Chapter 1

Adrian’s friends moved faster than he did.

One of them reached out and ripped it from my hand, ending the call mid-ring. Another laughed under his breath, like he’d just seen something absurd.

“Seriously?” someone scoffed. “Your fiancée runs into a little trouble and the first thing she does is call her mommy?”

Another chimed in, shaking his head with a laugh. “Adrian, this is next-level childish. We’re grown adults, not kindergarteners. What’s she going to do next—cry for a nanny?”

A few people chuckled, the sound light and careless, cutting all the same.

One of them snorted and gestured toward the endless stretch of water beyond the rail. “Does she really think a phone call can summon her mom out here? We’re in the middle of the ocean.”

The laughter spread again.

Adrian turned away, clearly frustrated, clearly embarrassed, saying nothing at all as the mocking voices continued behind him.

None of them had any idea that the woman he dismissed so casually was the silent shareholder behind this entire cruise line.

That this ship sailed under routes secured by my family’s money, my family’s guns, my family’s agreements written in blood and signed in silence.

That the waters beneath this hull were part of the Sterling-controlled corridors no one crossed without permission.

My vision blurred again as my chest constricted violently, air tearing uselessly through my throat.

And still, to them, I was just a dramatic girl calling her mother—

not a Sterling fighting to stay alive on her own family’s sea.

Each breath came shallower than the last.

The inhaler in my hand felt useless.

His adopted sister stepped closer, her tone calm—almost reasonable.

“You’re breathing,” she said lightly. “You’re speaking in full sentences. That alone tells me this isn’t a true bronchospasm.”

She tilted her head, studying me like a case study. “Most adult-onset asthma attacks are amplified by anxiety. Once panic sets in, the body convinces itself it’s suffocating.”

She gave a small, apologetic smile. “Your inhaler was already empty earlier. That’s why I suggested you try something else instead of reinforcing the dependency.”

She spread her hands, composed and confident. “I just published an SCI paper on exposure-based desensitization for panic-induced respiratory distress. It’s clinically validated.”

I looked up at Adrian, my fingers clawing weakly at my chest as my breath came in sharp, uneven gasps.

“Adrian,” I rasped, each word scraping my throat raw. “Please. Help me find another inhaler. I can’t get enough air.”

For the first time, his expression wavered.

His gaze flicked over my pale face, the way my shoulders heaved with every breath. He took two steps toward me instinctively.

Before he could get any closer, his adopted sister stepped in front of him and gently raised a hand, stopping him.

“Adrian,” she said calmly, her voice steady and reassuring, “this is exactly the problem.”

She turned to me, crouching slightly so she appeared closer, kinder, more reasonable.

“You can’t keep telling yourself that you’re about to collapse,” she said softly. “When you convince yourself you can’t breathe, your body follows that signal. Panic feeds the symptoms.”

She smiled faintly, like a patient instructor.

“What you’re experiencing isn’t danger—it’s fear. And the only way to overcome it is to face it.”

She nodded, as if explaining something well known.

“This is called desensitization training. You teach your body that it doesn’t need to rely on medication every time it feels discomfort. Once you get through this, you’ll be stronger, healthier, and less dependent.”

Her tone was gentle, confident, authoritative.

“I’m helping you,” she added. “If you push through now, you’ll thank me later.”

Around us, several people nodded subtly.

She sounds reasonable.

Adrian listened in silence.

Then he exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing as understanding replaced doubt.

“You’re panicking again,” he said, though his voice was no longer harsh. “If you keep telling yourself you can’t breathe, of course it’s going to feel worse.”

He glanced at his sister, then back at me.

“She’s not trying to hurt you,” he said firmly. “She’s trying to help you stop spiraling.”

After a brief hesitation, he stepped back to his original spot and folded his arms, watching me closely.

“Just hold on,” he added. “She’s doing this for your own good.”

The deck tilted violently beneath me as my legs finally gave out.

I dropped to my knees, my vision blurring as a burning tightness wrapped around my lungs.

Someone nearby let out an awkward laugh, clearly unsure whether this was serious or just uncomfortable.

A friend hesitated, taking half a step forward as if to help me up—

Before he could say anything, Adrian’s sister spoke again, her voice carrying the same practiced sympathy.

“Don’t interfere,” she said gently but decisively.

“If you rush in now, you’ll only reinforce the fear.”

Her eyes remained fixed on me.

“She needs to get through this herself.”