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On the deck,I saw James and Emma arguing.
James gripped Emma's wrist,dragging her,muttering,
"Bitch!Apologize to Claire!If you do,she'll forgive me!She won't be with that filthy fisherman anymore—she'll be with me!"
To Emma,he looked possessed.
She struggled wildly yet was still no match to him,so she got dragged along in a mess.
She hissed,
"James,Claire will never love you!You betrayed her,then used me to make money to search for her.You're a nothing but a heartless monster!"
Lucas,arms crossed,commented like a spectator.
"Emma's a mess,but she's got a sharp tongue for sure."
I nodded.
"Her mouth's the only thing on her that’s not twisted."
From her sly words that misled James to the vicious truth that came out now.
James,enraged,slapped Emma hard.
"Liar!"
The force swelled her cheek,blood trickled down from her mouth.
She lay on the floor like a drowned dog,gasping for breath.
James stared at the sea,as if enlightened.
"You pushed Claire into the sea!I'll avenge her!Then she'll love me again!"
He grabbed Emma's head,dragging her to the railing like she was a bag of trash.
My heart raced.
I hated Emma,but I wanted proper justice, a legal one.
Rushikng forward, I shouted,
"Stop!"
James,hearing me,turned happily.
His grip loosened,and Emma fell like a broken kite, directly into the sea.
The splash was deafening.
James,seeing me,lunged like a starving wolf,groveling.
"Claire,look!I avenged you!Will you forgive me now?"
Lucas kicked his outstretched hand,sending him flying in the air and landing a few inches away.
I said coldly,
"James,we're done.No matter what you do,I won't love you or be with you!"
James stared,stunned.
"I'm the youngest captain this ship ever had!You'd choose a smelly fisherman over me?"
Lucas laughed,pointing at the ship's logo.
"Call my family fishermen?Sure.Our shipbuilding empire doesn't just make cruise liners—fishing boats,too."
I struggled to hold back my laughter and pinched at Lucas's waist.
He winced,giving me a helpless look.
James,oblivious,stared at the logo,and started crying.
"Why don't you want me?Why!"
"You have to dump him and be with me,or I'll jump now!"
He staggered to the railing,feigning a leap.
His shamelessness almost made me laugh.
What is this act about now, trying to blackmail me or something?
I crossed my arms.
"Jump!If you love me so much,die for me!"
James eyed the drop,hesitating.
He slumped to the deck.
The ship stopped,docking.
Delta City.
Thanks to our tip,police were already there.
They seized the smuggled goods and arrested the criminals waiting for goods.
As James was cuffed,I smiled.
"Repent in jail.Then I’ll consider my efforts to put you there weren't entirely wasted."
James collapsed,muttering,
"Claire,I was wrong,I'm so sorry."
Some mistakes can't be undone with apologies.
Emma's body was washed up on a beach near Port Haven days later.
Though dead,escaping legal punishment,her actions led police to dismantle a gang of smugglers,including the tycoon.
As for James,he would spend the rest of his life in prison for aiding smuggling,and manslaughter.
His would die in prison.
After the fall,I developed PTSD around water.
But I wanted to swim again,to win gold for my country.
Lucas helped me with desensitization training.
The outcome was good—I overcame my fear.
The process?Less proper though—now I felt like Lucas was eyeing me whenever I came near water.
The night before my competition,I video-called Lucas.
He saw my anxiety,saying softly,
"Baby,you’ve conquered the ocean.A pool's nothing."
True—the sea didn't drown me.
Only a pool wouldn't stop me.
Cap,goggles,swimsuit—check.
I stood on the diving board.
At the whistle,I dove,swimming like a fish.
The water embraced me,pushing me forward.
Turn,kick,return.
Victory was close.I reached out.
Beep!
My name topped the scoreboard—I was first!
The crowd roared as fans from my country stood up cheering.
I did it!
After five years,I did it!
Through the crowd,my eyes met Lucas’s.
He wasn't shocked,as if he knew I would win.
On the podium,I watched the flag rise,singing the anthem.
Thank goodness,I did it in the end.
