My husband Bennett Anstey decided to take the team-building trip to the North Atlantic Ocean just because his beloved Katalina Parratt wanted to check out a jet ski show.

Katalina thought it'd be fun for everyone to have a jet ski race. But honestly, as someone who's nine months pregnant, all I wanted was to chill back at the hotel and rest.

This really set Bennett off. He yelled, "It's just a race. Do you really have to make me look bad in front of the whole company?"

I was so mad that I slapped him right across the face. "Are you kidding me? I'm still pregnant. High-risk sports like this could make me lose my baby!"

Bennett was stunned for a second and then quickly apologized. He brought me some medicine for my pregnancy and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't think about that. Let's get you back."

But when I woke up again, I found myself tied onto a jet ski with huge reefs right below me.

In an instant, Katalina hit the gas pedal hard. Suddenly, I was thrown into those crazy waves and half my body went underwater.

Gasping for air, I struggled to press the emergency button on my watch.

"Dad, call the coast guard and tell them to block this area! Someone's trying to kill me. I want them dead!"

***

Katalina let out a soft laugh and turned to Bennett. "So, what does Janelle's dad do? He sounds pretty impressive!"

Bennett didn't say anything, but his assistant burst out laughing. "Oh, her dad's just a retired guy who likes taking his birds for walks in the park."

As he said this, he even pretended to tease a bird.

Laughter erupted all around them.

Katalina hooked her arm through Bennett's, giggling so hard. "Could it be that Janelle's got 'pregnancy brain', and is just talking nonsense?

"Oh, come on, let's get Janelle back. We don't want to scare her and cause something bad to happen."

Bennett jumped right in. "Look at how sweet Katalina is! She really cares about others. Unlike some people who act all high and mighty just because they're pregnant."

I gripped the jet ski's handlebars tightly, trying to ignore their teasing.

Huge waves kept crashing into the jet ski, making it rock like crazy. I felt nauseous, like I was about to throw up.

The safety belt was digging into my stomach, causing sharp pain, but all I could do was grit my teeth and hang on tight.

Holding onto the handlebars for dear life, I yelled toward the shore. "Bennett! I'm about to give birth! Something really bad is gonna happen if this keeps up!"

The waves splashed right in my face. "Don't you remember? I'm terrified of water!"

Suddenly, memories came rushing back.

That year during our college spring break trip, our class went to the beach.

Bennett had been trying to collect seashells when a wave swept him away by accident.

Without even thinking twice, I jumped into the ocean and fought hard to pull him back to shore.

Soaked from head to toe, he knelt on the sand holding my hand tightly and cried like a kid. "Janelle Radmore, you saved me! I'll treat you right for life. I'll never let you suffer even a bit."

After that day, I was so terrified of water that I wouldn't even take a bath anymore.

The oath from my memories still echoed in my ears, yet now it seemed so ridiculous.

Right now, I was nine months pregnant, floating on the sea and getting tossed around by the waves.

On the shore, the man I had once saved was embracing another woman, laughing until he doubled over.

I could even feel the baby kicking restlessly inside me.

Bennett's face grew grimmer by the second. Clearly, he thought I wasn't cooperating and that it was making him look bad in front of everyone.

Noticing this, Katalina quickly linked her arm with his to smooth things over. "Oh, Janelle's just a bit shy! She'll get better with some practice!

"Didn't you always say Janelle's talented? She just needs a little courage like young people do! Today's a perfect chance for her to learn!"

Hearing Katalina's flattering words made my stomach churn.

Ever since Katalina joined Bennett's company, she had become what he called the "benchmark of a new-era independent woman."

Bennett brought her up every single day. "Look at how amazing Katalina is. She's capable at work and knows how to handle social situations like a pro. You should take notes from her!"

But it seemed like he had totally forgotten what he said when he was trying to win me over back then. "I just love your calm and collected vibe. It's so different from those loud, dramatic girls."

Now, wasn't it ironic? All the things that once were my strengths had now turned into flaws I supposedly needed to fix.

Suddenly, another massive wave crashed down, tossing me around violently.

The jet ski jolted violently, and my belly slammed against the hard control panel.

A sharp pain shot through me instantly, spreading from my abdomen all over my body.

"Ah!"

I cried out in pain as cold sweat soaked through my clothes in an instant.

The baby inside me seemed to feel the danger too and kicked wildly in my womb.

I shook as I tried to steady the jet ski with both hands, but another massive wave hit, tilting the jet ski almost straight up.

Bennett's colleagues were on the shore, calling out to me with big smiles. "Janelle, is the jet ski exciting? Are you having fun?

"Wow, you're so brave for trying it for the first time. So cool!"

Katalina linked her arm with Bennett's and said in a sugary tone, "Janelle, how do you feel? Isn't this super exciting?"

