Where the Tide Returned

Grrnng… Grrnng…

The phone continued to ring, but no one answered.

What was I even expecting? My mom is dead, and I wasn’t even given the chance to grieve before I was thrown into the sea by my cruel father and his mistress, along with their wicked daughter.

Even my mother’s death wasn’t natural.

Oops! I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Tiffany Smith.

Where should I begin my story?

I was once the only daughter of the Smith family, one of the richest families in York County. I was a dignified, calm, and well-respected young woman in the elite social circle. My family had one of the best reputations, and lest I forget, I was also a well-known artist, famous for my bold and unconventional paintings that almost everyone admired. But as much as I had fans, I also had just as many haters.

Everything was going well until my mother decided to become close friends with my father’s female friend, Betty. Before long, they became inseparable, and her daughter, Stella, also became my friend.

Little did we know that Betty was my father’s mistress, and Stella was their forbidden child.

Don’t ask me how long their affair had been going on because I only found out a few minutes before I was thrown into the sea.

Yes… the sea.

Speaking of the sea, after my mother died—having spent nearly two years unconscious—I was still trying to cope with the loss when I saw my father and Betty kissing in my late mother’s bedroom.

Then Betty asked,

“What are we going to do with her now?”

My father frowned.

“Who? Tiffany?”

“Yes. Who else am I talking about?” Betty replied impatiently. “She must never find out about any of this.”

My father smirked.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find some people to take care of her. Nothing will ever come out. Then I’ll officially marry you, and you’ll become the new Mrs. Smith because the former holder of the title is dead.”

“Hahaha…”

The two of them burst into laughter.

I stood frozen in shock.

What on earth had I just witnessed?

Was I hallucinating?

My perfect father… and my mother’s best friend?

As I clutched the necklace my mother had given me, I slowly turned to leave, desperate to escape the horrifying reality before me.

But fate had other plans.

My foot caught the edge of the rug.

I stumbled.

Their heads snapped toward the door.

Betty’s eyes widened.

“I thought you said she was still at her mother’s grave crying!”

She turned to my father.

“Williams, you have to do something about this. She must not know anything else. She must never find out about Stella.”

The last thing I remember was my loving father grabbing a heavy flower vase and hurling it straight at me.

Everything went black.

When I regained consciousness, I was floating in the middle of the sea.

How I got there, I had no idea.

But I knew one thing for certain.

My father and his mistress were responsible.

Thankfully, I had taken swimming lessons when I was younger.

With every ounce of strength I had left, I swam toward what looked like an island.

When I finally reached the shore, relief washed over me.

I thought I had been saved.

But my joy was short-lived.

It was a deserted island.

The need to survive became urgent. People always say, “Survival of the fittest,” but tell me, why is it that in my case there is no one to survive with before I can even become the fittest? At least that would have made life a little easier.