Chapter 1

The day after the tsunami, the wreckage of my ship sank beneath the sea for good.

My husband, David Young, a rescue diver, managed to pull our daughter Lily to safety. He made it to shore and immediately called to scream at me, "Sarah, are you out of your damn mind? Who told you to bring Lily to the beach?"

All he got in return was the cold, automated reply. "Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently powered off."

"Seriously, Sarah? You've really learned how to dodge my calls now, huh?"

David was so furious he smashed his phone.

I floated above him, shaking my head. The phone had been soaking in seawater for two days. Did he really think it would still work?

David clenched his jaw and told Lily, "From now on, Ms. Lane is gonna be your mom."

Lily shook her head. "No, I want Mommy. It wasn't Mommy who brought me to the beach. It was Ms. Lane. Mommy's still on the ship."

"What did you just say?"

David's face went pale for a second, but he composed himself almost immediately.

"Sarah, you really have no shame, do you? Using Lily just to make me come crawling back?" he muttered with a sneer. "Fine. If you wanna die so bad, then go ahead and die."

I was standing right in front of him.

I looked at that face twisted with hatred, and all I could do was laugh bitterly.

I really was dead. David, you finally got what you wanted. Go live your happy little life with Riley Lane.

*****

"Captain, the data shows there should still be one person on the wreckage, but the ship..." The team member handed the list to David. "It looks like your wife might've been on board too."

The moment those words left his mouth, David's expression darkened. He snatched the file, saw my name, and his lips twitched. "Sarah, how come I never realized you were this resourceful?"

Even now, David still refused to believe I had been on that ship.

I had no idea why, but at this point, I couldn't care less.

Lily had regained some of her strength. She tugged at David's hand. "Daddy, please save Mommy. Mommy's still on the ship."

But one sentence from Lily was enough to send David into a rage. "Kids who lie get punished. You know that, right?"

David's voice was loud enough to carry. Everyone around them exchanged uneasy glances.

I was standing next to one of the rescued survivors. The man frowned at David. "Your captain's wife really was on the ship. This is..."

Before he could finish, David shot him a look that could kill.

The man shut his mouth.

David noticed the strange stares from the people around him. He cleared his throat. "Let's focus on finding other trapped survivors first."

With that, David took Lily and headed back to the hotel.

No matter how many times Lily begged him to go rescue me from the ship, he didn't budge.

Back at the hotel, David glared at Lily. "If you keep this up, I'm done with you."

"Daddy..." Lily was terrified. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"David, how could you say something like that to Lily?" Riley appeared out of nowhere, shielding Lily behind her like a protective mother hen.

David frowned. "She's picking up lies from Sarah at this age. How am I supposed to stay calm?"

"Even so, that's Sarah's fault. What does it have to do with Lily?"

Watching Riley play the understanding, compassionate saint on my behalf made me scoff.

When it came to putting on an act, I couldn't hold a candle to Riley.