“Asher… just a little longer…”

Fragmented whispers and the sound of laughter drifted through the gap in the bathroom door. Standing outside, Eliana Pierce felt as though the world’s warmth had been stripped away, leaving her in an icy void.

The two people inside were the ones she trusted most: her best friend, Erica Duffy, and her fiancé, Asher Harrison.

“You’re much more spirited than Eliana,” Asher’s voice was laced with a dark affection she had never heard during their engagement.

Erica laughed softly. “Do you really like me more? After all, Eliana is the one you’re supposed to marry.”

“Don’t bring her up,” Asher huffed, his tone cold. “She’s far too rigid. I heard she even spent last night at a club instead of coming to see you. She’s just like her mother—always causing trouble for the people around her.”

“Didn’t her father’s passing have something to do with those rumors?” Erica asked, her voice feigning curiosity.

“It was no accident,” Asher snorted disdainfully. “That was just a cover-up to protect the family’s reputation.”

The words hit Eliana like a physical blow, her mind buzzing with a sudden, sharp clarity. Before she could think, she pushed the door open and stormed in.

“What did you just say, Asher?”

The two inside scrambled in shock. Asher quickly grabbed a towel, his face pale. “Eliana! What are you doing here?”

Eliana ignored his state, her hands trembling as she stepped forward. “Tell me the truth! Who was responsible for what happened to my parents?”

“Get out!” Erica, recovering from her initial fright, lunged forward and pushed Eliana away.

Caught off guard and weakened by the shock, Eliana staggered backward. Her head struck the edge of the marble bathtub with a sickening thud. Darkness instantly rushed in, and she collapsed, motionless.

Horrified, Asher looked down. “Is she… is she okay?”

Erica checked Eliana’s pulse with a shaking hand. A dark thought crossed her mind. “She’s barely breathing, Asher. If she wakes up and tells everyone about us—and what you said about her parents—we’re finished.”

“What are you saying?”

“We have to make sure she doesn't talk,” Erica whispered, her eyes gleaming with a desperate, evil light. “We need to get rid of the evidence. Now.”

Eliana regained consciousness to the rhythmic, deafening hum of a yacht’s engine. A searing pain radiated from the back of her head, making every breath feel like a struggle.

Before she could orient herself, someone grabbed her hair, forcing her head back.

“Ah!” Eliana cried out, squinting against the harsh sunlight.

Erica stood over her, a cruel smile playing on her lips. “Did you enjoy the ‘gift’ I sent to your room last night? I thought a little scandal would make Asher’s breakup with you much easier.”

Recalling the blurred, disorienting events of the previous night, Eliana’s eyes widened. “It was you… you set me up!”

“I did you a favor,” Erica mocked. “But now, you’ve become a liability. Asher has already agreed to erase your existence from his life.”

Eliana looked around in despair. They were in the middle of the endless ocean, flanked by two imposing bodyguards. There was no escape.

“Throw her overboard,” Erica commanded coldly.

The bodyguards lifted Eliana and tossed her into the churning wake of the yacht. The cold, salt water swallowed her instantly, stifling her cry for help as the yacht sped away into the horizon.

Five Years Later.

At the bustling international airport, a small, sharp-eyed boy steered a luggage cart with practiced ease. He looked up at Eliana and said firmly, “Let me handle this, Mommy. You look tired.”

Eliana smiled, reaching down to ruffle the boy’s soft hair. “Thank you, Adrian. You’re such a gentleman.”

“What about me?” A little girl poked her head out from amidst the suitcases, her large eyes blinking curiously. “Am I helping too?”

“You’re helping us test the cart’s weight capacity, Aileen,” Adrian replied with a playful smirk.

Aileen pouted and reached out to tickle him, causing Eliana to laugh. These two were her miracles. After being rescued from the sea five years ago, she had remained in a coma for months. When she finally woke, she discovered she was pregnant. Aileen and Adrian had become the light that guided her through her darkest hours.

“Miss Pierce?” A woman approached them, holding up an ID card. “I’m Kimora, the assistant sent by Mr. Jonathan Bowman to escort you to your new residence.”

As they spoke, Aileen’s attention wandered. A tall man was walking through the terminal, dressed in a sharp, charcoal-black suit. His presence was commanding, his features carved with an icy, intimidating handsomeness that made the crowd part instinctively.

Something about him called to Aileen. Before Eliana could stop her, the little girl hopped off the cart and ran straight toward the man, wrapping her small arms around his leg.

“Daddy! You’re finally here!”