Chapter 2

Back at the hotel that night, Janice and Timothy were still dreaming out loud about what to do with their future millions. First a mansion, then a luxury car—they couldn't decide.

Were they crazy about money? Shouldn't the first thing they buy be a burial plot?

Janice just had to show off. She posted a picture of the piranha in the family group chat.

"You guys have never seen this kind of meteor goldfish, right? It's rare and super valuable. We're going out to sea tomorrow to catch one and show you all," she bragged.

Everyone seemed genuinely intrigued. No one had seen anything like it.

Only Mitchell Lane, her younger sister's husband, spoke up. "Janice, I think I read about that fish before. It's dangerous. You guys shouldn't mess with wild ones. Someone could get hurt."

Mitchell was a high school biology teacher, but Janice never respected him, always thinking he was just a broke teacher.

"Lots of locals got rich catching and selling these. Mitchell, maybe you've read yourself stupid. Just wait; we'll send you a video tomorrow. It's adorable, not dangerous," she said.

Timothy scoffed, "Seriously, Mitchell? You think the three of us can't handle one fish?"

"Just be careful, okay?" Mitchell said, sounding a bit defeated.

Alice Lane chimed in, "Yeah, Janice. Please don't go anywhere risky. Stay safe."

Janice waved it all off. "Relax. We've got a local guide with us. No offense, but you guys should really travel more and stop freaking out over nothing."

She assumed everyone was just jealous. Then she huffed, put her phone down, and went to bed early, ready for the big day.

The most ridiculous part was that Janice only let us book one standard room for our honeymoon, claiming we were all family and could just squeeze in.

I secretly booked a second room, but at check-in, she made such a scene that the hotel staff canceled it.

Since we were overseas, I didn't want to argue and make a bigger mess, so I just went along with it.

Watching Timothy lying shirtless because he was hot, and Janice walking around in a flimsy nightgown made my skin crawl.

They clearly had zero sense of personal boundaries.

If I'd known before marriage how bizarre they were, I would've run for the hills. No way would I have married into that family.

Looking back, Janice probably always saw me as stealing her son. That was likely why she didn't hesitate to shove me into the sea.

And honestly, their whole family was greedy and fake. After I died, I learned the truth that Janice and Timothy always felt embarrassed by the generous wedding gift my parents gave me. They thought it was too much and held a grudge.

Without going through that experience, I might've stayed clueless forever.

Thank goodness it was only one more night. Tomorrow, I'd finally be free from all of it.

Lying in the dark, listening to their snoring duet, I suddenly remembered something important.

I secretly used Timothy's phone to buy an accident insurance policy for Janice—1.7 million dollars, with Timothy as the sole beneficiary.

Afterward, I carefully deleted every trace.

Last time, Timothy took the payout, plus my three hundred grand deposit, quit working for good, and married some fresh-out-of-college girl within a month. He showed her off like a trophy to all our friends and family.

But this time, it was my turn to cash in.

Lying there, I let out a quiet laugh in the dark. I was looking forward to sunrise more than anyone else.

Early the next morning, Eric took us on a two-hour ferry ride to a remote island. From there, we had to transfer to a speedboat for another thirty minutes to get to the snorkeling site.

It was the perfect setup to scam tourists. They promised a full package for a little over 30 bucks per person.

But once we were on that boat, we were trapped. They'd pile on extra "fuel charges" and "service fees" until we were bled dry.

Last time, we ended up paying over 1,700 dollars each by the time we got there.

Just like before, Janice was giddy the moment she boarded.

She totally ignored her seasickness and kept posting ocean-view clips to the family chat, her social media, and TikTok. The likes and comments she got only fueled her ego.

When we got to the transfer island, there were a few locals around, and the signal was surprisingly strong.

We grabbed a quick bite, and Janice and Timothy picked up some fishing gear. Just before the speedboat arrived for the final leg, the shady guide started playing his game.

If we didn't cough up enough cash, we weren't getting on the boat. And of course, there was no way they'd give us a free ride back either. Basically, we were stranded on the island.

Janice and Timothy were completely stunned.

Janice, always stingy, didn't want to pay, but Timothy reminded her they were about to hit the jackpot. After a long back-and-forth, Janice finally coughed up the money.

Watching her reluctantly count the bills, I suddenly clutched my stomach and made a pained face. Grabbing her hand, I said, "Janice, I don't think I can snorkel. I just got my period, and the cramps are awful. I really can't get in the water."

I was already haunted by what happened here last time, so my pale face was completely real.

I only came to witness them walking straight into their own doom. No way was I risking my life again. Getting pushed into the sea twice would be a sick joke.

Timothy frowned, annoyed that I was ruining the moment. But Janice looked pleased. My staying behind meant she could save half the snorkeling fee.

"Then just stay here and rest. We probably won't be back until really late," she said after paying, barely glancing at me.

I smiled. They probably wouldn't be coming back for a long while.

After saying goodbye, I found a shady spot to sit and kept an eye on them from a distance.

As they waited for the boat, Janice and Timothy changed into their snorkeling gear and had someone take a bunch of photos. They proudly blasted them in the group chat. Honestly, anyone would think they were on a honeymoon.

Janice wrote: [We brought tons of fishing gear and just bought fresh bait. Apparently, the meteor goldfish love it. We're totally catching a big one this time!]

Seeing that message made my anger boil.

If she hadn't thrown all that bait into the sea last time, maybe the piranhas wouldn't have come, and I wouldn't have died such a stupid, gruesome death.

Cassandra wasn't about to let Janice hog the spotlight. "Where's Serena? How come it's just you two in every photo? The new bride's missing from her own honeymoon?"

I quickly took a selfie, making sure to include Janice and Timothy in the background, who were grinning like fools, just close enough to recognize. I needed some proof, just in case.

I replied with a smiley emoji: [Cassandra, I'm not feeling well, so I'm not going snorkeling. Just hanging out here on the island while they go. It's not far from the snorkeling site.]

Mitchell messaged again: [Serena, I see dark clouds in your photo. Looks like it might rain. Snorkeling in bad weather is really dangerous. Maybe you should warn Janice and Timothy.]

He was always so kind. He'd tried to warn us in my previous life, too.

And he was right. When the piranhas came, it was pouring.

Visibility was terrible. No one, not the tourists, not even the boat captain, realized what a perilous situation we were in.