two beats every 1.5 seconds was his exact resting heart rate. And tapping it five times in a row... was my exclusive, personalized SOS signal to him. The last time I used that signal was when I fell into the freezing fountain. He arrived in exactly three minutes. He didn't hesitate for a second, diving into the freezing, ice-choked water in the dead of winter to save me. But this time... He froze. A flash of distinct hesitation crossed his face. Chloe immediately started wiping away fake tears, crying beautifully for the camera. "Ethan, please, go save my sister. The ceremony hasn't officially started yet. Bring her back, let her be the bride." "I don't need to get back at her anymore. I just want our family to be peaceful and happy." Hearing those words, every trace of hesitation vanished from Ethan's face. His expression turned completely frigid. "We established that SOS signal for life-or-death emergencies. Not for you to throw petty tantrums." "Chloe already agreed to move to Europe after the wedding and never bother you again. It's just a ceremonial party. You need to learn when to stop!" Seeing him reach to end the call, I shook my head frantically. "I don't want the wedding! My air is almost gone! I'm really going to die!" Ethan waved his hand dismissively in annoyance. "If there's actually a problem, signal the dive instructor!" He didn't say another word. He hung up. The screen went black. The only source of light vanished, and the crushing, absolute darkness of the ocean swallowed me whole. The tears I had been fighting back finally broke free, flowing relentlessly. Ethan knew I was terrified of the water. When we practiced diving, he was neurotically paranoid about my safety. No matter how shallow the dive was, he insisted that a certified dive instructor be on standby directly above me at all times. I never expected that paranoid safety measure would be the only thing keeping me alive today. Because of my earlier panic, my oxygen consumption had spiked. I had, at most, thirty minutes left. I forced myself to calm down and dialed the dive instructor's number. I tapped out the pre-arranged emergency SOS rhythm. The dive instructor answered the call. He was silent for several seconds before letting out a helpless sigh. Chapter 3 "Ms. Quinn, we are indeed stationed in the support boat directly above your coordinates. But Mr. Sterling gave us explicit, strict orders: absolutely no one is allowed to retrieve you until the wedding reception has concluded." I shook my head frantically, using one hand to sign desperately in front of the camera, explaining that my oxygen tank was completely empty. The instructor hesitated, thinking for a moment. "Logically, the tank you have should easily last until sunrise. But just in case, I'll lower a few spare tanks down to you." "Mr. Sterling was worried something might go wrong, so he had us stock plenty of reserves." I let out a massive, shuddering exhale. I gently touched my tightening stomach, tears of relief flooding my eyes. Baby, we're going to be okay. Just hold on a little longer. Hold on until morning, and Mommy will get you out of here. Within moments, a spare oxygen tank, tied to a weighted rope, slowly descended through the dark water. Due to the ocean currents, it drifted slightly off course. I swam toward it, fighting through the exhaustion. All the rules about "minimizing movement to conserve air" were completely forgotten. I grabbed the tank with overwhelming joy... but my heart instantly plummeted into the abyss. The tank was completely empty! I panicked and called the instructor back immediately. He sounded even more shocked than I was. "Wait, hold on!" I heard him scrambling on the boat, frantically checking the remaining tanks. His voice was filled with confusion. "That makes no sense. The pressure gauges on the remaining tanks show they're full. Just wait there, I'll lower another one down to you right now." But to my absolute horror... when the next tank arrived, the pressure gauge clearly indicated it was full, but when I attached my regulator, there was absolutely zero airflow! I called him back again. This time, his voice was dark and guarded. "Ms. Quinn, we're just employees. If we disobey Mr. Sterling's direct orders, we'll be fired." "My wife just had a baby. I can't afford to lose this job. Could you please stop making this so difficult for us?" Before I could even respond, he hung up. A single second later, Ethan called me. He was actively suppressing a violent rage, his voice a low, furious growl. "When are you going to stop this psychotic behavior?! The instructor lowered three or four different tanks down to you, and you claimed every single one of them was empty!" "Are you absolutely determined to ruin this wedding before you're satisfied?!" "If you keep this up, I won't come get you after the reception ends. I will leave you down there until the sun comes up!" I shook my head in absolute despair, my hands flying as I signed frantically. [No, I'm not lying! The tanks really are empty!] [Ethan, I'm begging you. I don't want anything anymore.] [Just let me out. Please. I am really going to die.] He froze for a second. Right at that moment, my mother's voice drifted through