Chapter 4

Early the next morning, Rachel showed up with a suitcase. "Ms. Lawson, I'm coming to Fenris with you. I've already quit my job. Whether you go by Winifred Lawson or Willa Dawson, I'm staying by your side."

She spoke quickly, as though she was afraid I'd turn her down if she hesitated for even a moment.

I took a document out of the drawer. "Sign this."

She glanced at it, and her face immediately fell.

It was an official employment contract from Prescott Group. The position was two ranks above her current one, with double the salary.

"I'm not signing it," she said.

"Rachel."

"Like I said, I'm coming with you," she insisted.

She looked at me, her eyes brimming with tears. "You're afraid of the dark. You have trouble sleeping, and when you do, you get nightmares. How can you go to a foreign country all alone, living under a fake name? Who will you even have to talk to?"

I placed the pen in her hand. "Dead people don't need anyone to talk to."

Tears immediately spilled down Rachel's cheeks.

A bodyguard stepped in from outside. "Mr. Prescott gave strict instructions. Ms. Lawson isn't allowed to take anyone who knows the truth with her when she leaves the country. Ms. Young, please come with us."

As they led Rachel away, she clung desperately to the doorframe. "Ms. Lawson, please send me a message once you're aboard the rescue boat! Even just a period will do. Just let me know you're still alive!"

I watched the bodyguards drag her into the elevator. But I never made that promise.

At 9:00 am, Mom, Dad, and Jack arrived at the marina.

Mom had brought me a scarf. "It gets windy out at sea. You've always gotten cold so easily."

She wrapped it around my neck, then reminded me over and over, "Whatever you do, don't contact us once you're overseas. Your sister-in-law is pregnant. She can't handle that kind of stress. And Lawson Group's only just gotten back on its feet. We can't afford another scandal."

Dad pressed a bank card into my hand. "There's two million dollars in the account. Whatever the Prescotts gave you is from them. This is a little something from us."

Two million dollars.

Three years ago, they'd traded me away to save Lawson Group from billions in debt. And now, they thought two million dollars was enough to settle the score.

Jack stood off to the side and spoke quietly. "Winnie, please don't hold this against us. Once all this blows over, I'll bring flowers to your grave every year."

I asked, "What kind of flowers?"

He looked momentarily taken aback. "Haven't you always loved lilies?"

"I'm allergic to pollen."

An awkward look crossed his face.

I didn't bother explaining further.

My favourite flowers were orchids. Jack'd given me a huge bouquet of them for my 18th birthday. Apparently, he'd forgotten that too.

The yacht was about to depart, but Hayden still hadn't shown up.

A crew member came to collect my luggage. "Mr. Prescott is accompanying Ms. Monroe to try on engagement gowns. He can't get away right now. He said everything's been arranged and double-checked, so there's no need to wait for him."

Dad immediately urged me on. "Well, get on the yacht, then. The Prescotts and Monroes have a joint press conference this afternoon. Don't hold things up here."

I made my way up onto the deck, one step at a time.

Suddenly, Mom rushed after me and grabbed my hand through the railing. She was crying uncontrollably.

"Winnie, please take good care of yourself over there. It's not that I don't want you anymore. It's just that if you stay, you'll make things difficult for everyone."

I looked at her. "I understand."

That was why I was leaving. I'd go far, far away, where I'd never be a burden to any of them again.

They were still standing on the shore when the yacht pulled away from the marina.

Mom kept wiping away her tears. Jack supported her while Dad lowered his head to answer a phone call.

They genuinely looked heartbroken to see me go. But even after the marina had shrunk to a tiny black speck in the distance, not one of them had called out for me to come back.

At 11:35 am, the yacht entered international waters. One by one, the crew members boarded the lifeboats.

The last crew member fastened a tracking bracelet around my wrist. "Ms. Lawson, the explosives are set to go off in five minutes. Jump into the water from the starboard deck. The rescue boat will use your tracking signal to find you. The water's cold, so try not to stay in it too long."

I nodded. "Okay."

Once the crew member left, I was completely alone on the yacht. In the distance, three signal lights came on aboard the rescue boat. Someone stood at the bow, waving at me. They were signaling for me to jump.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Hayden. "Why aren't you wearing your motion sickness patch?"

He didn't even bother with a greeting before scolding me.

I glanced at the security camera in the corner of the cabin. So, he'd been watching me all along.

"I forgot," I said.

"There's one in the first-aid kit." His tone softened slightly. "You've got a sensitive stomach, so don't take the motion sickness pills on an empty stomach. And once you're on the rescue boat, have some warm water first."

As I held the phone, I suddenly wanted to ask him something.

What had I really meant to him these past three years? Had there ever been a moment when he'd wanted to keep our baby? Had he ever, even for a second, wanted me to stay?

But as I watched the numbers on the detonation countdown continue to tick down, I asked him nothing. I'd already heard the answer more times than I could count.

He needed Winona to feel secure.

My family needed to protect Lawson Group's reputation.

And none of their futures had room for me.

"Hayden."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Thank you for being there for me these past three years."

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then he said, "We'll talk once you're on the rescue boat. And don't take off your GPS tracker. You hear me?"

I hung up and pulled the diving knife from my inner pocket. I ran the blade across the wristband. The tracker dropped into my palm.

An automatic inflatable life ring hung beside the deck. I secured the tracker to it and pressed the release button. The life ring dropped into the sea and drifted toward the rescue boat with the waves.

The detonation countdown on my phone showed less than a minute remaining.

Hayden called again.

I didn't answer.

The people in the distance were still waving at me. They probably thought I was too scared to jump.

I turned and walked back into the cabin alone. There were no lifeboats or emergency exits in there. Just the explosives that had been planted in advance and a long dining table covered with food.

On the table were lemonade, motion sickness pills, and my favorite strawberry cake.

Hayden had thought of everything. He'd even planned my last meal before my staged death. The only thing he'd forgotten was to ask whether I wanted to spend the rest of my life pretending to be someone else.

The countdown reached its final ten seconds.

My phone screen lit up again. Hayden had sent me a message. "Your tracking signal is now within pickup range. Winnie, stop being stubborn. Call me once you're aboard the rescue boat."

In the distance, the floating tracker had nearly reached the rescue boat. An alert appeared on the monitoring system. "Target transfer successful."

I turned off my phone and sat down on the couch.

The next second, a deafening explosion ripped across the ocean. A towering fireball erupted into the sky. Within seconds, flames engulfed the entire yacht.

And at that very moment, Hayden was still staring at the green tracking dot on the screen, convinced that I'd made it safely aboard the rescue boat.