Chapter 1

Now that I had finally recovered, I bought a standard ticket and sneaked onto Julian’s luxury cruise ship. He had no idea I was on board.

I remembered him telling me that whenever he missed me at sea, he would stand alone on the deck to watch the sunrise.

I put on my best dress, did my makeup with utmost care, and fought through waves of seasickness just to wait for him on the deck. But when he appeared, he wasn't alone. Vivian Sterling was standing right beside him.

A coincidence, maybe?

The next morning, Vivian was still there by his side.

Then came the third day, the fourth, the fifth...

Every single dawn, as the first ray of crimson light broke through the horizon, they stood shoulder to shoulder on the upper deck. They laughed, leaned into each other, and bathed together in that blinding, piercing glow.

Everything finally made sense.

Over the past six years, Julian had spent five years and three months out at sea. And Vivian had been with him the entire time.

I looked down at my phone. There was Julian’s text from this morning: *I miss you so much.* Below it were dozens of sunrise videos he had sent over the years.

I let out a bitter laugh, pulled off my wedding ring, and hurled it into the ocean.

At noon, Julian sent me a photo.

The ring hadn't fallen into the water. It had wedged itself into a narrow gap on the wooden deck floor, and he had found it.

Underneath the photo was a text:

"Chloe, this looks just like your wedding ring. Did you lose yours?"

I first saw this diamond ring during the darkest, most hopeless moment of my life.

A horrific car crash had taken both of my parents. I was rushed to the hospital with catastrophic injuries, lingering in the ICU for thirteen agonizing days before doctors pulled me back from the edge.

My face was horribly disfigured. My right leg was shattered. As an heiress who had been sheltered her entire life, I couldn't handle the reality. I tried to end my life multiple times, but Julian pulled me back every single time.

"Chloe, you still have me."

"I used to feel so inferior. I always felt like a nobody who didn't deserve you, which is why I never dared to propose."

"Now..."

"Will you marry me?"

I nodded hysterically through my tears.

After our wedding, I couldn't bear to face the world. I hid inside our mansion for years of physical therapy and endured countless painful skin grafts.

I handed all of my parents’ wealth, connections, and businesses over to Julian.

He handled everything brilliantly. He purchased several luxury cruise liners, and every voyage brought in massive profits. He paid for my exorbitant medical bills without hesitation, ensuring I lived in absolute luxury.

The only problem was that each voyage kept him away for eleven months. Hurting for how exhausted he seemed, I begged him to stop going on every trip.

He just smiled and shook his head gently.

"Chloe, if I'm not on board to supervise, who knows how much the crew and captains will embezzle?"

"Once we save up enough, I'll step down completely and stay home to take care of you forever, okay?"

While at sea, he texted me every day telling me how much he missed me, attaching breathtaking videos of the ocean.

Even when my trauma made me volatile and irritable, he never lost his temper. He always held me with boundless patience.

I truly believed that marrying Julian Vance was the greatest blessing of my life.

Yet now, watching his intimate silhouette with Vivian against the morning sun, an icy knife twisted in my chest.

*Buzz. Buzz.*

Seeing that I hadn't replied, Julian called me on FaceTime.

I answered, stepping behind the cabin curtain. Through the window, I could see Julian standing on the deck, holding Vivian’s hand with an anxious expression.

"Chloe, why aren't you answering my texts?"

"Look at the photo I sent you. It looks identical to your wedding ring—it even has our initials engraved inside. Did you lose yours?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yeah. I must have dropped it during my last clinic visit for the skin graft."

Julian didn't buy it. "That's impossible! That ring was custom-fitted to your finger. How could it just slip off? Besides, losing something that important—why didn't you tell me?"

He paused, his voice turning sharp. "Chloe... are you on this ship?"

He dropped Vivian’s hand and frantically scanned the surrounding decks.

I watched him from afar, keeping my tone perfectly calm. "You're overthinking, Julian. I'm at home."

"Stay safe out there. I'll be waiting for you to come home."

Terrified I would lose control of my emotions, I hung up immediately.

I had snuck onto this cruise ship hoping to give him a romantic surprise. Now, I knew I couldn't let him find out I was here.

Most of this cruise took place in international waters. Making a person disappear out here was dangerously easy.

For years, I had suspected that the crash that killed my parents was orchestrated by the Sterling family, our bitter corporate rivals.

Julian had spent years consoling me, swearing he was secretly investigating behind the scenes to bring my parents’ killers to justice.

And yet now, Vivian Sterling—the woman he claimed to despise the most—

Was on his ship.

And wrapped in his arms.