Chapter 1
When Monica Ross and I fell into the sea together, my husband, James Carter, didn't even spare me a glance.
The cruise ship's deck was ablaze with lights. The wind whipped the crowd's screams across the deck, and the water grabbed my dress and dragged me down.
About six feet away, Monica was flailing in the water, crying out for James. "James, save me."
The next second, I saw James, my husband of three years, without bothering to take off his suit jacket, dive straight into the water and swim toward her.
He didn't hesitate.
He didn't look back.
He didn't even ask if I'd make it out alive.
The water flooded my chest, making it burn, and all I could hear were screams and camera shutters snapping.
Someone leaned over the railing and shouted, "Mr. Carter is saving Ms. Ross. He went for his first love."
Others held their phones, streaming it live, totally hyped.
"Oh my god, Mrs. Carter fell in too. Why did Mr. Carter save Ms. Ross first?"
"Come on, isn't it obvious? You can tell who he cares about at a glance."
"Olivia's badly humiliated this time."
Icy water surged over my nose. I struggled desperately as my hands hit the empty surface.
I didn't know how to swim.
Three years ago, James told me something.
He said, "Olivia, as long as you're with me, I'll never let anything happen to you."
Thinking about it, I found it ridiculous.
As I was about to lose the last bit of strength, someone yanked me hard from the side.
*****
A figure leapt in from the other direction, his strong arm catching my waist and dragging me toward the life ring.
Before I passed out, I heard a sharp and cold voice. "What are you all standing around for? Pull her up!"
When I woke up, I was in the hospital.
The room was almost empty. Only a set of clean clothes was there, and Alex Clark, James's assistant, stood quietly nearby.
As soon as I opened my eyes, he bowed. "Mrs. Carter, Mr. Carter sent me to bring these for you."
I glanced at the clothes and felt a laugh bubbling up inside me.
He didn't bother to show up, but made sure the clothes arrived first.
That was classic James.
"Where is he?" I asked.
Alex paused, his voice softer. "Ms. Ross was shaken up, so Mr. Carter is staying with her next door while she gets checked by the doctors."
I stared at him, not saying a word for a while.
Alex must've realized how harsh that sounded, so he hurried to add, "Mr. Carter said you should rest first. The PR team will take care of the trending topics online."
I picked up my phone, and as soon as I turned it on, a dozen missed calls popped up.
They were from friends, reporters, my mother-in-law, Helen Carter, and even college classmates I hadn't heard from in years.
And seeing the top trending topics felt like getting doused with ice water all over again.
[James jumped into the sea to save his first love.]
[Olivia, the wealthy wife, fell into the water, and no one saved her.]
[First love returned. Mr. Carter responded with actions.]
The hottest video had racked up a million likes.
The camera was shaking all over the place, but people could still see everything.
Monica fell into the water, crying out for James, and he jumped in, pulled her into his arms, and held her tight.
As for me, the waves dragged me a few feet away. My hand reached out, a blur at the edge of the frame, and then I sank out of sight.
The comments section was wilder.
[Isn't this a real-life substitute romance?]
[No matter how hard Mrs. Carter tried to play the perfect wife, she still lost to Mr. Carter's first love.]
[If it weren't for the Bennett family, she wouldn't have gotten into the Carter Family.]
[Let's be real. When it counts, a guy's actions say it all. Whoever he saves, that's who he cares about.]
I scrolled through the comments, and suddenly it felt like that mouthful of seawater was still stuck in my chest, making it hard to breathe.
Alex stood nearby, his head lowered.
"Mrs. Carter, Mr. Carter said you shouldn't let what people are saying online get to you," he said.
I looked up at him. "Alex, how long have you been working for him?"
"Six years," he replied.
"So, do you think he saved Monica because he couldn't make it in time, or because he never even thought about saving me?" I asked.
Alex froze.
He couldn't answer because the answer was too obvious.
I tossed my phone onto the bed, threw off the covers, and got up.
Alex got flustered. "Mrs. Carter, you just woke up. Maybe you should rest a bit longer."
"I'm not that fragile," I said, slipping on my shoes, my throat scratchy from all the seawater. "It's not like anyone's going to care anyway."
As I walked out of the room, the next door opened.
Monica was wrapped in James's jacket, her eyes red and her face pale, standing there like a rain-soaked flower.
James stood beside her, reaching out to pull the jacket tighter around her shoulders.
The way he did it was so familiar that it stung to watch.
Monica spotted me first, froze for a second, and then spoke up, her voice timid. "Olivia, are you okay? I was so scared. I swear I didn't mean to pull you down with me."
James finally turned to me.
He looked at my pale face for a couple of seconds, his brows furrowing. "Why don't you rest a bit longer?"
I stared at him, thinking how absurd that question was.
I almost drowned.
And the first thing he said to me was about resting, not about the fact that I nearly died.
I forced a smile. "I wouldn't want to keep you from being with her."
The air went dead silent for a second.
Monica lowered her head, her eyes growing redder. "Olivia, please don't misunderstand. James was worried I might get upset."