The salty lake water pierced every inch of Amelia's skin like countless cold needles. Her limbs were tangled in the heavy hem of her dress, her body sinking uncontrollably downward, and the burning pain in her lungs left her gasping for air. Through blurry vision, she could see a familiar figure on the shore—her husband, Liam, standing beneath the moonlight, his usually gentle features now covered in a frosty coldness.
"My love, don't blame me," his voice came through the water, still carrying its usual magnetism, yet sharp as poisoned ice. "Your family's trust fund is the only thing that can fill the company's gaps. I have no choice."
Amelia wanted to scream, to demand answers. Just three hours earlier, they had been celebrating their first wedding anniversary. Liam had personally fastened a new pearl necklace around her neck, the cold beads pressing against her collarbone, his fingertips still seeming to linger on her skin as he spoke of showing her "our very own moonlight" by the lake. But when she leaned in, unguarded, he had suddenly shoved her from behind—with a brutality that left no room for hesitation, as if discarding a worthless piece of trash.
"W-why?" she managed to gasp out her final question, bubbles escaping her lips only to vanish instantly into the dark lake. Memories of the past three years flashed through her mind: how she had given this man everything—her grandfather's estate, her savings, even her future claim to the trust fund—without reservation; how she had cooked for him, waited up late with hangover soup on nights he worked overtime, kept their home in perfect order, believing she had married love. Now she realized it had all been an elaborate deception, every act of devotion feeding his insatiable greed.
Liam seemed to hear her question. He leaned closer to the water's edge, his voice soft as a breeze yet cutting through her like a knife: "You were too naive, Amelia. Did you really think I loved you? All I ever wanted was the Vance family fortune behind you. Now you're useless to me—keeping you around would only get in my way."
The lake water engulfed her mouth and nose completely, darkness swallowing her consciousness. The agony of suffocation, the despair of betrayal, the rage of injustice—they coiled around her heart like vines, squeezing until it felt ready to shatter. She refused to die like this, refused to let Liam squander her inheritance in peace, refused to let her life be destroyed so cruelly. Her nails scratched futilely at the cold water, grasping at nothing but emptiness.
"I want to live... I want revenge..." These were Amelia's final thoughts as her awareness faded. Her vision went completely dark, her body losing its last trace of warmth in the lake. Only that hatred remained—an unquenchable flame burning in the endless darkness.