Chapter 6

Summer's POV

I don't remember how I got back to the estate.

I only remember the private doctor using tweezers to pick the gravel and dirt out of my open wounds one by one.

A week later, the cuts on my knees had scabbed over.

Ethan tossed a pair of white silk stockings and a heavy wool trench coat onto the bed.

He reached out, his fingers tracing my cheek. "Tonight is the joint venture gala. It's on a yacht in international waters. Behave yourself, don't act crazy, and I'll let you enjoy the ocean breeze."

But the moment we boarded the yacht, every step up the stairs tore my fresh scabs open.

Thick blood soaked through the white stockings, making me break into a cold sweat from the pain.

Ethan's hand tightened around my shoulder, his grip tight enough to bruise my bones. He whispered in my ear, "We have international investors here tonight. If you act up, I will throw you straight into a psychiatric facility."

I let him drag me into the shadows of the ballroom.

Across the room, Chloe, clad in a custom designer gown, was holds a glass of champagne, laughing with the elite.

The crowd surrounded her, praising her as the architectural genius behind the modern cathedral.

Meanwhile, I was discarded in the darkest corner of the room.

I hadn't had a drop of water since yesterday.

My empty stomach twisted in pain, and I had to pinch the flesh of my thigh hard just to stay conscious.

I was waiting for midnight.

The time Christian and I had agreed upon.

Right now, in the blind spot of the yacht's security cameras, jumping into the black ocean was my only way out. My only chance to escape Ethan forever.

The clock on the wall finally struck twelve.

I stood up, using the wall for support.

I moved slowly, making sure not to draw any attention.

Amidst the clinking glasses and loud laughter, I pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped onto the deck.

It was pitch black outside. The ocean wind cut through my clothes like knives, making me cough violently. I gripped the railing. Below me, the black waves of the open sea churned violently.

I unbuttoned the wool coat, took it off, and folded it neatly, placing it on the deck.

I shed the coat, and I slid off my wedding ring, placing it on top.

I was going to leave the broken, tortured version of Summer on this boat forever.

To Ethan, this would look like a desperate suicide. But to me, it was the first day of my life.

I climbed over the iron railing, standing on the narrow ledge over the abyss.

"Summer! What the hell are you doing?!"

Ethan's panicked roar shattered the wind behind me.

I turned my head. Ethan was sprinting toward me, his hands outstretched.

His eyes were bloodshot, his voice trembling in the wind. "Get down from there. Who said you could stand there?"

I looked at him, and for the first time in three years, a genuine, beautiful smile crossed my face.

I pulled the flesh-colored earplugs from my ears, tossed them into the black sea, and spoke, my voice raspy but clear.

"Ethan. We're even."

Just as his fingers brushed the hem of my dress, I leaned backward, falling into the dark water below.

"Summer."