Chapter 3

I closed my eyes, hardened my resolve, and decided to gamble my life on one last desperate swim toward the border.

Suddenly, commotion erupted from a rescue boat in the distance before a voice boomed. "Hurricane landfall imminent! Rescue team's final patrol! If you're in distress, signal with your lights!"

With the last of my strength, I hauled myself onto the deck and slammed on the light switch. The rescue team spotted me and began turning their boat in my direction.

Just as it drew near, the cargo ship's lights went out with a sharp click. It wasn't just the lights, but all electrical systems on board had shut down.

The radio lay on the deck. Melanie's voice was colder than the sea as it came through. "Pathetic. I told you that swimming over is your only option."

Refusing to give up, I mustered every ounce of strength and roared, "I'm here! There's someone in the water who needs rescue!"

But the sea was too dark, and I could hear confused voices coming from the rescue team. "Why did the lights suddenly go out? Did we imagine it?

"Anyway, the hurricane's coming. Let's move!"

As the rescue boat drifted farther away, the sea was once again swallowed by darkness.

The hurricane lashed at my face, and the cargo ship was violently tossed in the waves. It creaked and groaned, already showing signs of breaking apart.

This was just a Category Two hurricane. By the time it reached Category Five, I wouldn't stand even the slimmest chance of survival.

Weakly, I picked up the radio, and my voice was hoarse with pain. "Melanie! We've been married for five full years…

"Can't you just let me go, even if it's just for old times' sake? I'll actually die here!"

What came through was Darell's sharp laughter. "What marriage are you even talking about? Did you seriously think that the five-dollar marriage certificate was real?

"Let me tell you the truth—just the night before you two signed the papers, Melanie and I were playing Truth or Dare. My dare was for her to buy a cheap fake marriage certificate and trick you with it."

His words seemed to explode in my ears, and I felt like I had just been struck by lightning.

It hit me that that was why she hadn't shown up on our wedding registration day. Instead, she had sent a lawyer to handle the paperwork.

The lawyer's expression had been strange, and she had repeatedly suggested that I post the marriage certificate online. I thought she just wanted people to congratulate us, but it turned out that she had been warning me that the marriage certificate was fake.

Five years… Melanie had lied to me for five whole years.

The radio crackled as the water seeped in. Melanie's voice came through in broken fragments, but each word carved deep into my heart, leaving dense wounds.

"It's been five years, and I've long gotten sick of you, Clifton. You're shallow, and money is all you can see. You don't have a romantic bone in your body compared to Darell.

"I'm so done with you."

I curved my lips into a self-mocking smile. "Fine. Since you've had enough of me, let's just die together today. No one gets to live!"

Staring at the sea that could swallow everything, I smiled, gripped the knife, and charged recklessly toward the aft.

Melanie was betting on my sense of duty and that I would never sink the ransom. Once I drowned, the rescue boat she had arranged would arrive to take the ransom I had escorted to the border. Every bit of credit would go to Darell.

Well, I refused to let them have it.

I pressed the knife against the ropes. Below it were ten full crates of gold bars.

When I began slicing through the ropes, panic finally broke out in the control room. "Clifton, stop!"

"You're about to die! Are you trying to get us killed, too?"

"Hugh will hunt us to the ends of the earth! Drop the knife, now!"

Only Melanie continued flirting with Darell and indifferently said, "He loves me too much to put me in danger."

"Exactly! You're all just overreacting. His family's lives are still in Mr. Zimmerman's hands…"

They continued mocking me until they saw the rope snap on the monitor and the ransom began to sink into the sea. That was when they immediately panicked and screamed, "Calm down, Clifton! I'll send the rescue team over now!"

"Drop the knife!"

I looked straight into the camera and gave a cold laugh. "Too late!"

With the last of my strength, I severed the final rope.

As the ten crates of gold bars sank into the sea, I closed my eyes and leaped after them.