All Chapters of They Left Me to Die at Sea: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

When I came out of the ER, Sienna was curled up in Ethan's arms.Owen was crouched in front of her, holding a cup of water for her.Adrian held her test results and kept asking if she felt all right.I stopped, bracing myself against the wall. Blood was seeping through the bandage on my arm again.Ethan saw me and started to get up, but Sienna clutched the hem of his shirt."Evelyn, you're alive. Thank God."Her eyes red, she laid a protective hand over her stomach."I'm sorry. Ethan and I really love each other. The baby was an accident."I didn't look at her. Instead, I stared at Ethan and asked hoarsely, "When did it start?""Six months ago."I gripped my hospital gown until my knuckles turned white."The day you proposed to me?"He didn't answer.That night, he had knelt in front of me, his hands shaking so badly he could barely hold the ring.I tearfully said yes, then laughed and asked why he was so nervous.Now he wouldn't even look at me."You said all you wanted was to make a

The next day, Ethan came to see me at the hotel.He was carrying breakfast, and someone behind him was holding my freshly cleaned wedding dress."I brought you your favorite hot cocoa. Eat your breakfast and put yesterday behind us."The familiar smell hit me, and my grip tightened on the doorknob.Whenever I used to get sick, he would wait downstairs with a cup of hot cocoa for me."You still remember what I like."He smiled and moved to step inside, but I stopped him at the door."Then do you remember what I said about cheating? That I'd never forgive it?"The smile froze on his face."Evelyn, I already explained.""Let's call off the engagement."I said it slowly. A heavy knot still sat in my chest.Ethan set the breakfast down."I can go with her to her prenatal appointments during the day and come home to you at night. Once we're married, you'll be Mrs. Clarke. No one can take that from you."For a second, I thought I'd heard him wrong.He even stepped closer and reached up to tou

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

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

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