Fins of Farewell

That night, Trevon came to bed with a chill in the air.

The mattress dipped as he lay down beside me.

His strong arms wrapped around me, his breath warm against my neck as he pulled me close.

"Jessica, why didn’t you wait for me? Are you mad?"

Trevon hated the dark. For five years, I lit a small lamp every night and waited for him to come home.

Now, my heart had gone dark long before that lamp ever did.

"Corinne is like a sister to me. I’ve known her since she was little. She’s dying, Jessica. There’s no hope left. The doctors said so today. You're the only one who can save her now."

His hand slid down, gently stroking my legs. "Can you really just watch someone die and do nothing?"

I couldn’t help but laugh quietly to myself. Corinne's acting was so poor, it could only fool someone like Trevon.

How could someone supposedly dying still look so healthy and full of life?

I looked at the face beside me, twisted with worry, and asked hoarsely, "Trevon, are you sure Corinne’s illness is beyond cure?"

His expression darkened instantly. He pulled away from me, his voice turning ice-cold.

"Corinne was right: Fish is fish. How could I expect a fish to feel pity?"

"Corinne isn’t like you. She’s been warm and kind since she was little. If she were in your place, she wouldn’t hesitate to help someone else."

"If I’d known you were this cold-hearted, I should’ve let you die under that fisherman’s knife."

Even though I’d prepared myself, his words still pierced deep. My heart ached with unbearable pain, and the cold night wind only made it worse.

Trevon stood and stormed off, leaving me with nothing but the sight of his back disappearing into the dark.

Half an hour later, Corinne sent me some photos.

Trevon was still in his day clothes, sitting by her sickbed, carefully tending to her. Their hands were tightly intertwined, both wearing matching couple rings that gleamed in the light.

It had been ages since Trevon last showed me any affection. Ever since Corinne moved in, he’d only had eyes for her, treating me like I no longer existed.

I had been such a fool—believing him when he said they were just like brother and sister. I cared for Corinne, looked after her, and paid attention to every little detail. I gave it my all.

[Do you know why Trevon’s so worried about me?] Corinne wrote.

[It’s because I’m pregnant with his child. He doesn’t want either of us to suffer.]

[Trevon said a baby could only come from me. As for you—a strange creature, not fully human—he never wants to see something like that again.]

My tears fell like scattered pearls across the screen, blurring everything. All I could think of was the child I had lost.

I thought the baby was the embodiment of Trevon’s love for me. Like any new mother, I had looked forward to meeting her.

However, she came too early, and the labor was brutal. I endured three days and nights of pain. I never even got to see her. Trevon, looking pale and shaken, took her away to somewhere far, far away.

Even seeing me cry didn’t move him.

Instead, he shoved me down harshly, looking at me like I was something vile.

"Why are you crying? That thing was half-fish, half-human. Haven’t you humiliated me enough?"