Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As the freezing water engulfed me, fragmented memories of our marriage flashed through my mind.

Dexter and I had gotten married after a drunken mistake. It was never a fairy-tale romance, but he had always treated me with patience and care.

That was until Josie suddenly showed up on our front porch, radiant and smiling as she greeted him.

Acting as if I didn't exist right beside him, she threw her arms around Dexter in a tight embrace.

I didn't know who she was at the time. Shocked and furious, I pulled her away and demanded to know why a stranger was barging into our house to seduce my husband.

Dexter's face instantly darkened, and he shouted at me to shut up, threatening a divorce if I kept making a scene.

Frightened by his sudden hostility, I broke down in tears, demanding an explanation for why he let another woman wrap herself around him.

He dismissed me with utter annoyance, claiming Josie was just an old college friend who dropped by to say hello.

Yet for this "just a friend," he ran around helping her find an apartment, cooked her meals, took her out on weekends, and even offered his body to keep her warm when she complained of the chill.

I couldn't endure such blatant betrayal and fought with him constantly.

Every single argument ended with him barking insults at me.

"Josie and I are completely innocent! Can't your dirty mind comprehend normal friendships?"

"Who I spend time with is none of your business. Marrying you doesn't mean I can't talk to other women. Am I supposed to ignore her when she's struggling alone?"

Remembering all the nights I cried myself to sleep over those cruel words, I felt nothing but pity for my past self.

I forced myself to regulate my breathing, swimming with all my might toward a distant rescue vessel.

Debris floated everywhere in the murky surge, threatening to knock me out at any second.

I managed to dodge several floating logs through sheer adrenaline.

Suddenly, a massive wooden beam came tearing down the current straight toward my head.

Panic surged through me, and I instinctively dove underwater to avoid the impact.

I remembered that in my past life, Josie's corpse had a massive laceration across her arm.

It turned out Dexter had survived back then because Josie, who was a strong swimmer, used her own body to push the debris away from him.

That was how he stayed afloat long enough for his team to pull him out.

A sudden wave crashed over me, forcing muddy water down my lungs. My vision blurred, and darkness took over before I could reach the rescue boat.

When I finally opened my eyes, the sterile white ceiling of a hospital room greeted me.

A nurse approached my bed with a warm smile.

"You're awake! How are you feeling? Any pain or dizziness?"

I shook my head weakly, murmuring that my head was just spinning.

The attending physician walked in, looking relieved.

"It's a miracle you pulled through. Your lungs took in quite a bit of fluid. We need your immediate family to complete your admission paperwork."

I paused for a second before reciting Dexter's phone number.

After all, legally speaking, he was still my only family.

The doctor dialed the number and put it on speaker in front of me.

Dexter's raspy voice came through the line.

"Hello? Who is this?"

In the background, a woman's sweet voice purred.

"Dexter, can you blow on the soup and feed me another spoonful?"

Dexter answered softly, followed by the clinking of ceramic bowls.

The doctor cleared his throat awkwardly to interrupt the intimacy.

"Hello, is this Mr. Dexter Vance? Your wife was rescued from the flood and is currently receiving treatment at Northern Memorial Hospital. Please come down to handle her admission."

The line fell dead silent for a moment. Then, the sound of a bowl shattering echoed through the speaker, followed by Dexter's furious roar.

"Who the hell is this? Everyone knows my wife drowned and her body was washed away in the storm!"

"You trying to scam me for cash? Go to hell!"

Meeting the doctor's embarrassed gaze, I reached out, took the phone, and spoke in a chillingly calm voice.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Dexter."

"I'm alive and well. Get your ass over here right now."

Dexter choked on his words, stammering in sheer panic.

"I… I don't believe you!"

"Everyone knows AI voice cloning is everywhere these days! You're just a scammer using her voice!"

With a frantic click, he hung up the phone.

The doctor and nurse stood frozen, completely dumbfounded by what they had just heard.

"What kind of monster is your husband?"

"Wait, Dexter Vance… Isn't he the deputy captain of the search and rescue squad? I saw him crying his eyes out on the evening news yesterday, weeping about watching his wife drown!"

"Right! And Mrs. Vance was brought in by a civilian volunteer crew, not the official rescue unit."

"Good lord, what is going on here…"

A humorless smile crossed my lips. Dexter had actually told the press he watched me drown with his own eyes.

He didn't want me to survive at all. He just wanted a clean slate so he could openly be with Josie!

I clenched my fists under the thin hospital blanket, holding back the burning tears in my eyes.

The nurse hurried to comfort me, apologizing profusely for bringing up the news broadcast.

The doctor let out a heavy sigh, gently telling me that at least I had finally seen the man's true colors.

After giving me some routine instructions, they quietly exited the room.

Left alone in the silence, I finally broke down, screaming every curse I knew at the empty walls to purge the years of poison from my soul.

I spent the next twenty-four hours resting, but to my utter shock, Josie showed up at my door the very next afternoon.