Randell froze, and his voice was hoarse as he said, "Impossible! I've made plans with her. And it's almost her birthday! How could something suddenly happen to her?"

Evan's expression was troubled as he said in a low voice, "Mr. Gunther, the crew said that she boarded the yacht alone, and she seemed like she wasn't in a good mood. So—"

"Impossible!" Randell interrupted, his voice rising without him even realising it.

"I refuse to believe that! Why would she board alone? Why didn't the crew call me?"

Evan hesitated for a bit before saying carefully, "Mr. Gunther, the crew said that they've tried calling you the whole night, but your phone appeared to be turned off."

Randell looked down at his phone, and it was indeed turned off.

He hurriedly turned it on, then looked at May. There was coldness in his eyes. "You turned it off?"

May stiffened for a second before rushing to explain he

The scheduled upload was a recording of my "final words". It was also my farewell to my sham of a marriage.

As the video continued to rile the public into a frenzy, I sat in an apartment in an unfamiliar city, far away from my past. 

There were no Riveras here, nor was there a Randell—only a small quiet room and a glass door that led to the balcony.

I started my new life under a new identity. I said goodbye to my past self who always had to tread carefully and had suffered neglect in the name of love. 

No one knew where I was hiding, and no one knew that I had already made peace with the idea of growing old alone.

When I first moved to this city, I refused to engage with anyone. I used as few words as possible when it came to grocery shopping, renting the apartment, and even paying the utility bills.

People found me aloof and strange, and they eventually stopped trying to talk to m

When we got into the car, Randell started talking to me about his plans for the next day.

"I've already prepared a birthday surprise for you. And once this busy period is over, we can start planning for a baby, okay?"

I only listened quietly without responding as I continued to stare out the window.

He had only just turned the car on when his phone rang.  

He answered it, and his voice was laced with hesitation as his brows furrowed ever so slightly.

I turned to look at him and said calmly, "Go ahead if you need to leave."

He hesitated for a moment as he said, "Jules, I…"

"It's okay. I'll wait for you at the yacht."

I didn't get a good look at the caller ID, but I knew that only one person could make him form such an expression.

As I boarded the yacht by myself, I took out my phone and looked at May's social media.

I found a newly posted photo with the caption, "It's nice to have someone keep me company just as I find success. Thank you for bringing me a late-night snack and coming all the way here just so I have someone to talk to. Thank you for always taking care of me."

The comments below were all lauding her.

"Your husband is so good to you!"

"This is the true example of a devoted husband!"

However, my attention was drawn to the hand in the photo. I was very familiar with the rosary beads on that wrist. They belonged to Randell.

I called his number, but it was May who answered.

"Why are you calling so late, Julia? You're not looking for Randell, are you?" May asked, her voice thick with mockery.

"Just give up. He's not going back tonight. Who asked you to fail to keep your man interested, dear sister? I've already handed him to you, and yet you still couldn't hold onto him."

I hung up the phone abruptly, then turned to the yacht's crew and said, "Set sail."

"We're not waiting for the others?"

"No. It's just me," I answered softly.

The yacht slowly took off, cutting through the waters bathed in the night as it set sail for the deep seas.

I stood by myself at the bow, staring at the stars above. The sea breeze was cold and biting, and starlight shimmered across the waters.

Randell didn't appear at all that night.

As I leaned against the railings on the deck, I stared at the sea blankly. Memories from the past five years flashed through my mind. His gentleness, his companionship, his promises… All of these memories were like shards of glass slashing across my heart. And in the end, when pieced together, those shards formed nothing but a broken picture.

All the illusions and hypocrisy seemed ironic and laughable now. 

Just before sunrise, I gave him one last call. This time, the phone was turned off.

I stared at the screen as I set a phone recording and the video evidence of me creating that painting to be uploaded automatically at a certain time.

After finishing all that, I took one last look at the faint light that was slowly rising on the horizon. 

Then, I flung myself overboard and dove into the icy waters.

Meanwhile, Randell was hastily leaving while telling May, "I need to go. It's her birthday tomorrow, and I promised I'd watch the sunrise with her."

May tried to stop him, clearly upset. "Randy, I need you right now too…"

Randell shook his head. "No, not today."

Right then, his assistant, Evan Smithers, finally located him. "Mr. Gunther! Your wife… she jumped down from the yacht!"

Randell froze, and his voice was hoarse as he said, "Impossible! I've made plans with her. And it's almost her birthday! How could something suddenly happen to her?"

Evan's expression was troubled as he said in a low voice, "Mr. Gunther, the crew said that she boarded the yacht alone, and she seemed like she wasn't in a good mood. So—"

"Impossible!" Randell interrupted, his voice rising without him even realising it.

"I refuse to believe that! Why would she board alone? Why didn't the crew call me?"

Evan hesitated for a bit before saying carefully, "Mr. Gunther, the crew said that they've tried calling you the whole night, but your phone appeared to be turned off."

Randell looked down at his phone, and it was indeed turned off.

He hurriedly turned it on, then looked at May. There was coldness in his eyes. "You turned it off?"

May stiffened for a second before rushing to explain herself. 

"Randy, why would I turn off your phone? It was probably an accident, or your battery died,

Chapter 4