Scarred by Love, Healed by Fate

"I'm not saying I don't believe you, but I've known Renee for sixteen years and seven months—she's never lied to anyone."

Joel paused, frowning hard as if deciding to end the matter.

"You made Renee cry. Fix it."

Right then, Renee—still fake sobbing—chucked the ring into the pool, gasping dramatically.

"Joel! The ring you gave me... it accidentally fell into the pool!"

She shot Lyra a smug little smile.

"Fine—no apology needed. Just fish it out, and I'll forgive you for everything."

The pool water was freezing—it was early winter, and Lyra's head was still messed up. She glanced at Joel. He just sat there, tapping his fingers, not even looking her way.

It felt like something sharp stabbed right through her heart, splintering into a million tiny aches.

She remembered that night—six months after Joel was diagnosed. Dominic showed up at the hospital, heard Joel might never recover, and started eyeing other successors.

That night, Joel vanished. Lyra found him wheeling himself toward the raging sea, icy water climbing up his chest.

Panicked, she ran to stop him, but he shoved her back.

"Quit acting like you care. You're just my girlfriend, not my wife. If you're so set on controlling my life, the waves are rough tonight—swim a lap around the bay, and I'll listen to you from now on."

Lyra froze, stunned. She wanted to scream that she wasn't pretending—that she wanted to be his wife. So, without thinking, she hurled herself into the sea, even though she couldn't swim.

The waves hit hard, yanking her under. Everything went black.

When she woke up, Joel was right there—face pale, jaw clenched, eyes locked on hers.

"Why didn't you tell me you can't swim? Are you out of your mind? Jumping into the ocean when you don't even know how?"

She looked up at him, voice raspy. "Even if your legs never recover, I still want to marry you. I... I love you more than you think."

After that, he never took her to the beach again. Even the pool at home stayed empty, water drained. It wasn't until she joked about how weird it looked that he finally let the servants refill it—grudgingly—every day.

Thinking about it now, Lyra let out a bitter smile.

"You want me to get the ring? Fine."

She didn't bother taking off her coat—just turned and jumped in. The icy water hit like a shock, soaking through her clothes, making her shiver so hard her teeth hurt. She sank slowly, fear clawing at her chest, but she bit her lip to keep from screaming.

Then the water turned red—dark, blooming like a cruel flower.

Colin's voice shot through the air. "Oh my God, Ms. Lebeau is bleeding from her head!"

Joel's jacket hit the ground as he dove in, grabbing Lyra and hauling her out.

"Enough! Why are you so stubborn? You could've just walked away!"

Lyra tilted her head back, eyes locked on the diamond ring still glittering at the bottom.

"You told me to make her happy. Aren't you satisfied now? Your precious Renee must be thrilled."

Joel frowned, jaw tight. "I've told you a million times—I only see her as a sister.

"Her family's status in Lindale isn't low either. What if people find out what you've done? You know how hard it is to keep public opinion under control these days.

"I just wanted you to calm her down—for your own good."

His tone was soft, like he was doing her a favor.

Lyra just laughed—bitter, hollow.

Public opinion, huh?

Like when the almighty Fenwick heir wrecked himself in a car race for Renee—didn't they cover that up just fine?

Or when Renee bullied half the school, hiding behind Joel's influence—didn't the Slutz family's reputation stay spotless thanks to him?

Even their IVF attempts got buried, him guarding that secret like his life depended on it.

But now? Now it was too hard to handle—just because it involved her?

She'd never come close to Renee's place in his heart.

Without another word, Lyra yanked off her soaked coat and headed for the living room. She barely made it a few steps before dizziness hit, and she crumpled to the floor.

Joel's face changed in a flash—he moved to pick her up—

But Renee dropped down beside her, sobbing.

"Joel... My stomach hurts. Can you carry me upstairs to rest?"

He froze, hand retracting from Lyra, then scooped Renee up without a second thought.

Lyra lay on the cold floor, her head smacking hard as she fell. Joel didn't even look back.

He glanced at Colin and ordered, "Take Lyra to the hospital."