Chapter 11

Jayden and Logan rose to the surface one after the other, clad in diving suits. They'd just swapped in fresh oxygen tanks and were about to dive again when another diver suddenly emerged from the water. "Mr. Carter, Mr. Hall, I found something!" Without a moment's hesitation, the two men swam toward that diver as fast as they could. The moment they saw what the diver was holding, Jayden and Logan froze. Even their breath caught, as if time itself had stopped. It was a necklace. The faded etchings, the worn-down edges, and the faintest trace of the familiar scent pierced into their memories like a needle. Jayden's pupils contracted sharply, a deafening buzz flooding his head. Logan's Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't make a sound. Cold sweat beaded on his palm as he reached out with trembling fingers, only to flinch the moment he touched it, like he'd been electrocuted. The two of them slowly exchanged a look, fear and confusion flooding their eyes. "It's hers…" "It's Natalie's necklace…" The memory from that year flashed in their minds. When Natalie was 13, both of them had given her a necklace made of three interlocked rings. The middle, slightly smaller ring represented Natalie, while the two outer rings represented Jayden and Logan. It had been a silent vow—a promise that they would always be by her side, protect her, and never, ever leave her. Natalie had worn that necklace every day; even when they hurt her because of Clara, she never took it off. But now… they'd found the necklace, and she was gone. The truth they'd been avoiding and refusing to accept finally stared them in the face. Natalie was dead. There was nothing left of her. Grief spread like a sickness, swallowing them whole. A single tear fell, blending with the heavy rain before disappearing into the sea. A thunderclap, followed by a flash of lightning, split the sky, briefly illuminating the pale faces of the two men. The rain blurred Jayden's vision. The world around him twisted and warped as one thought repeated itself endlessly in his head—Natalie was dead. His sister, the only family he had left in this world, was gone. Logan's breathing turned ragged, each gasp cutting through his chest like shards of glass. He should've known. He should've accepted the truth from the start. The explosion, the fire—no one could've survived that. And they'd even tied her down, just to make sure she wouldn't run. How could she have lived? How could anyone have survived that? But he didn't want to believe it. He couldn't believe that the strong, resilient young woman who was full of life and hope was gone. Besides, they hadn't found her body, so he kept telling himself she wasn't dead, convincing himself that she might have been carried somewhere else by the waves. That was until he saw that necklace in the diver's hand. There was no more denying it. Natalie was dead; she had truly, completely left him. Logan's shoulders trembled violently. A low, broken sob escaped his lips—barely audible beneath the sound of the storm—but it was dripping in sorrow and despair. Jayden and Logan finally accepted the fact that Natalie was gone on the seventh day after her death. Natalie, Jayden's sister and Logan's fiancée, had truly left them for good. Her obituary was once again posted online. This time, the netizens were calm, as they'd already come to terms with her death. All that was left were sorrow and regret. Crowds, with chrysanthemums in hand, gathered at the beach where Natalie had met her end and silently paid their respects for three minutes. For once, all anyone could remember was her kindness and how heartbreaking her loss truly was. … Meanwhile, the Carters and the Halls released an official statement. The two families had completely fallen apart because of Natalie's death. Logan punched Jayden in the face and bellowed, "You knew she was terrified of deep water! You knew she'd die if you put her on that ship, so why did you still do it?" Jayden didn't fight back. He just stood there, taking hit after hit. He didn't move an inch even as blood smeared across his face, and he was beaten to the point where he couldn't get up anymore. Tears streamed down his face. His heart was full of nothing but regret. No one hated him more than he hated himself. His mind replayed the conversation he had with Natalie the day she boarded the ship. She'd looked him in the eye and said she wouldn't make it out alive, that she would die and never see him again. Then, she'd asked him if he was still going to lock her on that cruise. And what had he said? He'd told her it was only for three days and that she wouldn't die. But she did. She died on that very ship he'd sent her on, in an explosion he never saw coming. Then came the final blow. Logan grabbed Jayden by the collar and punched him so hard he slammed into the wall, crumpling to the floor. "I regret it," Logan murmured. "I regret ever listening to you! I regret every single time I helped hurt her. Natalie's dead, and I'll spend the rest of my life trying to atone for that. "But you and I—we're done! From now on, don't ever show your face in front of me again. Because if you do, Jayden, I swear I won't be able to stop myself from killing you!" After all, in the end, neither of them could escape blame for Natalie's death. As the front gates of the villa slowly closed behind him, Logan's figure disappeared from Jayden's view.