Chapter 1Let My Traitor Husband Drown Slowly

The rescue boat rocked violently against the churning rapids. The rain was a cold, relentless sheet, blurring the world into shades of slate and charcoal. Beside me, the rescue worker was screaming, his voice nearly lost to the roar of the flood.

"We can only take one more! You have to decide now!"

I hesitated, my hand frozen on the edge of the boat. And then, it happened. Glowing lines of text began to drift across my vision like a digital fever dream.

Look at this tragic side-character, one line read. She actually thinks they’re naked because of hypothermia. She has no idea her ‘artist’ husband was busy ravishing his little protege by the riverbank when the levee broke.

I can’t wait for the next part, another comment scrolled by. After she saves him, he’s going to realize his true feelings, shove her overboard to make room, and give the girl mouth-to-mouth. Total swoon moment. Give us the drama!

The hesitation vanished. My heart, which had been hammering with panic, suddenly went cold and still.

I remembered a week ago, finding my husband, Killian, in the corner of his studio. He had his young apprentice, Luna, pinned against the wall. He’d whispered that she was his soul, his muse—that he’d give his very life for her.

Luna had looked up with that wide-eyed, innocent gaze and asked, "How would you give it, Killian?"

Well, Killian. Here was your chance to find out.

I grabbed the single rescue rope and threw it toward Luna.

The situation was simple, really: Killian, the prestigious professor, had taken his favorite student on a "plein air" painting trip into the mountains. A flash flood hit. Now, they were both drifting in the freezing water, stripped bare by the current—or perhaps by something else—clinging to a log and dying of exposure.

* * *

"Jade, please! Think about this!" Parker, one of Killian’s other students who was on the boat with me, looked at me with a horrified, stiff expression. "Luna’s already unconscious from the cold. If we pull the Professor up first, he actually has a chance of surviving!"

The floating text in my eyes hissed in agreement:

[Parker is such a loyal dog. He knows that if the Professor gets on the boat, he’ll definitely kick the wife off to save Luna!]

[Our sweet Luna is going to be so kind later. She’ll inherit Jade’s entire estate after she drowns, and she’ll be so 'devastated' she won't even let Killian touch her on Jade’s death anniversary. What an angel.]

I stared at the text, a bitter taste in my mouth. Since when did being a mistress and a gold-digger count as being "kind"?

"I know... I want to save him more than anything. He’s my husband," I whispered, my voice trembling perfectly. I stared out at the dark water, looking like a woman whose heart was shattering in real-time. I let my body sway, a fragile silhouette against the storm.

"But Killian always said... he said Luna’s father saved his life years ago. He told me he owed her a debt that could never be repaid."

I twisted my damp handkerchief, dabbing at my eyes.

"He told me that for the sake of gratitude, he would lay down his life for her. He’s a man of honor, Parker. I have to respect his wishes. I have to be a good example for our son!"

Without another word, I looped the rope into a lasso and flung it toward the floating, unconscious Luna. We hauled her in.

"Jade!" Killian’s voice was a desperate, guttural howl from the water.

He reached for us, but the current was too strong. A sudden surge of debris slammed him against a jagged boulder. His head snapped back, and he went limp, disappearing under the frothing brown water.

I looked down into the depths, a tiny, dark smile touching my lips. Don't die too easily, Killian, I prayed. The fun is just beginning.

Just as he vanished, Parker managed to snag Killian’s shirt with a makeshift hook made from his own belt. He started trying to pull him toward the side.

Knowing these people, I knew that if Killian got a finger on this boat, I was going over the side. I quickly grabbed my phone and dialed my mother-in-law, Beatrice.

The second she picked up, I let out a jagged, hysterical sob.

"Mom! Something terrible has happened!"

"What is it?" Beatrice’s voice was already sharp with irritation.

"Luna and Killian... they were caught in the flood! They’re saying Luna might not make it! It's horrific!"

"What?" Beatrice’s blood pressure clearly spiked through the phone. "Jade, you useless woman! You can't keep an eye on your man, and you can't even look after a young girl? Listen to me—if you don't save Luna, I’ll make sure Killian divorces you tomorrow. You’ll be out on the street with nothing! I’m coming down there now!"

"Mom, I’m trying! I’ll do exactly what you say! I’ll save her!"

I hung up, a cold satisfaction settling in my chest. I had successfully misled her. She now thought Luna was the only one in the water.

"But the boat is full," I shouted to the air, making sure Parker heard. "We have to wait for the next sweep! I hope she can hold on!"

The real show was about to start.

Beatrice arrived twenty minutes later on a larger, overcrowded rescue vessel. She saw me straining against the rope Parker was holding—the rope that was currently tethered to a submerged, unconscious body. Because Killian was underwater, you couldn't tell who it was.

The weight was dragging our small boat down, making it tilt dangerously.

Beatrice screamed from the other vessel, "Jade! You murderous bitch! I knew you’d try to hurt her!"

"Mom, wait!" I stammered, acting paralyzed by "nerves."

"You’re pretending to be a hero, trying to save some 'stranger' while Luna is dying?" Beatrice roared, ignoring the other passengers. "Let go of that rope! Luna’s life is the only thing that matters! Let the other person drown!"

Parker tried to intervene. "Ma'am, the person under the water is—"

He wanted to say it was his professor. It was her son.

But Beatrice didn't give him the chance. She lunged across the gap between the boats and slapped him hard across the face.

"I know all about you, Parker! Jade, you've always been a slut. I knew from the day you married into this family you’d try to ruin us. You’re probably trying to save your secret lover right now!"

She turned to the men on her boat. "A thousand dollars to whoever ties this brat up and cuts that rope! Save my grandson!"

I blinked. Grandson?

So, Beatrice knew. She knew Luna was carrying Killian’s child. That’s why she was so desperate.