Chapter 5

I raised the knife, aiming for his heart.

But the tip stopped just before his chest.

My hand was trembling uncontrollably; I couldn't move it another inch.

Julian's smile deepened. He gently pried open my fingers and took the knife.

"Seraphina, I knew you couldn't do it." Julian paused, then added, "The outcome will be a lifetime with just one person, but the journey there might not be."

He told me to stay in the storage room and calm down, completely forgetting about my claustrophobia.

Two years ago, Julian had an enemy. That enemy kidnapped me, holding me hostage in a dark basement and torturing me.

By the time Julian arrived, I was bruised, bleeding, and unconscious.

That's when my claustrophobia began.

It was fair to say that if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have it.

Watching him walk away decisively, I felt utterly ridiculous.

The storage room door clicked shut once more.

I huddled in the corner, clinging to life by the sliver of light filtering through a mouse hole.

How could a person live such a pathetic existence?

I used to be a pampered heiress, cherished by my parents.

The cruise ship indeed did not dock on time.

I heard many guests quietly complaining that it was delaying their plans.

But not a single person dared to question Julian directly.

My heart slowly sank.

No hope.

I had no home.

In the afternoon, the storage room door opened. I thought Julian had come.

But the person who appeared before me was Lily.

Lily wore a gorgeous princess gown, looking radiant and polished.

My disheveled state clearly satisfied her.

So much so that she was willing to reveal a secret she'd kept for three years.

"Not long ago, when Julian was drunk, he mentioned your mother's death."

"Your mother wanted to take you away and argued with him, but he found her annoying and killed her right there."

"He even showed me photos from the scene -- it was all bloody, so terrifying."

I listened in confusion.

Julian had told me my mother, speeding and distraught while looking for me, drove off a winding mountain road and died in the accident.

As if sensing my doubt, Lily purposely pulled out a photo.

She had secretly taken it.

Blood stained my mother's white dress on the ground; the wounds were so horrific, I could even see organs.

I froze.

The truth was, three years ago I hadn't seen my mother's body, only touched a cold urn once.

Everything about my mother's death, I had only heard from Julian's lips.

Lily's mouth curved slightly upward.

She savored my pain, then threw the safe key at my face.

"Seeing how pathetic you are, I'll give you the key. A safe holding a dead person's ashes, it's bad luck for me to keep."

I finally had the key.

It wasn't even evening yet; I still had time.

But we were surrounded by ocean. After leaving the cruise ship, how would I get back to shore?

Lily had clearly only come to deepen the conflict between Julian and me.

She dismissed the guards, also giving me a chance to escape.

As soon as Lily left, I secretly slipped out of the storage room.

I headed to the stern of the ship.

It was the least crowded area.

As despair washed over me, I spotted a lifeboat nearby.

Maybe I could use the lifeboat to leave.

Rather than waiting for death, I would take action.

I didn't want anything more to do with the man who killed my mother.

I'd take a gamble. Even if I died in the ocean, it would be better than living a dazed, meaningless life by Julian's side.

I boarded the lifeboat and set off in the direction we had come from.

Half an hour later, the guards, on their own accord, went to Julian to confess their failure.

"Mr. Maxwell, Seraphina is gone. An empty lifeboat was recovered from the sea."