His Fatal Mistake, My Sweet Revenge

Trapped 3,000 meters beneath the sea, the submersible I designed was my coffin. The air was turning to poison.

But my fiancé, Jeffery, gave our only long-term life support-a CO2 scrubber I invented-to his social media star mistress.

"You're strong, Elaina," he said. "You can figure something out."

When I tried to use the emergency comms, he broke my wrist and smashed the console.

He and his mistress sealed the hatch, leaving me to die alone in the crushing dark.

He chose his career over my life. He chose her over me. The man I was supposed to marry would rather I suffocate at the bottom of the ocean than face a failed mission.

But as the blackness closed in, I remembered a secret. A tiny, personal emergency pinger I' d built into my glove. With my last bit of strength, I tore the seam with my teeth and slammed my hand against my head. A faint click echoed in the silence. My revenge had just begun.

Chapter 1

Elaina Valencia POV:

The world was ending, not with a bang, but with a slow, suffocating hiss. I knew it. Every cell in my body screamed it.

My breath hitched, a desperate plea for air that the failing environmental system of the submersible couldn't grant. The cold seeped into my bones, a deep, pervasive chill that promised to turn my very blood to ice.

I was trapped, 3,000 meters beneath the surface, in a crippled steel coffin.

The pressure outside was immense, enough to crush a battleship into scrap in seconds. Inside, my own body was starting to fail.

My fingers, numb and clumsy, fumbled at the console. Hypoxia was setting in, painting the edges of my vision with shimmering light.

As a marine biologist and robotics engineer, I understood the mechanics of my impending death with chilling clarity. It wasn't just the failing life support; it was the betrayal that pulsed beneath it, a toxic current in the frigid darkness.

I needed the scrubber. My proprietary CO2 scrubber. It was our only long-term chance.

My gaze snapped to the compartment where it should have been. My hands, trembling, reached for it.

The compartment was empty.

My breath caught. No. It couldn't be. Not now.

A cold dread, colder than the abyss outside, clutched at my chest. The scrubber was unique, a prototype designed for extended deep-sea missions. It could have given us days, maybe even a week.

"Jeffery!" My voice, raw and raspy, cut through the oppressive silence of the damaged sub.

Jeffery Castillo, my fiancé, turned from where he was trying to reassure Jaden Savage. His eyes, usually so quick to meet mine, darted away.

He looked guilty. He looked shifty.

"What is it, Elaina? Keep your voice down. You'll upset Jaden." He spoke in his publicist's calm, measured tone, as if we were discussing funding, not fighting for our lives.

My blood ran cold. "The scrubber, Jeffery. Where is it?"

He hesitated, a fleeting shadow crossing his face. "It's... it's fine. We have plenty of air."

"Don't lie to me." My voice was a low growl, laced with a desperation I couldn't hide. "The telemetry shows critical oxygen levels. The backup failed. We need the primary scrubber. Now."

He swallowed hard, his gaze shifting to Jaden, who was huddled, trembling, in the corner, her face a mask of manufactured fear. "I... I gave it to Jaden."

The words hit me like a physical blow. The air rushed out of my lungs. I swayed, bracing myself against the console.

"You what?" My voice was barely a whisper. It felt like the pressure outside was crushing my very soul.

"She was panicking!" He gestured wildly towards Jaden. "She's not used to this. She's delicate. You're strong, Elaina. You're the engineer. You can figure something out."

Jaden looked up, her eyes wide and innocent, but a flicker of triumph danced within them. My scrubber, strapped awkwardly to her chest, pulsed faintly, filtering the toxic CO2.

Fury, cold and precise, replaced the panic. "That scrubber was designed for us, Jeffery. For the crew. It's life support, not a comfort blanket for your social media star."

"Don't be so dramatic." He scoffed, his face hardening. "We're fine. Just think, Elaina. Invent something. You always do." He turned back to Jaden, patting her hand. "See? I told you she'd be okay. She's brilliant."

