Chapter 1

My sister and I both married into the elite, becoming the ultimate trophy wives of the city. She and her CEO husband were childhood sweethearts, living a life of quiet, mutual respect.

But after three years of marriage, she showed up at my door, sobbing into her wine.

"Sera, he has someone else. He even has a secret daughter," she choked out.

"The girl is older than our marriage. He has been lying to me for years. My whole life is a joke."

My eyes stung as tears welled up.

"Actually, Cillian has a mistress too. He just dropped a fortune on a luxury car for her," I whispered.

My sister and I spent the night crying together, but by dawn, we were on the same page.

"I'm done with that trash, Sera," Maisie said, her voice turning cold.

"It's okay, Maisie. If you leave, I'm leaving too. I don't want that little man anymore."

We talked for a long time and finally reached a conclusion.

If we couldn't live happily, we would just die. Or at least, make them think we did.

"But what's the plan? How do we fake it?" Maisie asked, her eyes wide but her brain not quite catching up.

I shook my head and pulled up the schedule Cillian's assistant had sent me.

Cillian really knew how to play the part of a devoted husband.

Since the day we got married, he insisted his assistant send me his weekly schedule every Sunday.

Back then, he used to follow me around like a lost puppy, calling me "sweetheart" with stars in his eyes.

He told me he wanted to be tied to me because it was the only way he felt secure.

I fell for it completely. We were so happy, or so I thought.

Now, I realized those romantic tricks were probably being used on his mistress too.

But luckily, his transparency made my plan a lot easier.

"Cillian is going to San Francisco next week for a project with Sterling Group. Gideon will definitely be there too."

"It's peak tourist season. We'll tell them we want to go to the beach in Malibu. We'll just pretend to be swept away by a rogue wave."

Maisie nodded eagerly.

"Sera, you're a genius!"

"Once we're 'dead,' we can travel the world. Those two jerks won't care anyway. They'll finally be free to be with their other women."

Maisie was thinking exactly what I was.

After ironing out the details, we put the plan into motion.

The night before we left, I called Cillian.

"Hey, honey. Maisie and I are heading to the beach tomorrow. You and Gideon focus on your business trip," I said.

I had practiced that line a dozen times. My voice sounded perfectly natural, giving him no reason to be suspicious.

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then, a familiar female voice spoke.

"Is this Sera? Cillian is in the shower right now…"

I hung up before she could finish.

Vivienne Russo. She had just returned from abroad. She was Cillian's childhood neighbor and now a project lead at his company.

I had seen her at the office a few times. Every time, she looked at me with a weird, hidden hostility.

Not to mention, Cillian had just bought her a Ferrari.

Even though I knew he was cheating, facing the reality still felt like a knife to the heart.

Leaving him was definitely the right choice.

The next morning, Maisie and I flew to the coast.

While we were on the beach, I started a video call with Cillian before his meetings started. I pointed the camera at Maisie, who was out on a surfboard.

"Honey, is Gideon with you? Tell him to look at Maisie!"

The moment I mentioned her name, Gideon's face appeared on the screen.

He was usually a very stern, cold man. But whenever he looked at Maisie, his expression softened until he looked almost vulnerable.

What a great actor, I thought bitterly.

I kept a bright, fake smile on my face for the camera.

Suddenly, Gideon's face went pale.

Out on the water, Maisie, who had been waving from her board, suddenly lost her balance. A massive wave rose up and swallowed her whole.

"MAISIE!!!"

Gideon let out a blood-curdling scream. I dropped my phone in the sand and sprinted toward the crashing waves.

On the other end of the line, Cillian was shouting my name in a panic.

But no one would ever answer them again.

The last thing they saw on the screen was a clear, empty blue sky.