The Pearl Diver's Revenge, Under the Sea

I am a professional pearl diver.

This time, I barely made it back from the shark-infested depths alive.

But as I climbed onto the jagged rocks of the cove, I saw my husband.

He was pinned against the stones, lost in a heated embrace with his childhood sweetheart.

Gavin, darling, everyone says you're the perfect husband, tending to your mother-in-law's deathbed every single day, Ruby whispered breathlessly.

My husband's voice was dripping with a dark, playful affection. "Sweet Ruby, are you actually jealous?"

"To be honest, that old woman died a long time ago."

"If I didn't keep up the lie, Lyra would never risk her life in the deep sea to make me money."

My fingers dug into the sharp coral until they bled.

Gavin had told me he was using every cent I earned to pay for my mother's life-saving treatment.

The reality was a cold, jagged blade to my heart.

"I've almost saved enough now," Gavin whispered, his voice full of greed.

"Soon, I'll buy you that massive estate on the Gold Coast."

"I knew I was the only one in your heart," Ruby purred, her voice like a cat's.

"Of course. She's just a tool to me. Now, hold me tighter"

The sounds of their betrayal filled the salty air, making my skin crawl.

I looked down at the glowing Siren's Heart Pearl in my hand.

It was a legendary treasure that took centuries to form, nearly impossible to find.

I had almost drowned in the riptide to get it, saved only by a lucky piece of driftwood.

I squeezed the wood until my knuckles turned white and swam for the shore with everything I had.

Once I landed, I immediately called for an old taxi to take me to the city hospital.

I had to see if the man I loved had been lying about my mother's life.

My father died in an accident five years ago, and Mom fell ill two years back.

The medical bills were astronomical, which was why I became a pearl diver.

It was a death sentence for most, but for her, I faced the abyss every day.

Why did Gavin say she was already dead?

Suddenly, Gavin appeared at our cottage, looking perfectly composed.

His eyes lit up with a flash of greed when he saw me.

"Lyra! You're finally back! Did you find anything valuable today?"

I looked at his eager face and felt a hollow, freezing void in my chest.

I hid the Siren's Heart in my bodice and pulled out a cheap, common pearl.

"Luck was bad today. I only found this."

He grabbed the pearl, inspecting it for a moment before his face darkened with disappointment.

"A whole day and night for just this piece of junk?" he muttered under his breath.

"How is my mother doing?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"I just came back from visiting her. The doctor says she's stable as long as we keep paying for the medication."

He was so convincing, such a natural liar.

If I hadn't heard him with Ruby, I would have fallen for that concerned face again.

My heart twisted as I realized he had been handling all the sales.

He always claimed it was too dangerous for a woman to carry cash or negotiate with dealers.

For years, I had no idea how much money I had actually made.

He was using my mother's memory to keep me in the water while he fed his mistress.

I clenched my fists as my taxi arrived at the gate.

Gavin's face paled when I said I was going to the hospital in the city.

"You just got back, Lyra. Why go all that way now?"

"I haven't seen her in weeks. I need to see her for myself to feel at peace."

I tried to move past him, but he grabbed my arm and threw me to the ground.

I scraped my elbow on the gravel, looking up at him in shock. "What are you doing?!"

He didn't say a word, his face a mask of cold fury as he dragged me toward the house.

"I just want to see my mother! Why are you stopping me?"

"Let me go! I'm going to the city today no matter what!" I screamed, struggling.

By then, Gavin's patience had completely evaporated.

He raised his hand and delivered a stinging slap across my face.

His expression turned dark and sinister as he loomed over me.

"Oh, you're so desperate to find your mother? Fine."

"I'll let you go, but only if you bring me a rare Imperial White Pearl today."

"Otherwise, you'll stay locked in this room for the rest of your miserable life!"

He didn't wait for an answer before dragging me back toward the cliffside.

He pulled a thick nylon rope from his bag and tied one end around my waist.

The other end was looped around a heavy jagged rock on the shore.

"Go on then! You want to see her? Then dive!"

I looked at this man who had become a complete stranger and begged through my tears.

"The ocean is huge, Gavin. You can't just find an Imperial White in an hour!"

"The waves are too high today! I'll drown if I go down there!"

"We've been married for ten years. How can you be this heartless?"

