The Wife He Left To Drown

ra Mann

m. I was packing, meticulously folding clothes into a suitcase, my shoulder throbbing in protest a

t her eyes held a venomous gleam. "I thought you'd be gone

t kept folding. My focus was on leaving, o

' ring for me. But I don't see you wearing it." Her gaze flickered to my bare ring finger. "Why not? D

Oh, Gisselle. Why would I wear something so... meaningless? It was a symbol of a future that never

ght with suppressed rage. "He said... he said it would be too much, too soon. That you'd get the wrong idea." She laughed, a bri

s fleeting attention. It was all so tiresome. I picked up another item of clothing, returning to my packing. I didn't c

r depths. I didn't see it. I was too wrapped up in my own

ouse. My head snapped up. Before I could process what was happening, a sharp, stinging sensation bloomed in my neck. My vision blurred, the room t

ache behind my eyes. My limbs felt heavy, sluggish. I tried to move, but my wrists and ankles were bound,

lle. Of course. She was already awake, her voice a mixture of indignation and fea

yes, still blurry, found her. She was tied to a chair a few feet away, her expensive dress

d tried to get rid of me, and instead, she' d brought down the whole house of cards. He

ith a cruel smile and eyes that held no sympathy. He held up a satellite phone. "Christian Hanson, you say

cern, crackled through the speaker

We have a few... friends of yours here. Two of them, in fac

ything!" Christian's voice was

dened. "How about a little game, then? You

at the phone, her eyes wide with fear. "Christian! It's me! Gisselle! My leg... it still

ver vigilant, noticed a faint shimmer of movement near the stern. A s

unged into chaos. Gunshots. The sickening thud of bodies hitting the floor. Muffled shouts. The air filled with the metallic tang of blood.

quickly as they had begun. The boat lur

! This boat is rigged! A present, just for you!" A frantic beeping started, a low, insistent pulse that filled the darkness. "A bomb, Christian! And it's set to blow! You think I

ugh the darkness, illuminating the terrifying scene. The capto

scue boat yelled. "We can only t

My breath hitched. This w

l anguish, ripped through the air. "Gisselle! Save Gisselle fi

hilling me to the bone. My eyes burned, but no tears came.

ed with a desperate urgency, cut throug

ly devoid of expression. My hands, still bound, hung limply at m

rk red digital displ

"Do you know what the hardest part was? Not the bullets. Not the betraya

!" His voice was a frantic desperat

afe!" one of his men shou

00:

A deafening roar.