Chapter 8

The moment Jeanette got out of the cab, Yvette grabbed her hand and ran toward the lake.

As they hurried along, Yvette managed to explain what had happened between ragged breaths.

"Cecilia's ex-boyfriend followed her all the way back from overseas. He tracked her down at the hotel and begged her to get back together with him. My brother got so angry that he started fighting with him. Instead of stopping them, Cecilia actually encouraged it! Then she threw a necklace into the lake and said she'd date whoever managed to retrieve it.

"Her ex-boyfriend was about to jump in, and my brother wanted to follow him. There's a sheer drop beneath the lake, and even professional free divers are afraid to go down there! Everyone tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen. Jeanette, please help me. He's my only brother!"

The more Jeanette heard, the quieter she became.

She wanted to tell Yvette that if Cecilia was involved, even a hundred Jeanettes would never be enough to stop Hank from doing something reckless.

However, looking at Yvette's tear-swollen eyes, she simply could not bring herself to say it.

By the time they reached the lake, Hank was still putting on his diving suit, while Cecilia's ex-boyfriend had already finished preparing and jumped into the water.

As the man's figure vanished beneath the surface, a cold glint flashed through Hank's eyes. He hurried through the rest of his preparations.

Several of his close friends were practically frantic as they tried to stop him.

"The lake is way too deep! There's no way anyone can find that necklace. Whoever goes down there is wasting their time. Hank, don't do anything stupid!"

"Is a woman really worth risking your life over? Hank, get a grip on yourself!"

Hank did not listen to a single word. After securing his oxygen mask, he shoved aside the people blocking his path.

Yvette could not take it anymore. She rushed forward and grabbed him, her voice breaking with desperation.

"You're going to risk your life over one sentence from her? Have you thought about me? About Mom and Dad? Have you thought about Jeanette? If you jump into that lake today, then I, Yvette, will never acknowledge you as my brother again!"

The entire lakeside fell silent.

Hank stopped and turned toward his younger sister.

He looked at her for a long moment.

Finally, he reached out and took her hand.

"I'll come back. Don't tell Mom and Dad about this, and don't tell Jeanette either."

His voice was low and steady.

Then he pried Yvette's fingers away one by one and dove into the lake without the slightest hesitation.

Jeanette stood some distance away, watching the ripples spread across the water. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

The area remained silent until a soft laugh suddenly rang out, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

It was Cecilia.

She strolled over with her chin raised high, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

"He loves me so much that he's willing to die for me. Jeanette, what do you possibly have that can compare?"

"Cecilia, if you think it's fun to play with people's lives, you seriously need professional help!"

Yvette was already crying so hard she could barely breathe. She could not stand listening to Cecilia brag any longer. She lunged forward and slapped her hard across the face.

Cecilia had never been treated that way in her life.

She immediately tried to strike back, but the people nearby rushed forward and pulled them apart.

Jeanette held on to Yvette and spent a long time trying to calm her down.

Eventually, Yvette settled enough to stare blankly at the monitoring screens displaying the divers' progress.

An hour later, Cecilia's ex-boyfriend surfaced first after running out of oxygen.

The lakeshore, which had been quiet for so long, instantly erupted into chaos.

Everyone crowded toward the water, craning their necks and waiting for Hank to emerge.

However, another five minutes passed.

Hank still had not surfaced, and his oxygen supply should have been nearly exhausted by now.

Panic swept through the crowd.

Jeanette was the only one who managed to remain calm. She immediately contacted the Harrington family's rescue team and begged them to help save Hank.

Five or six professional divers plunged into the lake.

Another ten minutes passed, yet there was still no sign of anyone.

Yvette was on the verge of a complete breakdown.

Even Cecilia, who had appeared so carefree earlier, was beginning to look visibly anxious.

Jeanette's face remained expressionless, but her fingernails cut so deeply into her palms that they left crescent-shaped marks.

Cecilia's friends, who had been treating the whole thing like entertainment, began trembling as they voiced their fears.

"It's over. It really is over. He's been out of oxygen for so long, and they still haven't brought him up. There's probably no hope left."

"If something happens to him, will the Johnson family ever let us off the hook?"

"What does that have to do with us? He's the one who chose to risk his life for Cecilia."

Before they could say another word, a disturbance suddenly broke the long silence on the lake.

Several rescue divers were swimming toward the shore, dragging someone through the water.

The crowd surged forward at once.

Everyone rushed over to help pull the person onto land.

It was Hank.

He was barely conscious.

When they removed his oxygen mask and saw his deathly pale face, his friends and Yvette immediately burst into tears.

Yet Hank pressed a hand against his chest and looked straight at Cecilia.

"I... found... the necklace..."

As he spoke, he slowly raised his trembling right hand.

The diamond necklace gleamed beneath the slanting rays of the evening sun. Each stone scattered dazzling flashes of light. It was so brilliant that it almost hurt to look at.

Hank's gaze never left Cecilia.

From beginning to end, he never once noticed Jeanette standing nearby, watching with her own eyes as he showed another woman just how fiercely, desperately, and completely he was capable of loving someone.