Chapter 1

I coughed violently, as if seawater was still trapped in my windpipe.

Beside me, my husband, Adam Hunter, scrambled up at the sound and patted my back to help me catch my breath.

We weren't in a freezing underwater cave but a warm cabin.

I froze, the words catching in my throat, leaving only ragged gasps.

Adam propped himself up and pulled me into his warm embrace. "What's wrong, Vivian? Did you have a nightmare?"

I stayed stiff in his arms. My mind went blank, then spiraled into utter chaos.

The icy horror of drowning, the agony of running out of air, and the cold cruelty of Adam's final stroke with that knife…

Everything felt so crisp and real.

Was it really just a ridiculous nightmare?

With trembling hands, I reached for my phone on the pillow and checked the screen.

5:10 am.

In my dream, Adam's childhood friend, Ben Holland, would burst in right about now.

With a loud bang, the cabin door slammed open. Ben's voice was high with excitement. "We found it! Adam! The low tide exposed the cave in the shallow waters! It's right where we calculated!"

Adam instantly shot up and raced out with him to the deck to check the cave.

Meanwhile, I shivered uncontrollably, so terrified I nearly passed out.

The timing and the people were exactly the same as in my dream.

I slapped a hand over my mouth and scrambled out of bed on all fours.

My fingernails dug into the icy doorframe, keeping me from collapsing onto the floor.

I dragged myself onto the deck, my heart hammering so hard it felt ready to burst.

A loud ringing filled my ears, blending with the excited banter on deck that grew louder by the second.

Looking past Adam and Ben, I stared out at the sea.

A pitch-black cave entrance sat fully revealed in the shallow water.

It was an exact match for the abyss that swallowed me whole in my memories.

When Adam turned around and caught sight of me, his face glowed with sheer thrill.

"Honey! Look! This is the ultimate goal of our honeymoon expedition! The final stop of our trip! It's perfect!"

That was the very place I had entered with bright, sweet hope, only to never come out alive.

Adam finally noticed how pale I was. Frowning, he asked, "What's wrong? You're shaking. Is the sea breeze getting to you?"

The smiling man before me looked so affectionate, yet beneath that excitement lay a faint, almost imperceptible glint of calculation.

My voice rasped out, dry and tight. "I'm suddenly feeling really sick. Can I skip the dive?"

The cheerful chatter on deck vanished instantly.

Adam let go of me. The warmth drained from his eyes in a flash. "Vivian, don't be ridiculous."