his end of the call. "Ethan, hurry up and get ready! It's almost time to exchange rings!" When Ethan looked back at the screen, his expression was completely drained of patience. "Maya, stop causing a scene. Just wait a little longer. It's almost over." The call was disconnected again. I suffered a total, catastrophic mental collapse. Why was it so impossibly, agonizingly hard just to stay alive?! I refused to give up. I kept trying to call them back. But neither Ethan nor the dive instructor would answer. I let out a broken, bitter laugh. They had both blocked me. At that moment, the battery icon on my smartwatch flashed red and died. My oxygen tank was completely depleted. I held my breath, silently counting down the final three minutes of my life. I looked up. Nothing but pitch-black, suffocating darkness. The "underwater starry sky" was a complete lie. In my blurry, fading vision, a dark silhouette slowly swam toward me through the gloom. Chapter 4 My eyes snapped wide open. It was Ethan. He had actually come. Through the earpiece he was wearing, I could faintly hear my mother's urgent voice. "Hurry up! Hurry!" Tears exploded from my eyes. At the end of the day, they were my family. The people I loved the most. How could they actually, truly leave me here to die? I swam toward the gate of the iron cage, but Ethan violently shoved me backward. He quickly pulled a heavy-duty padlock from his gear, snapped it onto the cage door, and ripped off the flimsy, prop lock that had been there previously. Through the earpiece, my mother let out a massive sigh of relief. "Thank god you made it in time!" I stared at Ethan in absolute, horrified disbelief. His hands moved quickly as he signed to me. [Thank god Chloe noticed the lock on this cage was faulty, otherwise you really might have escaped.] [Just wait a little longer. The reception is almost over.] I shook my head in absolute, blinding despair. I grabbed the ultrasound photo and shoved it against the bars toward him. [Let me and the baby go! I'm begging you!] Ethan swatted the photo out of my hand with irritated disgust, not even bothering to glance at it. [Stop playing your manipulative little games. Just wait.] The photo drifted through the water, floating right past the camera lens on Ethan's communication gear. My mother's face on his screen instantly changed color. But when she looked at me, her eyes carried a distinct, familiar look of pleading. I had seen that exact look countless times. When we were kids, and Chloe wanted to steal my toys. When we grew up, and Chloe stole my guaranteed admission spot for a Master's program. "Just let your sister have it this one time." Every single time my mother said that sentence, she looked at me with those exact same eyes. But Mom. I don't want to let her have it this time. I want to live. I want my baby to live. I looked at Ethan with absolute, suffocating despair, chasing the absolute last microscopic sliver of survival. [I am begging you, please let me go. I don't want the wedding. I don't want you. I just want to live.] I pulled my knees to my chest, mimicking a kneeling position while floating in the abyss, tears pouring endlessly from my eyes. Please. I don't want to die. Ethan froze completely, a flash of genuine hesitation crossing his face. Right then, Chloe's face appeared on the video feed. She was sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath. "Maya, are you still mad about my pirate prank?!" "I'll get on my knees and apologize right now! Just please forgive me!" She made a dramatic motion to kneel, but the next second, she clutched her stomach and let out a piercing scream of pain. The wedding reception instantly descended into chaos. Ethan didn't even look back. He turned and swam aggressively toward the surface. I floated in the deep ocean, sobbing silently, uncontrollably. I had held my breath for too long. My lungs felt like they were literally exploding. The freezing, suffocating seawater flooded into my nose and mouth, burning my internal organs like acid. My vision grew darker and darker. In my fading, delirious consciousness, the surface of the ocean suddenly erupted with brilliant, sparkling light. Neon colors exploded across the water... It turns out there really was an underwater starry sky. He didn't lie to me. He just didn't tell me... That the "starry sky" he wanted me to see... Was the reflection of the fireworks celebrating his wedding to Chloe. ... When the wedding reception finally ended, Ethan didn't stay to watch the fireworks. He couldn't shake the deep, gnawing anxiety in his chest, so he decided to go back down with the dive instructor to bring me up. He deliberately grabbed a thick, heated thermal blanket and a thermos of hot cocoa. He always remembered that I had poor circulation and was constantly cold. As the fireworks began detonating overhead, he zipped up his wetsuit and prepared to dive. Right at that moment, his phone chimed. An automated email delivery. The sender was me. He frowned, tapped the notification, and instantly froze exactly where he stood. The attachment was an ultrasound photo. 5 Weeks Gestation. [Ethan. We finally got our miracle.]
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