Chapter 1

"Mia!"

Dad's terrified shout rang out from the riverbank.

He didn't even stop to take off his shoes. He dove straight into the deep water and swam toward me with everything he had.

"Grab my hand! Don't be scared!"

His rough hands caught me under the arms and pushed me above the surface.

Air rushed back into my lungs, and I gasped for breath.

Then a strong current surged beneath us.

Derek Lawson, the man who had been "drowning" in the middle of the river, suddenly cut through the water toward us.

There was no panic in his movements.

Because Derek wasn't drowning at all.

He was a shady influencer who built his following by staging fake emergencies and baiting Good Samaritans into his setups.

Before every stunt, he scripted the whole thing, planted hidden cameras along the shore, and wore a concealed flotation vest under his clothes.

Then he picked an unsuspecting passerby who looked like an easy target.

Anyone who tried to save him became his next prey, all for views.

Beneath the murky water, Derek grabbed Dad's right ankle with both hands and yanked hard.

Dad grunted in shock as he was dragged under.

A stream of bubbles burst across the surface.

I clung to his neck and sank with him.

The water was dark and cloudy, but I forced my eyes open. I could see Derek's face clearly.

He was holding his breath, a cold smile on his lips.

He wasn't fighting to survive. He was deliberately trying to drag the man who had come to save him under.

"Let go!"

I clawed desperately at his fingers.

Dad had already burned through most of his strength trying to keep me above water.

Now, Derek had him trapped. Dad's face had turned purple from lack of air, his eyes bulging as he struggled for oxygen.

Suddenly, I saw him exactly as he had looked in my last life when they pulled him from the river.

No.

I couldn't let that happen again.

Dad's survival instinct kicked in. He lifted his left leg and kicked Derek hard in the shoulder.

Once.

Twice.

Derek flinched and let go.

With the last of his strength, Dad held me up and fought his way back to shore.

"Cough... cough..."

The second he crawled onto the bank, he collapsed in the mud, coughing up river water.

His whole body shook. His fingers dug into the wet gravel until his fingertips were scraped raw.

He had come terrifyingly close to dying. And his body knew it.

A few yards away, Derek was calmly treading water. When he realized he hadn't managed to take us down with him, he swam casually back to shore.

He barely looked winded. He shook the water from his hair.

"Just my damn luck!"

Then he pointed at Dad, who was still coughing on the ground.

"What kind of man are you? You just left me there to drown!

"All you cared about was your own kid. You watched me struggle and did nothing!"

People rushed over. Within seconds, dozens of phones were pointed at us.

"Everybody look at this guy!" Derek shouted at the cameras. "He's heartless!

"My leg cramped up. I almost drowned!

"He was already swimming toward me, but the second his daughter jumped in, he turned around and kicked me away!

"What kind of person does that? So a decent person is just supposed to drown?"

Angry voices rose from the crowd.

"What's wrong with this guy?"

"He was already in the water. How hard would it have been to help?"

"That's unbelievably selfish."

Dad slowly lifted his head. His lips trembled as he tried to explain.

"No... that's not what happened. Under the water, he..."

"What about underwater?"

Derek cut him off. "Does that somehow give you the right to kick me?"

He marched over and pointed a finger in Dad's face.

"This isn't over. Everyone online is watching."

I scrambled to my feet and spread my arms in front of Dad.

"You're lying!"

I glared at Derek, shaking with anger.

"You grabbed my dad's ankle underwater and tried to pull him down!

"You weren't drowning at all!"

Derek froze for a second. Then he burst out laughing.

"You hear that?"

He turned toward the crowd. "Now even the little girl's making up lies!

"She'll say anything to protect her heartless dad."

He shook his head, putting on an injured expression.

"Think about it. I'm a grown man. Why would I grab his ankle underwater and risk my own life?"

The crowd got even louder.

"Already lying at her age?"

"Like father, like daughter."

"Put them on blast! Let everyone see what kind of people they are!"

I shook with fury, my nails digging into my palms.

Dad struggled to his feet and pulled me against his chest, shielding my face from the cameras.

"Stop filming..." His voice was hoarse. "Please. Don't film my daughter."

His plea only drew more cameras.

That night, a maliciously edited video went viral across the city.

The title read:

[Cold-Blooded Father Leaves Man to Drown - Seven-Year-Old Daughter Can't Stop Lying]

The footage had been deliberately cut to show only Dad kicking Derek away and me arguing back afterward.

Within hours, the comments were flooded with abuse.

[Doxx him! Ruin his life!]

[People like him don't deserve to live. Throw him back in the river!]