Chapter 1
It was a marlin, its head bristling with long, sharp spikes, weighing about a hundred pounds. Grant and Summer had fought it for almost an hour.
Summer excitedly posed with the fish from different angles for photos:
“Fishing is so much fun! I’ve decided I’m going to enter the sea angling competition Grant is sponsoring! Grant, you can fish with me, and since Harper isn’t feeling well, she can just drive the boat for us.”
“Sounds good. She’s the most familiar with all the trivial stuff like picking out tackle and preparing bait anyway.”
I shoved her away like a maniac, desperate to pry open the marlin’s mouth.
Summer let out a delicate gasp, her legs buckled, and she almost tumbled into the sea.
My two-month-old baby hadn’t even fully formed. That bloody tissue was already torn apart, its shape unrecognizable.
“Slap!”
A stinging slap landed on my face.
Grant held the startled Summer in his arms:
“What kind of animalistic behavior is that? Is this how you act as Mrs. Sterling? If you’re done with being my wife, just say so!”
I grew up by the sea, the daughter of a fisherman.
After marrying Grant, I spent every waking moment learning proper etiquette and bearing, never daring to relax. But thank goodness I wasn’t some fragile, helpless rich girl, otherwise, how could I have endured such pain?
Beneath my dark athletic shorts, a horrifying gush of blood streamed down my thighs. By the time the boat docked, it had already dried.
Many of the fishing enthusiasts showered Grant and Summer with compliments:
“This beautiful lady caught Mr. Sterling’s exclusive lucky fish on her first try! It seems you two really are meant to be!”
“If it were just a little bigger, it could break the record of the one in the center of the Sterling Group’s lobby, right?”
Summer’s face was flushed crimson from the sun, looking utterly adorable. She tilted her head towards Grant:
“How big does it need to be to break the record?”
Grant stroked her head. The corners of his lips, usually stern and aloof, curled into a rare, doting smile:
“You don’t need to break any records. As long as you want it, we’ll turn your fish into a specimen and hang it in the Group’s lobby. How about that?”
“Then I’ll really have to try my best!”
The marlin specimen displayed in the Sterling Group’s lobby?
Grant caught that one under my guidance. It was 3.4 meters long, weighing a massive 450 pounds – three times the size of today’s catch – and it broke the national record for marlin sea fishing. No one has beaten it since.
That fish that made him renowned throughout the entire fishing community.
That fish that made him see me as his lucky charm.
That fish that symbolized the Sterling Group’s unyielding spirit.
Somewhere along the way, it had become utterly worthless.
Grant went into the boat cabin to pack his fishing gear, his gaze on me filled with disgust:
“Wait until Summer and I are far away before you leave. Don’t let anyone see you looking so disgraceful.”
“Grant Sterling, let’s get a divorce.”
My voice was hoarse. I cupped a handful of seawater, poured it into my insulated bottle, and hugged it tight.
Grant froze for a moment, seeing the utter despair in my eyes. Then, he reluctantly softened his tone:
“The Sterling Group and the Hayes Corporation have many collaborations ahead.
I’m just playing nice with Summer to keep old Mr. Hayes happy, understand? You’re on your period, so just go home and rest.
I’m letting today’s incident slide. But tomorrow, when Summer goes fishing, you still need to be there. You’re strong; half a day’s rest is plenty.”
“I’m not going back. Tonight, I’m sleeping with the ocean.”
He paused for a moment, seemingly unable to comprehend why I had suddenly become so sullen and rebellious. But he still forgave me magnanimously:
“Alright, alright, fine. Consider this your sincere devotion to the sea tonight.
Just make sure tomorrow you help Summer catch a fish even rarer than that golden moonfish she posted on her Ins, so she can post about it and be happy, okay?”
I frowned, but then burst out laughing.
My heart didn’t ache as it usually did. That child, as it left my body, took with it the last shred of my illusions about him.