Jaden offered a weak, grateful smile, her eyes still fixed on me. A challenge. A sneer.

"Jaden Savage is a social media influencer," I ground out, my voice thick with disbelief. "She was brought on this expedition for publicity, not for her deep-sea survival skills. You gave away our only chance because you wanted to look good for her."

"She's a documentarian, Elaina!" Jeffery snapped, his face flushing. "She's bringing our work to the world! Without her, where would our funding be? Where would my career be?"

"Your career? Jeffery, we are dying down here!" I pointed to the flickering lights, the groaning metal. "This submersible, this expedition, it's all my design, my research! I know what's happening. The structural integrity is compromised. We have hours, maybe less, before the next tremor collapses this cave entirely. That scrubber was our only chance to buy enough time for rescue!"

"Stop being so hysterical!" He recoiled as if I'd struck him. "You're scaring Jaden. This is why no one trusts you, Elaina. Always so intense, so obsessed with your work. You can't just relax, can you? You always have to be the smartest person in the room."

His words, sharp and venomous, pierced through the fog of hypoxia. They were words I' d heard before, echoing from his sister, Carlene.

"Intense? Obsessed?" I laughed, a harsh, humorless sound that scraped my throat. "My 'obsession' is what keeps us alive, Jeffery. It's what built this sub, what designed that scrubber. It's what makes this mission possible! What makes your job possible!"

"It makes you difficult!" He retorted, his voice rising. "It makes you unapproachable. No wonder you're so lonely, Elaina. You push everyone away with your 'genius.' Jaden, at least, is grateful." He looked at Jaden, a soft, almost tender expression on his face. "She appreciates what I do for her."

The cold truth of his words settled over me, heavy and suffocating. This wasn't just about a scrubber. This was about years of simmering resentment, of his insecurity festering beneath his charm. He hadn't just accidentally betrayed me. He had chosen to.

"This is over, Jeffery." My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "Us. This. Everything."

He stared at me, dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about survival." I ignored him, my gaze sweeping over the console, searching for the emergency comms. "I'm calling for help."

My fingers flew over the controls, adrenaline momentarily cutting through the haze. A faint hum, a spark of hope.

But Jeffery was faster. He lunged, his hand slamming down on mine, twisting my wrist. A sharp crack echoed in the confined space. Pain exploded, blinding me for a split second.

"No!" He hissed, his eyes wild. "You can't! This mission cannot be a failure! My career, my family's reputation... This can't get out!"

"You'd rather we die than face a failed mission?" I gasped, clutching my throbbing wrist.

"It's not a failure if we handle it correctly." His voice was low, menacing. "You're panicking. You're unstable. I'll report that. Jaden will back me up. We'll say you went hysterical, damaged the comms yourself. It's for the best, Elaina. For everyone."

He ripped the damaged emergency beacon from the console, its wires tearing with a sickening snap. He held it up, a twisted parody of a trophy.

"Don't even think about it," he warned, his voice laced with venom.

My head swam. The pain in my wrist, the lack of oxygen, the crushing weight of his betrayal. My body felt heavy, almost liquid.

Jaden, seeing my weakening state, emerged from her corner. She approached, a slow, predatory smile spreading across her lips. In her hands, she held the CO2 scrubber, almost cradling it.

"Poor Elaina," she cooed, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. "You're just not strong enough for the deep sea, are you? It's okay. Jeffery will take care of me. He always does."

A wave of impotent rage washed over me, but it was quickly swallowed by the crushing despair. I crumpled to the floor, my vision tunneling.

"Jeffery..." I choked out, a final, desperate plea. "Please..."

"Be strong, Elaina." He didn't even look at me. His gaze was fixed on Jaden, a soft, indulgent smile playing on his lips. "You're a genius. You'll figure it out. You always do."

He turned back to Jaden, his arm wrapping around her. They were leaving me. They were leaving me to die.