As the words left my mouth, Ruby appeared, sauntering over to Gavin.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and let out a cruel, tinkling laugh.

"Gavin, honey, I heard the tide is perfect for Imperial Whites right now."

"One of those is worth a fortune. If someone else finds it first, we'll lose everything."

The slight flicker of guilt in Gavin's eyes vanished, replaced by pure, unadulterated greed.

"You heard her! Get in the water!" he roared.

"If you find that pearl, your mom gets her medicine. Now move!"

I glared at them, my feet frozen in the sand, refusing to budge.

Gavin lost his temper and kicked me hard in the stomach.

The force sent me flying backward, plunging straight into the icy, churning water.

A massive wave immediately crashed over my head, filling my lungs with salt.

I thrashed wildly, my hands clawing at the water as I struggled to breathe.

On the shore, Ruby was leaning into Gavin, laughing until she shook.

"Gavin, look at her! Doesn't she look like a drowning rat? It's hilarious!"

Then she screamed toward the waves, "Hey, rat! Stop splashing and find us some jewelry!"

I screamed for Gavin to save me, but he just folded his arms and watched with cold eyes.

In that moment, my heart finally died.

When the surface calmed for a second, I took a deep breath and dived.

The water was freezing, and the darkness below was absolute.

I searched through the jagged rocks and kelp, finding nothing but cold sand.

I felt my strength fading, my body growing heavy as my consciousness started to slip away.

Gavin eventually realized I was truly at my limit and hauled me up like a dead fish.

I collapsed on the sand, gasping for air, but he didn't give me a second to recover.

He kicked me right back into the surf, over and over again.

My lungs burned, and I lost count of how many times I was dragged up and thrown back.

The world was becoming a blur of gray waves and Ruby's mocking laughter.

Just as I was about to let the darkness take me, a surge pushed me deeper into a crevice.

I couldn't die. Not until I knew the truth about my mother.

In the shadows, I saw something white and round. Was it an Imperial White?

When I grabbed it, I realized it wasn't. It was a Frosted Glass PearlDworthless, but a perfect lookalike.

Gavin didn't know the difference; he only knew the shape of wealth.

A desperate plan formed in my mind.

Minutes later, I broke the surface, my hands trembling as I held the orb high.

"Gavin! I found it! I found the Imperial White! Now let me go to my mother!"

His eyes widened with shock and joy as he lunged forward to snatch it from my hand.

"Yes! This is it! We're rich!" he shouted, spinning Ruby around.

He turned to leave, but then he stopped and looked back with a murderous glint in his eye.

"Now that I have this, I can buy the biggest penthouse in the city."

"I don't need a pathetic, salt-crusted anchor like you weighing me down anymore."

"Ruby is the only woman I ever wanted. She's the only one who belongs at my side."

With a final, brutal kick, he sent me back into the deep and cut the rope.

Ruby smirked at me as the current pulled me away.

"Enjoy the ocean, Lyra. Maybe the sharks will be better company than us."

"I'll be sure to think of you when I'm wearing your wedding ring."

Their silhouettes faded into the mist as I sank into the freezing dark.

Time became a distorted, endless nightmare.

But the image of my mother's face gave me one last spark of life.

I fought the current, clawing my way back to a different part of the shore.

I crawled onto the sand, shivering and broken, but alive.

I managed to flag down a ride and sped toward the city hospital, my heart pounding against my ribs.

But when I stepped into the administrator's office, the world collapsed.

"You're the daughter? Where have you been? Your mother passed away six months ago!"

The words hit me like a physical blow, and my legs gave out.

Gavin had stopped paying the hospital bills half a year ago.

He told them it was a waste of money and left my mother to die alone.

She had survived only a week after the treatments stopped.

I collapsed on the floor, letting out a primal, agonizing scream of grief.

The administrator looked at me with pity and sighed. "There was nothing we could do."

I walked out of that hospital a different person, a fire of pure hatred burning in my veins.

I hated myself for being so blind, for letting his lies kill the only person I loved.

I squeezed my hands so hard my nails drew blood.

An hour later, I walked out of a high-end jewelry auction house.

The Siren's Heart Pearl was gone, replaced by a bank draft for one million dollars.

I also carried a signed set of divorce papers.

From that moment on, I had only one goal: to make Gavin pay in blood.