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4

Auteur: Anonymous
On the day of the party, I showed up at the hotel in a black dress.

Photos of me and Ethan hung in the lobby, but Sienna's ultrasound pictures were laid out on the welcome table.

Sienna wore my dress, her arm linked through Ethan's.

A guest laughed and asked, "So this is the bride-to-be?"

Ethan didn't deny it right away.

Only when he saw me did he pull his arm free.

"Why are you wearing that? Didn't I have someone send you the gown?"

"I told you. There's no engagement."

He lowered his voice. "There are so many guests here. Don't make a scene."

Someone in the party group chat suddenly shared a long post.

Sienna claimed that she and Ethan had been in love since college, and that I'd used our engagement to force my way between them.

Now that she was pregnant, she was begging me to leave them alone.

The whispers around me grew louder.

"So she's the other woman."

"No wonder nobody bothered with her on the boat."

I opened the post and looked at Ethan. "You knew about this?"

He avoided my eyes.

"Sienna just needed to let off some steam. She'll delete it once the baby's born."

"Is any of this even true?"

"It's just a few words. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Sienna walked over, red-eyed, and bowed to me.

"Evelyn, you can hit me or yell at me, whatever you want. Just please don't hurt the baby."

My brother picked up the microphone. "I'd like to apologize to Sienna on Evelyn's behalf. Evelyn's always been stubborn and spoiled. I hope you'll forgive her."

I looked at him. "Who are you to apologize for me?"

He frowned and reached for my arm.

My father's face darkened too. "If you don't apologize to Sienna today, don't bother coming home ever again!"

My mother pressed the ring box into my hand.

"Get through the ceremony first. Stop acting up."

I glanced down at the box, then turned and set it on the welcome table.

"Whatever you want to do is your business."

Ethan's face finally changed.

"Evelyn Shaw!"

I took the microphone from my brother.

"Sienna, you say I got between you two. Then let's get the timeline straight."

The big screen lit up.

Hotel check-in records for Owen and Sienna. Proof that he'd gone with her to her prenatal appointments.

And photos of the two of them kissing in an underground parking garage, one after another.

Owen rushed toward the control booth. "Turn it off!"

I stepped in front of him and asked calmly, "What's the rush?"

He stopped dead.

Ethan slowly turned to Sienna. "You said the baby was mine."

Sienna had gone white. "It is! Owen just went to my appointments with me!"

The room erupted.

But Ethan turned back to me, his gaze falling on the ring in my hand. To my disbelief, a flicker of hope crossed his face.

I opened my fingers and let it fall.

The ring struck the champagne tower, sending glasses crashing down one after another. Champagne spilled across the pristine white tablecloth.

"I'll leave you to figure out who the father is."

I met everyone's eyes, my voice clear and steady. "From today on, I don't want any of it. Not your love, not your family, not your friendship."

My brother grabbed at me in a panic. "You've turned what should've been a happy occasion into a complete disaster. Are you satisfied now?"

I pulled away from him, and the last of the tears in my eyes dried up.

"Didn't you already decide how my story would end when you left me on that sinking boat?"

The doors opened, and sunlight fell at my feet.

A final confirmation from Rachel popped up on my phone.

"The contracts are canceled, and your new job is all sorted. Your flight's at eight tonight."

Behind me, dishes shattered and voices rose into chaos.

I wheeled out the luggage I had packed long before. By morning, I would be leaving the city I had lived in for more than 20 years.
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  • They Left Me to Die at Sea   9

    Two years later, the travel projects I ran covered more than a dozen cities.At the company's annual launch event, my name appeared on the center seat in the front row for the first time.When my presentation ended, the applause went on for a long time.My parents sat in the last row. They didn't come up to me. After it was over, they just had a staff member hand me a card.The card read, "Happy birthday, Evelyn. We're not asking you to come back. We just hope you're safe and well."I looked at it for a long time. In the end, I kept the card, but I didn't call that familiar number.One apology can't put some relationships back the way they were.Keeping my distance was already the kindest thing I could offer.My brother sent me a letter every year.He no longer asked for forgiveness. Instead, he wrote about our parents and his volunteer training in maritime rescue.Owen took responsibility for raising the child and left the group chat he shared with our mutual friends.He once wrote to