"Are you... abandoning me?" My voice was just a whisper, lost in the hum of the failing systems.

He paused, then turned, his face devoid of emotion. "It's for the best, Elaina. You're not thinking clearly. Just rest. We'll... we'll send help when we can." He offered a weak, unconvincing smile. "Just keep breathing, okay?"

Jaden stepped forward, her eyes glinting with malicious amusement. "Don't worry, Elaina. We'll make sure your legacy lives on. Jeffery will tell everyone about your brilliant designs." Her hand, clad in a sleek, designer glove, held up the CO2 scrubber. "It's actually quite comfortable. Thank you."

The last flicker of hope died. My eyes fell on the scrubber in Jaden's hand. If I could just...

With a surge of primal instinct, I lunged, a desperate, pathetic attempt to reclaim my life. My fingers, still numb, brushed against the device.

Jeffery, seeing my movement, turned sharply. His foot lashed out, connecting with my head with a sickening thud. The world exploded in a kaleidoscope of pain and fading light.

"Stay down, Elaina!" he roared, his face contorted with anger. "You're out of control!"

Jaden shrieked, a theatrical display of fear. "She's trying to hurt us! She's crazy!"

"See?" Jeffery snarled, glaring down at my prone form. "I knew it. Always the drama. Always making things about you."

My ears buzzed. The cold, the pain, the darkness. It was all a swirling vortex. I could barely hear his words now, muffled and distorted.

"We have to go," he said, his voice distant. "Before she damages anything else."

Through my blurring vision, I saw Jaden smile, a triumphant, cold smile. She held up the damaged emergency comms unit, then dropped it to the ground, stomping on it with her heel. A brittle crunch.

"Such a shame," she purred, her voice sweet and poisonous. "She was just so... difficult."

The last thing I heard before the black consumed me was the faint click of the submersible's internal hatch closing, sealing me in.

Elaina Valencia POV:

A chaotic symphony of creaks, groans, and the distant, muffled thump of something heavy. My head throbbed. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest.

I was alive. Barely.

My eyes fluttered open. The emergency lights cast long, distorted shadows around me. I was no longer in the main compartment, but shunted into a smaller, cramped utility space, like a discarded tool. The air was thick, heavy, tasting of metal and my own desperation. It felt like being buried alive.

Through a small, cracked viewport, I saw them. Jeffery and Jaden. They were above me, in what remained of the control room, their faces illuminated by the dim, flickering console lights.

"She tried to attack me!" Jaden' s voice, shrill and theatrical, sliced through the claustrophobic space. "She's completely unstable, Jeffery! We can't trust her!"

Jeffery, his face grim, turned to me. He shook me roughly, ignoring my fractured wrist. Pain flared, a white-hot spear through my arm.

I tried to speak, tried to tell him what really happened, to scream for help. But my throat was raw, my vocal cords paralyzed by the cold and lack of oxygen. Only a pathetic gasp escaped my lips.

Another crew member, one of Jeffery' s sycophants, peered down at me. "Looks like she's faking it, boss. Just trying to get attention."

Jeffery' s gaze, when it met mine, was filled with contempt. "Don't think you can manipulate me, Elaina. Not anymore. You're just trying to make us feel guilty."

Jaden, ever the actress, put a hand to her chest. "Maybe we should... check on her, Jeffery? Just in case?" Her eyes, however, held no trace of genuine concern. Only a calculating glint.

"Leave her," Jeffery growled, pushing Jaden gently away. "She' ll be fine. She always is. She' s too selfish to die."

He then grabbed my arm, dragging me further into the cramped utility space. The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air. With a grunt, he shoved me, unceremoniously, into an even tighter crevice, a forgotten storage pit now serving as my tomb. He kicked loose equipment over the opening, burying me.

He wiped his hands on his insulated gloves, a gesture of finality. A dismissal.

