A Plunge Into Betrayal

After my third dive in search of my missing boyfriend, I suffer a miscarriage.

When I wake up in the hospital and find out he's still alive, I rip out the IV and drag myself home.

But as I approach the house, I overhear Beck Wilder talking to his friends.

"Maren had a child with her ex-husband. Who knows if she's really over him?

"I can't go through with the wedding without being sure. I'd rather set a trap to see if she'd risk everything for me."

Someone hesitates.

"What if she finds out you lied? She might get furious and leave you."

Beck chuckles confidently.

"She's a breeze to manipulate. I'll make her sign the marriage papers and host a lavish wedding. She'll be as meek as a kitten."

Two weeks later, I leave the miscarriage report on the wedding dress and walk away.

The once-proud heir of the Wilder family is left in tears, scouring every inch of Larkspur in desperate search of his runaway bride.

I woke up in the hospital to a nurse telling me that I had suffered a miscarriage. Ignoring the pain radiating through my body, I grabbed my phone and scrolled through the messages from the police.

Beck Wilder hadn't drowned. His location tracker confirmed that he was at Rosehill Villa. The tension in my chest finally eased.

I didn't wait for the IV drip to run its course. I ripped out the needle and rushed out to hail a taxi.

By the time I reached the villa's entrance, I could hear Beck inside, laughing with a group of young elites.

"Maren had a child with Emmett Olson. Who knows if she's really over him?"

My hand froze in mid-air.

I stepped quietly to the window and watched Beck slowly swirl his wine. He let out a weary sigh. "I had my pick of decent women to marry, but I chose to be engaged to her. I gave too much of myself, and now all I carry is a bitterness I can't let go of."

Someone asked, "So, Mr. Wilder, did you pretend to drown just to see how much Maren cares about you?"

Beck took a sip of his drink. "Maren's terrified of water, yet she went through the effort to get a diving license for Emmett. After their divorce, she never went diving again. Even when I begged her to go snorkeling with me in Sanmore, she flat-out refused.

"It's just thalassophobia, isn't it? If she could overcome that fear for Emmett, why won't she do the same for me? That kind of double standard is impossible to overlook. Doesn't it just prove that she still cares for her ex?"

A ripple of murmurs spread across the room.

Without warning, someone pulled out their phone and shoved the screen in Beck's face.

"Mr. Wilder, check this out. It's drone footage from yesterday. Doesn't the woman in the black wetsuit on the shore look just like Maren?"

Beck studied the screen intently,