Chapter 2

Three years ago, Brandon and his friends were surfing when a storm caught them off guard. A rogue wave threw him into the raging sea.

I swam faster than I ever had, pulling him to shore.

The boat's propeller sliced through my tail, nearly severing it completely.

He was the first human I had ever seen. His eyes held a light brighter than any gem in the ocean's depths.

Ignoring the agony in my tail, I focused only on reviving him.

To repay me, Brandon took me home to heal. I knew it broke every rule of my people.

But for him, I defied my parents. I turned my back on my tribe. I chose him.

After coming to land, I endured the agonizing pain of dehydration. My scales gradually turned pale green, and the bone-deep agony nearly took half my life.

Yet, Brandon held me in his arms every night, comforting me. I, so naive, believed this was love.

I thought I had won the gamble, but it turned out I had lost everything.

Brandon looked at me with an amused expression.

"You said you could fully transform into a human after a year on land, but I guess you can't change your true nature."

Sienna covered her nose, her face filled with disgust, "No wonder there's a fishy smell. It's so gross."

"I can't imagine what you've put up with these past few years, Brandon. You shouldn't just pick anyone just to spite me."

I lowered my gaze to my tail, which had gradually turned white.

When we first met, Brandon had praised its beauty.

He had tenderly cupped my tail, vowing to spend the rest of his life making it up to me.

Someone nearby rubbed his hands, chuckling, "This mermaid's quite something. I think Brandon just doesn't know how good he has it."

Sienna's face darkened instantly. "What do you mean by that?"

The speaker's face changed, and he quickly explained, "Sienna, I didn't mean it..."

Furious, she snatched the whip, raising it to strike my face.

I quickly raised my hand, gripped the whip, and with a slight tug, pulled half of Sienna's body into the tank.

Sienna screamed in terror, flailing wildly. Brandon quickly scooped her up.

Still shaken, Sienna cried. "Brandon, I just wanted to throw the whip away so it wouldn't hurt Aurora."

"Why did she suddenly become so vicious?"

"I heard mermaids used to eat humans. Aurora, even if you're angry, you can't act like that, can you?"

Brandon dragged me out of the water and roughly threw me onto the floor. He raised his hand and slapped my face.

"Aurora, do you really think you're so special? How dare you touch Sienna? Do you want to die right now?!"

"Why do you think I kept you at home, enduring your fishy smell every day?"

"If it weren't for the rumors that mermaid tears are worth millions, I would have killed you long ago."

"Don't actually think I truly loved you."

I stared at him in disbelief. Brandon kicked me in the waist, "But you just lie there like a dead fish, no matter what I do, you don't shed a single tear."

"Since you're so ungrateful, I have no choice but to resort to this method."

Hearing those words, I trembled uncontrollably.

My supposed "love at first sight" was nothing more than a meticulously set trap by Brandon.

And I, like a fool, had walked straight into it, ending up losing everything. Who could I blame but myself?

This was the happiness I had sought by sacrificing everything.

I let out a bitter laugh. Brandon stared at my reddened eyes, waiting, but nothing happened.

Furious, he called a few men over. "Strip her! That way everyone can get a good look at the merchandise!"