Chapter 4

There weren't enough lifeboats, and space was extremely limited.

I fought my way through the chaos to the side of the raft. The freezing seawater was already rising past my neck.

"Armie! Armie, save me!"

I stretched my hand out toward Armie, who was already seated inside.

Although Armie saw me, he was holding a trembling Rosie tightly in his arms, his other hand gripping Ben's.

The boat was already overloaded, its waterline dangerously low.

"Armie, the boat is going to sink! I'm so scared!" Rosie sobbed in his chest.

Armie glanced at the violent waves all around us, and then he looked back at me. In that single second, his eyes turned cold and utterly ruthless.

"Armie, pull me up... please..." I clung to the edge of the raft, my fingernails digging deep into the rubber material.

Armie didn't reach out to help me. Instead, he reached down and pried my fingers off one by one.

"Let go, Freya. Rosie's health is fragile. She can't survive this. You know how to swim, so just hold on a little longer. Rescue will come."

I stared at him in utter disbelief. He knew better than anyone how terrified I was of the water!

Finally, my very last finger was pried loose.

Ben sat right beside Rosie, crying out at the top of his lungs, "Mom! Mom!"

Rosie covered his eyes, whispering her sweet lie into his ear. "Don't be scared, Ben. Your mom is a mermaid. She'll just swim back home and wait for us, okay? Be a good boy."

Just like that, I watched with my own eyes as the raft drifted away.

My body plunged downward into the abyss. Seawater surged in from every direction, filling my nose and throat, crushing my lungs.

The suffocating despair followed me all the way to the surface as I snapped awake, gasping for air.

Outside my window, the sun was shining brightly, accompanied by the endless hum of cicadas.

Getting out of bed, I washed my face and stared at my pale reflection in the mirror, forcing myself to calm down.

Once I had gathered my composure, I changed into clean clothes and headed out to buy a chocolate cake.

A long line had already formed outside the trending bakery.

I stepped into the queue, waiting patiently for my turn.

Just as I was near the front, a familiar voice called out from behind me.

"Mom?"

I turned my head. Ben was standing not far away, staring at me with sheer delight.

Armie and Rosie were right behind him. It looked like they had come to get dessert, too.

Ben sprinted up to me in three quick steps. The moment he spotted the order receipt in my hand, his eyes welled up with tears.

"Mom, you came here to buy me a chocolate cake, didn't you?"

His voice trembled with raw excitement. "I knew it! I knew you remembered! You used to bake me a chocolate cake every year on my birthday."

He reached out, trying to grab my sleeve, his face filled with the frantic joy of getting back what he had lost.

"Dad! I told you Mom still loves me! She specifically stood in line just to get me a cake!" he shouted back at Armie.

The tense look on Armie's face visibly softened.

Rosie's smile faltered, though she forced herself to walk over with a tight expression. "Freya, that's so thoughtful of you. Ben has been talking about wanting chocolate cake for days now."

Right on cue, the clerk handed me the neatly boxed cake.

"Here is your chocolate cake, ma'am. This is our last one for today."

Ben couldn't wait another second, reaching out eagerly to take the box.

"Thanks, Mom! This is my absolute favorite!"

Just as his fingers were about to touch the box, I stepped to the side, leaving his hands grasping empty air.

Ben froze, his hand suspended in midair.

"Mom?"

He stared at me, lost.

Right at that moment, a little girl burst out from the crowd. Instinctively, I opened my arms and caught her in a hug.

"Mommy!"

She eyed Ben warily and gave him a hard shove.

"Who are you? Why are you trying to steal the cake my mommy bought for me?"