Swapped My Safety Clip for a Plastic Ring

Zelda reacted instantly, stripping off her jacket and wrapping it around him. "Ryan, are you okay? Did the cold water give you a chill?""Nah, I'm not that weak," he sniffled. "Don't fuss. Edwin is watching.""So what?" She shrugged. "You're his buddy. It's only right that I look out for you. Yet he has to make a big deal out of who goes first."Her words dripped with accusation, aimed squarely at me. But she didn't know the truth: I could not swim anymore, not after that rescue.That day, she'd stubbornly ventured into deep water and gotten caught in a rip current. No one else dared go in; I plunged ahead without a second thought, pushing her inch by inch toward the shore.I finally got her to safety, but in that last desperate moment, the undertow slammed my calf into a jagged rock, tearing the ligament instantly. Agonizing pain overwhelmed me, and I sank helplessly.If the shore lifeguards hadn't spotted me in time, I'd have drowned. The doctors confirmed permanent damage to

"Are you just watching me die for your career and your boss's relative?" I shot back, shivering from the icy water or her heartless words.We'd been together for three years. I'd supported her rise from nothing to project manager. Knowing her humble background and fear of judgment, I'd concealed my wealth and embraced frugality alongside her.She had no idea her boss bowed and scraped to my dad. Nor did she realize the man she sacrificed to appease Ryan was far beyond her reach."The guy you mention is my dad's assistant," I said flatly. "My dad owns the Gilbert Group, and I am the only heir."They looked down at me at the same time, both shocked. After a stunned silence, Zelda erupted in hysterical laughter. "Edwin, has the water driven you nuts? Spinning this fantasy for attention? If you're the Gilbert heir, then I'm the President."Ryan piled on. "This guy is hallucinating. If you're the heir, I'm royalty. So desperate to one-up us with these lies."I didn't waste breath expl

Zelda's smile froze, and Ryan shrank back."Mr. Gilbert, it's a misunderstanding," Zelda stammered. "I didn't know Edwin couldn't swim anymore. And Ryan is my boss's...""What, you'd sacrifice my son for them and for your stupid career?" Henry advanced step by step, rendering her speechless.He snorted, snapping his fingers. At the signal, a bodyguard hauled in Ryan's massive suitcase and dumped it on the floor."Didn't you claim it's full of colleague gifts?" Henry loomed over Ryan. "Open it. Show me what's worth more than my son's life."Ryan blanched, his lips quivering wordlessly. Zelda, sensing doom, tried to intervene. "Mr. Gilbert, it's just cheap stuff..."It was too late. Another bodyguard pulled out a military knife and sliced open the waterproof case.The contents spilled out, but there were no gifts and no stuff for me. Just wrinkled knockoffs, unpacked bargain cosmetics, and spare underwear.Silence descended like a shroud. Every eye was fixed on the sordid pile, i

Zelda's father, Milton Malone, fidgeted awkwardly, his tone ingratiating. "Yes, you two shared three years. For old times' sake, give her a chance.""Old times?" I stood up, approaching them. "When she swapped my clip for Ryan and that junk suitcase in the flood, did she consider old times? When she kicked me into the water, claiming I'd survive, did she?"I paused, adding, "And you... After I saved her life, tearing my ligament and being bedridden for a month, did you visit once? You fussed over her minor ordeal with soups, but not a single thanks to me. Now you invoke old times?"They flushed with shame. "The doctor said you were fine. We thought it was minor.""Minor?" I scoffed, hiking up my pajama leg to reveal the gruesome knee scar. "It's permanent damage. I can't run, jump, or swim like before. I got crippled for her, and what did I get? Her betrayal in crisis. Now you have the nerve to show up and plead for her?"Milton's facade cracked into anger. "We apologized. What el

Zelda and Ryan ended up even worse than I imagined.Zelda found herself utterly destitute, her life crushed beneath the weight of that staggering debt. Her parents sold their old house, but it barely covered a fraction.Blacklisted from any respectable job in her field, she was relegated to the most grueling manual labor.On construction sites, she hauled sacks of cement, covered in dirt and bossed around by the foreman. In late-night streets, she rummaged through alleyway dumpsters for leftovers.The once-sharp, suited project manager had devolved into a pariah, shunned by society. Even her old friends avoided her like the plague.Washing dishes in a fancy restaurant, she ran into her former colleagues. She tried to hide but got spotted."Well, if it isn't Zelda Malone, our star manager. Reduced to dishwashing now?""Heard you snagged the Gilbert heir. How did you fumble that into this mess?""Poetic justice, really. Abandoning him in the flood for some fling and a suitcase of