No Water Like the Sea

It wasn't only Robert. Every one of her suitors had known about Grace from the very beginning.

From start to finish, she alone had been kept in the dark.

What about Gerald? Had he, too, known early on that Robert had a Grace by his side?

A sharp pang twisted in Donna’s chest.

All the kindness she had shown those suitors over the years now felt like daggers plunging straight into her heart.

“A pack of ungrateful wolves! And one scheming snake!”

A young, angry voice came from behind her, and Donna’s heart leapt with hope.

“Gera—”

The name died on her lips. It wasn’t Gerald standing behind her, but Evan—the youngest of her suitors.

There he stood, dressed in an adorable set of pink pajamas, glaring toward the door where the others had just left. His face burned with righteous anger, completely unaware that Donna had almost mistaken him for someone else.

A flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes before she lowered them, picking up her glass of milk to begin breakfast.

She’d forgotten. By now, Gerald had already left her family’s estate, likely headed north to where his own family’s roots lay.

Suddenly, Evan rushed forward, grabbing her arm and shaking it in a whiny plea.

“Donna, let’s go find Robert, okay? We can’t let that awful woman trick him away!”

The milk glass slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor into a white, spreading puddle.

Donna raised an eyebrow. “So what if she tricks him away? If I’m not worried, why should you be?”

Evan froze, his eyes darting away—that telltale guilt plain as day.

“I… I’m just worried for you, Donna. If Robert gets taken by someone else, he won’t be able to become your fiancé.”

If she hadn’t known the ugly truth of Evan’s feelings, she might have actually believed he was looking out for her.

She stood, calmly pulling her arm free.

“Don’t trouble yourself. After all, it’s my fiancé who might be taken, not yours—right?”

She gestured toward the mess of glass and milk on the floor.

“You made this. Clean it up. And don’t ask the housekeeper. You’ll pick it up yourself. By hand.”

In her past life, after she’d chosen Robert, the other suitors had all been sent back to their own families.

Yet they’d all kept in close contact with Robert afterward—especially Evan. She’d always known that.

At first, she’d thought it was just the bond between brothers who’d grown up together. Until countless late nights, when a drunken Evan would call Robert, and she finally understood: Evan had always been in love with him.

That admiration had twisted into a raging obsession. Just like hers had.

But she’d never hurt Evan. She’d only quietly encouraged Robert to see him less.

Yet in the end, it was Evan who had laughed wildly as he cut the rope that held her suspended.

The two people she’d trusted most had joined hands to kill her.

She needed to find time to talk to her mother. These people had to leave her family’s home. Having them parading in front of her every day was becoming too much to bear.

By lunchtime, Robert and the others had returned, all sitting silently at the dining table, waiting for her.

Donna’s rule—established by her mother when they first arrived—was simple: no one could start eating until she picked up her utensils.

Evan sat beside Robert, several of his fingers bandaged, tear tracks still visible on his cheeks. He looked every bit the wronged, pitiful victim.

Donna couldn’t be bothered to look at him. She’d only taken one step down the stairs when she sensed something was wrong.

There was something on the stairs.

Before she could react, her foot slipped. Her whole body pitched forward, tumbling down.

Ball bearings on the steps. Lubricant on the railing.

No matter how desperately she clawed, she couldn’t catch hold of anything to save herself.

Everyone watched, cold-eyed, as she crashed down the staircase.

Every bone in her body screamed with pain. Blood welled from a gash on her forehead, blurring her vision.

With her last strength, she could only manage a faint, broken plea.

“Help… me…”