Chapter 1

Yaric Linden bought a massive cruise ship for our honeymoon, but a shipwreck tore our dream apart mid-voyage.

As we went down, he shoved the only life jacket onto me and pushed me toward the shore.

"Luna! I love you! You have to survive!"

I drifted at sea for two days before being rescued, immediately joining the search party to find him.

After a week of sleepless searching with no results, a drone finally captured a trace of him.

On the screen, Yaric and his assistant, Yvonne, were tangled in a passionate embrace on a deserted island.

In that moment, I decided to erase my identity and leave without looking back.

1.

The video on my phone continued to play.

Yaric was holding Yvonne, working up a sweat as they shared a kiss that looked like it would never end.

I stared at the screen with hollow eyes, not even realizing when the tears started falling.

I had spent an entire week with the search and rescue team, my legs pale and trembling from the cold seawater, yet I never once thought of resting.

With no results, the rescuers told me Yaric was likely lost to the deep sea, his body unrecoverable.

I refused to give up, using the drone to scout every inch of the surrounding islands.

Finally, I found him on that uninhabited island.

I should have been ecstatic, but instead, I was forced to watch this scandalous footage over and over in silence.

This drone was an engagement gift from Yaric; he said it was so I could capture all the beautiful sights in the world.

Now, I was using it to capture evidence of his betrayal.

"Ms. Sterling, please don't be too sad. We know Mr. Linden loves you more than life itself. It must be hard to let go..."

The rescuer's attempt at comfort felt like a knife to my heart.

I forced myself to close the phone and hide it, a self-deprecating smile touching my lips.

Everyone thought Yaric Linden loved me more than his own life because he gave me the only life jacket.

Nobody expected that this was all just a sick game to him.

"I know where he is. He's on that deserted island. Please send a team to get him."

After a full week of no sleep, I collapsed as soon as I got home.

I didn't wake up until the search team called, telling me Yaric had been found and asking me to meet him at the pier.

When I arrived, everyone was singing praises of our beautiful love, gushing about how selfless Yaric's love for me was.

The moment Yaric saw me, his tears fell like a broken dam, and he rushed forward to pull me into a tight embrace.

His tears soaked my shoulder, hot and heavy.

"Luna! I thought I'd never see you again!" Facing the cheers and emotional outbursts of the crowd, my heart remained as still as a dead pond.

The bite mark on his lip was so glaring that I couldn't focus on anything else.

"Luna, didn't you miss me?"

He lowered his head, trying to plant a kiss on my lips.

I turned my face away and said coldly, "Everyone is watching."

Yaric hesitated for a few seconds, glanced at the people around us, and put on a tender expression.

"Luna, why are you being so shy all of a sudden?"

"Come on, let's go home!" He grabbed my hand, but I gently shook him off.

Once we were in the car, he tried to kiss me again, but this time, I didn't dodge; I just questioned him coldly.

"How did you spend your week on that island?"

Yaric's eyes flickered, and his fingers began tapping incessantly on the seat.

That was his subconscious habit whenever he felt guilty or nervous.

He looked out the window, his voice neither loud nor soft.

"It was a nightmare, of course. I was alone on that island, drifting into despair. I'm just lucky you found me."

He turned back to me, his eyes searching mine as he asked,

"Luna, how did you even know I drifted to that specific island?"

I lowered my gaze and gave an answer that had nothing to do with his question.

"Your lip is cut." Yaric immediately pulled down the sun visor, a flash of panic crossing his face before he rushed to explain.

"There was no fresh water on the island. I was so dehydrated my lips cracked. Don't overthink it, babe!" I hadn't even accused him yet, and he was already defensive.

"Babe? Don't you believe me?"

His tone was incredibly gentle as he reached out to wrap his fingers around my wrist.

I looked away and said coldly, "Just take me home."