Chapter 3

Clutching the money I had picked up, I went to the hospital, bought painkillers, and swallowed a handful.

The pain in my body eased. The pain in my heart wouldn’t.

Then the bank called.

Emma had reversed the transfer she’d sent earlier, and the bank warned me to repay the money.

After a moment of silence, I hung up.

I released all my balloons except the one with Mickey and Minnie on it.

I left my remaining money to Liam Carter, the friend who had always helped me.

Then I took that balloon with me to see the ocean one last time.

Because this was where I had first met Emma.

I never expected to run into them here, too.

Emma wore a white wedding dress, her arm linked through Dylan’s. A large group of guests followed behind them.

The moment she saw me, a flicker of panic crossed her eyes, and she pressed her lips together.

I stood there without a word. All I could think was how beautiful she looked in that dress.

Mockery flashed in Dylan’s eyes.

“Ethan, why did you follow us here? Don’t tell me you’ve already spent the money Emma just gave you.”

Anger flickered in Emma’s eyes.

“Ethan! If you’re going to beg for money, at least pick your moment. Can’t you see we’re filming our wedding video?”

The guests behind her joined in.

“I heard her ex left her for money when she was at her lowest. Now that she’s successful, he keeps crawling back for more. How shameless.”

“He looks decent enough, but he’s a total scumbag! Actually, calling him that is an insult to scumbags.”

A sneer tugged at Dylan’s mouth. He came over with a show of concern.

“How much do you want this time, Ethan? If it isn’t too much, I’ll give it to you myself. Just don’t interrupt our wedding video.”

He started reaching for his wallet, but Emma angrily stopped him.

“Dylan, why should you give him anything? Do I owe him?”

She turned back to me, her chest heaving, and pointed at my chest.

“Let me make this clear, Ethan! I don’t owe you a thing! If anything, you’re the one who owes me! Get lost!”

I drew a deep breath and nodded, my face expressionless. I turned to go, but Dylan caught my arm. His fingers dug into my wounds, sending sharp pain through me.

“Don’t say that, Emma. Maybe Ethan’s in some kind of trouble.”

“Aren’t we short one person to film us from the water? I remember Ethan being a pretty good swimmer…”

I saw the malice behind his mocking gaze and pulled my arm free. Before I could speak, he stumbled backward and fell.

Emma stormed up to me and slapped me across the face.

“Ethan! So now you’re getting violent? We won’t give you money, so you hit him?”

I stood there in silence. Somehow, the pain in my arm didn’t seem to matter anymore.

“Nothing to say?” Emma let out an angry laugh. “Fine. You want money, don’t you?”

Sneering, she had someone bring over the camera equipment and throw it at my feet.

“You heard Dylan. Get a good video of us, and I’ll give you a million dollars!”

“But remember, you don’t get to miss a single frame. I want you to see with your own eyes just how happy the woman you abandoned is going to be.”

I looked at her frost-cold face, then lowered my eyes. Whatever remained inside me fell still.

My body was covered in open wounds. The moment seawater touched them, the pain would be unbearable.

I had originally planned to find a rooftop. That way, the pain would only last an instant.

But… if I could help it, I didn’t want to die owing Emma money, too.

I pulled at the corners of my mouth and looked up.

“Sure. If I do this, I won’t have to pay back that eight hundred and eighty thousand either, right?”

“Right.” Emma stared hard at my face. It took her a long time to force that single word from her throat.

I lowered my eyes, wound the balloon string around my wrist, and slowly bent down to pick up the camera. Then I headed into the sea.

The freezing water washed over me like thousands of needles.

Laughter broke out behind me, interrupted by the occasional click of a camera.

Emma came up beside me, her face tight with anger.

“Do you really love money that much, Ethan? Enough to throw away our seven years together?”

“So much. So very much.”

Only I knew I wasn’t talking about money.

Emma shouted furiously,

“Fine! Then keep crawling! The farther you crawl, the more money you get!”

I moved faster.

The seawater tore at my wounds, staining the water beneath me a faint red.

A wave broke over me and knocked me down. Pain pressed against my chest.

Through the crashing waves, I heard Emma crying.

What was she saying?

That she hated me.

That she resented me.

That she never wanted to see me again.

Of course. To her, I had always been the bastard who betrayed her love.

Then I would let that bastard disappear from her world for good.

I pitched forward, tears spilling from my eyes as I sank… toward the dark ocean floor.

Just then, Liam came running, his eyes red as he shouted at Emma,

“Ethan borrowed from loan sharks to pay off your debts!”

“And you’re just standing there watching him kill himself!”