My vision swam. My body was giving out. But a desperate, primal urge for survival surged through me. My hand shot out, a last, feeble attempt to grab his leg, to pull him back, to make him see.

His foot stomped down on my fingers, grinding them against the cold metal. "Pathetic," he sneered, his voice devoid of any warmth. "Always so needy."

Jaden' s voice, soft and sweet, drifted down to me. "She just wasn't strong enough, darling. Some people just can't handle the pressure."

Then, they were gone. Their voices, their footsteps, swallowed by the groaning abyss and the endless, crushing silence.

I was alone. Truly alone. And this time, it was clear: they wanted me dead.

The cold was no longer just a chill; it was a hungry beast, gnawing at my extremities, stealing the warmth from my core. My body, already battered, began to shut down. Each breath was a painful effort, shallow and unsatisfying. My fingers, numb and stiff, brushed against my damaged deep-sea suit.

A tear. A jagged tear, just below my oxygen supply, right where Jaden had "accidentally" brushed against me. It wasn't an accident. It was deliberate. A slow, agonizing death.

A burning fire ignited deep within me, fueled by a rage so potent it momentarily cut through the hypothermia. No. Not like this. I was Elaina Valencia. I wouldn't let them win. I wouldn't let them erase me.

My primary emergency beacon. Destroyed by Jeffery. My comms. Smashed by Jaden.

But there was another. A secret. A tiny, self-made emergency pinger, built into the lining of my glove. A failsafe for a failsafe. A prototype that no one else knew about, not even Jeffery.

My fingers, stiff and frozen, fumbled at the seam of my glove. The pinger was small, designed for discreet activation. But my hands were numb, clumsy. Panic threatened to overwhelm me again. I couldn't open the compartment. I couldn't press the button.

No! I snarled, a silent, guttural scream. I wouldn't give up. Not now. Not when I was so close.

With a desperate surge of strength, I brought my gloved hand to my mouth. My teeth, chattering uncontrollably, clamped down on the fabric, tearing at the seam. It hurt, a dull ache that barely registered against the pain in my head and wrist. I pulled, twisted, gnawed.

Then, I slammed my head against my palm, a desperate, frantic motion. Once. Twice.

A faint click. A tiny, almost imperceptible vibrate. The pinger was active. A weak, desperate signal, screaming into the silent abyss. A tiny spark of defiance against the crushing darkness.

Relief washed over me, a dizzying wave that threatened to drag me into unconsciousness. My body went limp, the last reserves of adrenaline spent. My eyes fluttered closed.

A shadow fell over me.

My eyes snapped open. Jaden. She was back. She stood over me, her face a mask of cold curiosity.

"Still alive, are we?" she purred, her voice a cruel whisper. "Jeffery said you were tenacious. He wasn't wrong."

She held something in her hand. A small, jagged piece of metal. It shimmered faintly in the dim light. It was a shard from my destroyed comms unit, sharpened into a crude blade.

"Jeffery said you always got in his way," she continued, her eyes fixed on the makeshift knife. "He said you were always trying to outshine him. He hated it. He really, really hated it."

Each word was a poisoned dart, striking at the last vestiges of my heart. He hated me. My fiancé. The man I was supposed to marry.

"He said you relied too much on your 'genius'," Jaden sneered, mimicking Jeffery's tone perfectly. "He wanted to prove he could make it without you. He wanted to prove I could make it with him." She paused, then tilted her head, a chilling smile on her face. "Looks like we did, didn't we, Elaina?"

She tossed the sharpened metal shard carelessly beside my head. It clattered against the floor, a stark reminder of her malicious intent.

"Don't worry," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "No one will ever know. We'll make sure of it."

Then, she was gone again. Leaving me, not just to die, but to drown in the bitter, icy truth of their betrayal. The truth of his hatred.

Elaina Valencia POV:

The wind howled outside, a mournful dirge echoing through the damaged submersible. It wasn't just the wind; it was the abyss itself, singing its death song. Each gust rattled the crippled vessel, a stark reminder of my precarious existence.

