Chapter 3

His words felt more suffocating than the water. Summoning the last vestiges of her strength, her arms trembling violently, she clawed at the cold tile edge of the pool. She stared into those emotionless eyes. "And you? Have you ever considered me?" "What have you ever sacrificed for me?" A sudden, bitter laugh bubbled up. She didn't understand anymore. What had these ten years been for? If Leo truly loved her, how could he let Samantha humiliate her like this? If Leo truly loved her, how could he expose her, practically naked, for others to gawk at? How could he know her terror of deep water and still have her thrown in? Perhaps... Leo had stopped loving her long ago! Angelina heard a shattering sound inside her. Her heart, her body, everything felt broken. The absurdity was, she had been deceiving herself, refusing to face reality. Samantha leaned down, looking at her from above. "Miss Crawford, giving up already?” "I'll give you one last chance. Get the medicine bottle. "Otherwise, I'll release footage of your disgraceful performance today to the world." Angelina glared fiercely at Samantha, her lips twisting in a cold sneer. "Do whatever you want." She commanded the staff to pull her out. Grabbing a towel, she wrapped it tightly around herself. "Angelina! Get back here!" Leo's furious roar echoed behind her. "If you dare leave, it's over between us! Don't regret it later!" Once, such a threat would have stopped her heart. She would have instantly turned back, begging for his forgiveness. Now, nothing mattered. She pulled out her phone and sent a message to Eli: "Eli, I accept your pursuit." Almost instantly, the screen lit up: "Really? That's wonderful! I'll book a flight abroad right now!" Seeing the palpable joy flood the screen, a flicker of warmth, tinged with sour ache, pierced Angelina's numb, frozen heart. Shame quickly followed. Eli had always watched over her silently. Even when Leo had ceased treating her as a lover, openly allowing Samantha to humiliate her. Eli saw her trapped in Leo's pathological suspicion and indifference, saw her tormented night after night. He had asked her once, with heartbreaking sincerity, "Angelina, our families are old friends. Our parents agreed on the engagement long ago. But I respect your choice. Yet Leo... he doesn't love you. Why... won't you look at me? Give me a chance?" Angelina drew a deep, shuddering breath, the cold air filling her lungs like a lifeline. She gripped her phone tightly, as if clutching a salvation she'd nearly lost. Thank god. Thank god someone was still willing to cherish her, even as she drowned in the vortex. As she turned to leave, chaos erupted in the audience stands. With a crash, the metal barrier buckled. Several men with lecherous eyes broke through and charged towards her. "Don't leave yet, beautiful! We didn't get enough of your underwater show!" "Play with us, huh?" Angelina froze, completely unprepared. Before she could even refuse, hands grabbed at the towel wrapped around her, tearing at it. "Let... let go of me!" Weak from near-drowning, she couldn't fight back. She was slammed onto the cold tiles, her bare skin scraping painfully, making her vision blur. Just as despair swallowed her, she heard familiar footsteps. Leo and Samantha were preparing to leave. But the instant Leo glanced over, his face changed. He lunged towards her with an almost instinctive desperation. Seeing this, Angelina's shattered heart stirred with a flicker of warmth. Tears welled uncontrollably. She tried to call out to Leo for help, but the words choked in her throat. Leo stopped abruptly, his expression reverting to its usual icy detachment. He looked at her as if she were a piece of inconvenient trash, indifferently shifting his gaze away. She knew. Leo was waiting for her to beg. Waiting for her to crawl to him, to appease him with abject humility, just like before. Angelina felt herself go mute. The cold of the tiles seeped into her bones, colder than the drowning water. Her heart seemed to die completely at that moment.