Bennett shot me a cold look, his voice dripping with annoyance. "You always act like this on every team trip—either whining about the sun or saying you're tired. Now that you finally get to have some fun, you're acting like a bummer. You'll never fit in."

He turned to Katalina and added, "See? This is what I mean. When you tried jet skiing for your first time, you were just having a blast. Not like her, bringing everyone down."

Katalina let out a fake thoughtful sigh and said, "Oh, Janelle is probably just a little shy. But that's not gonna work. There are going to be plenty more company events down the line. You can't just hide in the hotel every time, right?"

I felt this sharp pain in my stomach like someone was twisting a knife inside me.

Warm liquid started trickling down my thighs, mixing with the seawater around me.

The baby kicked hard, each movement blurring my vision with pain.

I shakily reached out toward the shore and yelled hoarsely, "Bennett, help me! I don't know how to use this thing. How do I slow this thing down?

"My stomach hurts so much. The baby... we're going to lose the baby!"

My face was as pale as a ghost, and cold sweat drenched my whole body.

But Bennett just stood there, cold-eyed, with a mocking smile tugging at his lips.

Katalina hesitated for a moment before pulling at his arm. "Maybe we should stop? After all, Janelle is pregnant. If this keeps up, something really bad could happen."

She pretended to help, but a smirk crept across her face, her eyes gleaming with cruel delight.

Bennett let out a cold snort. "So now you're scared? Where were you earlier?

"This is exactly what she needs—to get her act together! She's always acting all high and mighty for no good reason!"

Another huge wave crashed down hard, sending me flying forward and slamming me against the edge of the jet ski.

A sharp pain made my vision go dark, and I could feel warm blood gushing out non-stop.

Katalina's eyes lit up. Suddenly, she clapped her hands and laughed. "Watching this is so boring!"

She pulled out a bunch of high-pressure water guns from her bag.

"Let's make it a game—whoever hits Janelle with the water gun wins a big prize!

"Hit her in the stomach, and you'll score 200 dollars!" she added excitedly.

The colleagues around her immediately grabbed the water guns while laughing.

I looked at them in panic and pleaded with Bennett again. "Bennett! Didn't you tell stories to my belly every night? You said you were so excited about being a dad!"

Waves splashed across my face, and I couldn't tell if it was seawater or tears on my cheeks.

"At the prenatal check-up last week... the doctor said it's a girl. Didn't you always say you wanted a daughter?"

Bennett swallowed hard, and his voice got softer. "Maybe we should just stop? This game isn't even fun anymore!"

He turned away from me, his tone shaky. "How about we do something else?"

Katalina suddenly tossed the water gun aside, her expression darkening. "Bennett! What do you mean by that? You agreed to this, and now you're backing out!"

She kicked the water gun hard against the ground. "I'm done playing! I want to go home!"

Bennett freaked out right away and quickly grabbed her wrist. "No, no, no. I was just joking around!"

He flashed a charming smile, "Come on, let's keep playing. Don't kill the fun."

Katalina shook off his hand and let out a cold laugh. "It's too late! I'm not interested at all now!"

She turned to walk away. Bennett, sweating from anxiety, rushed after her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Lina, don't be like this," he pleaded in a soft tone.

He completely forgot that I'm still adrift at sea.

The cramps in my stomach worsened, and I felt my life slipping away bit by bit.

Bennett quickly pulled out a diamond necklace he had ready. "Babe, don't be mad. I bought this just for you."

Katalina's eyes lit up for a moment but she still tried to act tough. "Hmph, how do I know it's real?"

"Of course it's real!" Bennett said as he put it on her neck. "It looks amazing on you."

Katalina touched the necklace and finally smiled, "Now that's more like it."

She shot me a triumphant look from the shore, "So... are we still playing?"

Bennett immediately picked up on her vibe and said all eager-like, "Of course! We'll play whatever you want!"

Then he turned to me and shouted, "Did you hear that? Please cooperate!"

The sharp pain in my stomach made it hard for me to even talk, but those two on the shore had already grabbed their water guns again, ready to kick off another round of their little game.

In an instant, a powerful stream of water blasted toward me. The icy blast struck my belly, the pain so sharp that everything went dark for a moment.

"Bennett! Why are you doing this?"

I curled up on the jet ski in agony, my voice raspy as I asked him why he was treating me like this.

Bennett turned around impatiently. "What do you know?

"Katalina is the only daughter of the Parratt Group. If we keep her happy, her dad will just throw some cash our way casually, and then our company can be listed."

As he talked, he flashed a smile again and handed Bennett a new water gun. "Babe, this one shoots the farthest. Why don't you give it a shot?"

