Chapter 3

Alex' s panicked sobs continued to spill from the radio, a pathetic soundtrack to the approaching danger. The pirates were close now, close enough to see the glint of sunlight off their rifles.

"They' re going to kill me! Chloe, do something!"

Chloe, shaken from her stupor, rushed to the radio. Despite the raw cowardice she had just witnessed, her instinct was to protect him, to soothe him.

"It' s okay, Alex! It' s okay! We' re not leaving you! Liam will handle this. He' ll protect us, won' t you, Liam?"

She looked at me, her eyes wide with a desperate, misplaced faith. She still saw me as her safety net, the man who would solve any problem her recklessness created.

I ignored her and took the radio microphone, switching to the maritime emergency channel.

"This is the motor yacht Serenity to the approaching vessels. Identify yourselves."

A gruff voice, distorted by static, crackled back. It was a voice I remembered from my nightmares. The leader.

"Serenity! Nice name for a boat that' s about to have a very bad day. We' re your new business partners. We' re here to discuss a withdrawal from your accounts."

He laughed, a harsh, ugly sound.

"I' m willing to pay for safe passage," I said, keeping my voice steady and transactional. "Name your price."

The leader laughed again.

"Oh, we' ll get to the price. But first, a gesture of goodwill. We' ve been watching your little friend on the island. He looks lonely. Send him over to us. A little welcoming gift. Then we' ll talk about the rest of you."

The air grew thick and heavy. The crew looked at me, their faces tight with fear. They knew what this meant. A sacrifice.

Chloe heard the demand, and her mind, twisted by years of selfishness, found the quickest, most ruthless solution. She spun around and faced me, her expression hard and ugly.

"Did you hear him? He just wants Alex! Give them what they want!"

She wasn' t suggesting we abandon Alex. I realized that a second too late.

"Pay them! Give them more money! Do something!" she shrieked, her voice rising with hysteria. Then her eyes narrowed, and she pointed a trembling finger at me.

"Or... or you go! They can take you! You' re the billionaire, you' re the prize! Let them take you, and they' ll leave us alone! They' ll leave Alex alone!"

There it was. The exact moment. The final, absolute betrayal. In my first life, she had let me die to save Alex. In this life, she was actively trying to trade my life for his. The last ember of a long-dead love was finally snuffed out, leaving behind nothing but cold, hard ash.

I looked at her, at this woman I had once promised to spend my life with. I saw her not as my ex-fiancée, but as a stranger, an enemy.

And in that moment, I knew I wouldn't just let them fall. I would push them.