My emergency pinger, that tiny spark of defiance, was fading. The signal, weak and intermittent, was a desperate prayer. I knew its limitations. It wasn't designed for extreme depths, for this much interference. Every minute that ticked by was a minute closer to the final darkness.

Jaden' s words, "He really, really hated it," echoed in my mind, a cold, persistent whisper that cut deeper than the freezing water. The image of the sharpened metal shard, lying just inches from my face, was a stark reminder of the depth of their malice.

My deep-sea suit, already compromised, seemed to be tearing further. The icy water seeped in, a relentless infiltration that stole the last remnants of my body heat. My muscles cramped, my teeth chattered uncontrollably. I could feel my body shutting down, organ by organ. Life was measured in heartbeats, each one a precious, dwindling resource.

A faint thump. Footsteps. My heart, against all odds, leaped with a flicker of desperate hope. Had they returned? Had Jeffery found a shred of conscience?

No. The voices were too loud, too self-assured. Not rescuers.

Jeffery and Jaden reappeared in the flickering light of the control room. They weren't alone. Another figure, one of the junior expedition members, stood beside them, his face a mixture of concern and confusion.

Jaden, ever the performer, clutched Jeffery's arm, her voice trembling dramatically. "She... she attacked me, David! She just snapped! She tried to hurt us!"

My eyes widened in disbelief. The lie, so brazen, so cruel. I tried to protest, tried to speak, but my throat was still raw, my voice a mere croak, swallowed by the groaning metal and the howling wind.

David, the junior member, looked at the sharpened metal shard Jaden had tossed. He picked it up, his brow furrowed with concern. "This... this is from the comms unit." He looked at me, lying prone, then back at Jaden. "Did she really...?"

Jeffery, stepping forward, pointed to the tear in my suit. "Look at her, David. Hysterical. Self-destructive. She even damaged her own suit. She' s completely unhinged."

David, easily swayed and eager to please Jeffery, nodded slowly. "She does look... distressed." He avoided my gaze.

"I didn't..." I managed to gasp, the words barely audible, lost in the cacophony of the failing sub. The wind seemed to mock my futile attempts, echoing my silence.

Jeffery didn't even pretend to listen. He shook his head, a look of profound disappointment on his face. "It's always been like this, David. Her jealousy. Her ambition. She couldn't stand Jaden getting attention. And now... she's trying to sabotage the entire mission. Sabotage me."

He knelt beside Jaden, pulling her close, stroking her hair. "She's just jealous, darling. Don't let her get to you." His voice was soft, tender, a sickening contrast to the hostility he directed at me.

Jaden, nestled in his arms, met my gaze over his shoulder. Her eyes, cold and triumphant, screamed her victory.

"She's a liability," Jeffery announced, his voice carrying an air of official finality. "A risk to the mission, to everyone on board. We can't afford to have her here, in this state."

My last shred of hope shattered, splintering into a million icy fragments. Reality, cold and brutal, settled over me. There was no misunderstanding. No chance of redemption. They were leaving me. To die.

I closed my eyes, a silent surrender. My body, heavy and unresponsive, sank further into the cold metal. The darkness beckoned, a welcome escape from the pain and betrayal.

"We'll secure her," Jeffery continued, his voice distant, methodical. "And await extraction. She'll be removed from the team, of course. For her own safety. And ours."

Dizziness swirled through my head. The world tilted, then plunged into a swirling vortex of black. I was falling. Falling into the abyss, deeper and deeper, until there was nothing left but the endless dark.

Then, a sound.

A deep thrumming, vibrating through the cold metal. It was out of place. Too powerful, too rhythmic. Not the groans of the failing sub, nor the howl of the ocean.

It grew louder. A pulsing, rhythmic beat. A hum that vibrated through my very bones.

Not the abyss. Something else. Something from above.

A helicopter.