Katalina lifted her chin like she was winning and blasted another stream right at my stomach.

The cold water hit me like a punch.

The pain nearly made me pass out, yet I could still hear Bennett cheering from the shore. "Nice job! You're awesome, Lina!"

Blood streamed from between my legs, staining the seawater a dark red.

I looked at this guy—who once promised to protect me—with despair. Now, he just stood there watching someone torture his wife and kid for money.

When the coworkers on the shore saw what was happening, they all raised their water guns and jumped in on the fun.

"Check this out! Got her right in the belly!"

"I got her too! Sorry about that, Janelle!"

Laughter and cheers filled the beach, with shouts of "Got it!" and "Hit again!" echoing nonstop.

Katalina was having a blast. She had swapped for the biggest water gun and kept blasting my belly non-stop.

I weakly raised my hand, my voice shaking as I pleaded, "Please, stop. My baby."

Tears mixed with seawater streamed down my cheeks. "Bennett, save our daughter. I can barely hang on!"

Hearing this, Katalina let out a cold laugh and turned to Bennett. "Don't get soft on her. Pregnant women are always emotionally unstable."

She stretched lazily. "Besides, moving around is good for a natural delivery."

With that, she handed the water gun to someone nearby. "I'm tired. I'm gonna take a break."

Bennett immediately rushed over to cater to her. "I'll walk you back to the hotel so you can rest."

He thoughtfully grabbed Katalina's bag without sparing me a glance.

"No! Bennett! Don't go!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs. The sharp pain in my abdomen made my voice tremble.

"I'm out here at the sea alone... I'm scared... please."

Bennett waved his hand, looking a bit impatient. "Just hang in there a bit longer. Moving around is good for the baby."

He wrapped his arm around Katalina's waist and started walking toward the hotel without glancing back.

"We'll come grab you after we've rested."

"No! Don't leave me behind!"

I yelled in frustration, but all I got back was laughter from the shore.

My colleagues still had their water guns aimed at my belly, and their endless shouts of "Got it!" felt like daggers to my heart.

Slowly, the laughter from the shore faded away.

They got tired of playing and left in pairs or threes. No one even remembered I was still out here on the water.

The jet ski slowed down. It probably ran out of gas.

The waves finally calmed down, and I got a moment to catch my breath.

I held on tight to the jet ski, but the pain in my stomach was getting worse.

When I looked down, bright red blood streamed down my thighs, blooming into a crimson stain in the water.

What broke my heart the most was that the little life inside me—who had been kicking around just moments ago—was now barely moving.

I shook as I rubbed my belly, choking back tears. "Baby, please don't fall asleep. I'm here... I'm right here...

"Just hang on a bit longer. Grandpa's coming to save us soon!"

Just when I felt myself slipping away, I heard the roar of a jet ski coming from far off.

With all my strength, I lifted my head and saw Bennett driving another jet ski toward me.

"Bennett."

I weakly reached out my hand, hoping he had finally come to his senses.

But his jet ski sped right past me, without even a glance my way.

That was when I really saw it. He still had Katalina in his arms, and they were chatting and laughing as they sped across the water.

The pain in my stomach suddenly got worse, and I felt an intense cramp hit me.

Blood started pouring out faster, and that little life inside me had long since stopped moving.

Just when I thought I was about to slip into darkness, a sudden jolt brought me back to reality.

I forced my eyes open and saw Bennett and Katalina circling around me on their jet ski.

They sped straight at me, then swerved at the last second, throwing up massive waves.

Once the jet ski finally settled down again, it started shaking like crazy once more. I had to grip the handlebars tight just to stay on.

"Hahaha! Look at her!"

Bennett laughed loudly as he charged toward me again.

Katalina laughed along with him. "How's that? Pretty exciting, right?"

The jet ski bounced up and down on the waves they were making, and my belly kept slamming against the hard control panel over and over.

My fingers went numb, and I couldn't hold the slippery handlebars any longer.

Then a huge wave hit me, and I was thrown straight into the freezing seawater.

The splash as I hit the water only made them laugh harder.

"Look at that! A drowned rat!"

Bennett pointed at me, laughing so much he was patting his own shoulder to catch his breath.

Katalina was doubled over in laughter. "This is too funny!"

I struggled like crazy in the water. My heavy pregnant belly made it tough to move around.

Blood spread out in the seawater, looking like a wilted flower.

They zoomed their jet ski around me in circles, purposely creating bigger waves while watching me choke on water in total embarrassment.

"Help... Help..."

I called out weakly, but all I got back was some harsh laughter.

Then, out of nowhere, I heard a loud roar of engines coming from the distance.

A bunch of coast guard speedboats were racing through the waves toward us.

Bennett's laughter suddenly stopped. "What's happening?"