  • They Left Me to Die at Sea   8

    Six months later, the court handed down its verdict.Sienna and the crew member were both held criminally responsible for what they had done.At the end of the trial, Sienna apologized to me through tears."Evelyn, I just wanted a family so badly. I never thought it would turn out like this."I looked at her across the courtroom, my voice calm. "If you want a family, you can build your own. You don't burn down someone else's house and then complain that you're cold."Her sobs stopped abruptly.When we walked out of the courthouse, reporters surrounded Ethan.He faced the cameras and publicly admitted that he'd been seeing Sienna while still engaged to me—and that he'd allowed her to drag my name through the mud."Evelyn Shaw never came between anyone. I'm the one who betrayed our engagement."His long-overdue statement made the local news.The relatives and friends who had pointed fingers at me at the party sent apology after apology.I sent all of them the same reply. "Noted."That sa

  • They Left Me to Die at Sea   7

    Once word about Sienna got out, my parents took down every ultrasound photo in the house and put my old photo albums back out in the living room.My mother took a picture and texted it to me."Your room's all ready. Come home."I didn't reply.A few days later, they showed up at my office.My mother held a box of my childhood favorite cookies, dark circles under her eyes."Evelyn, Sienna fooled me, too."I didn't take them. Blinking back the sting in my eyes, I kept my voice low."Did she make you say I couldn't hold on to a man? Or did she make you rip Grandma's necklace apart?"My mother's lips trembled, and she looked down.My father frowned."Parents make mistakes too. Now that the truth's out, there's no reason for us to keep holding grudges."I looked up, my eyes red, and answered calmly."Before the truth came out, you had already disowned me.""That was just something we said in anger.""I took it seriously."I asked the front desk to show them out.As the glass doors closed, m

  • They Left Me to Die at Sea   6

    The breakthrough came from the yacht's backup navigation unit.The main navigation system had been damaged by seawater. But a crew member had hidden the backup unit in a storeroom, so it never appeared on the original accident inventory.The yacht company found the discrepancy when it took stock of its equipment.The technicians pulled the data and confirmed that the planned route had been deliberately altered three times.The first change was made the night before departure, the second before the return trip, and the third just 40 minutes before the yacht struck the reef.Every change was made from Sienna's account.More importantly, the unit had saved an audio recording.The crew member she'd paid didn't know how to plan a course, so Sienna guided him through the process over a voice call, directing the yacht toward the reef.The man sounded hesitant."There are no navigation markers out there. What if something goes wrong?"Sienna sounded completely relaxed."Just go slow. All you

  • They Left Me to Die at Sea   5

    After I left, the party descended into a complete farce.Ethan demanded a paternity test in front of everyone.Owen denied everything at first. It wasn't until someone pulled up the hospital security footage that he finally admitted it, his voice hoarse."We slept together. Just once. She said she was drunk and thought I was you."Ethan slammed his fist on the table."So you knew the baby might be yours, and you still helped her lie to me?""I wasn't sure," Owen said. He looked at Sienna with resentment, and with something he still couldn't let go of. "She begged me to keep it secret. She said the only way the baby would have a whole family was if she married you."Sienna grabbed the hem of Ethan's jacket, crying."It doesn't matter whose baby it is. You're the one I've always loved."Ethan looked down at her and suddenly scoffed, "And what about Evelyn? Just because you love me, does that mean she deserved everything you put her through?"My mother tried to calm him down, but for the

  • They Left Me to Die at Sea   4

    On the day of the party, I showed up at the hotel in a black dress.Photos of me and Ethan hung in the lobby, but Sienna's ultrasound pictures were laid out on the welcome table.Sienna wore my dress, her arm linked through Ethan's.A guest laughed and asked, "So this is the bride-to-be?"Ethan didn't deny it right away.Only when he saw me did he pull his arm free."Why are you wearing that? Didn't I have someone send you the gown?""I told you. There's no engagement."He lowered his voice. "There are so many guests here. Don't make a scene."Someone in the party group chat suddenly shared a long post.Sienna claimed that she and Ethan had been in love since college, and that I'd used our engagement to force my way between them.Now that she was pregnant, she was begging me to leave them alone.The whispers around me grew louder."So she's the other woman.""No wonder nobody bothered with her on the boat."I opened the post and looked at Ethan. "You knew about this?"He avoided my eye

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