He Let Me Drown, Another Man Taught Me Love

Julian's voice was low. "Nina, why did the other side set up an ambush in advance during yesterday's negotiation? They even knew our retreat route perfectly."

Nina froze, the color draining from her face. "You… you're asking me?"

He stepped closer, his tone icy. "Who else could it be but you?"

The words struck Nina like lightning, pain tearing through her chest.

He actually suspected she was the traitor.

"I didn't!" Her voice trembled. "You know I've never leaked a single one of your secrets in ten years. How could I possibly betray you?"

"But Aria almost died!" Fury burned in Julian's eyes. "If she hadn't dodged in time, that bullet would have gone straight through her head."

His voice turned glacial. "I didn't expect you to be this vicious."

Vicious?

Aria almost died?

But the one who had nearly died in the shootout and almost lost her life in the ICU after having her blood drawn was her.

Aria leaned against the doorway, her arm wrapped in bandages, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Julian… don't blame Nina. Maybe she just made a foolish mistake."

"A foolish mistake?" One of the elders sneered. "Colluding with enemies and putting Julian in danger is a grave crime. According to family rules, she should be thrown into the sea."

Voices immediately echoed around the room. "Yes! Throw her into the sea!"

Nina looked around the room and suddenly laughed.

She had treated his wounds countless times, yet now she was about to be executed as a traitor.

"Julian." She looked straight into his eyes. "If I told you I was innocent, would you believe me?"

Julian remained silent for three seconds, then slowly removed his glasses. "Family rules allow no mercy. Take her away. Throw her into the sea."

Two bodyguards stepped forward and grabbed her.

All the strength seemed to drain from Nina at once. She didn't even struggle. She only asked softly, "Ten years ago you said, 'As long as I'm here, no one will dare touch you.' What about now?"

Julian's voice remained utterly calm. "That promise was for someone loyal. Not for a traitor."

She was dragged out of the estate and thrown onto a speedboat.

The sea was pitch-black under the midnight sky, waves rising under fierce winds.

The bodyguards tied her hands behind her back, shackled an iron chain to her ankles, and pushed her to the edge of the boat.

The next second, she was shoved into the sea.

Freezing seawater swallowed her whole as the iron chain dragged her rapidly downward.

Saltwater flooded Nina's lungs, her chest bursting with pain as her consciousness quickly faded.

So this was her ending—silent and unseen, buried in the belly of the sea.

Just as she was about to stop struggling, the roar of an engine thundered in the distance.

A black speedboat cut through the waves. A man stood on the deck in a silver-gray suit, dark hair slightly curled, a reckless smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"Well, well. Isn't this Julian's doctor?" He raised his voice. "What happened? Your own boss toss you out here to feed the sharks?"

It was Damon Hale, heir to another major mafia family on the Eastridge Coast—and Julian's sworn enemy.

Nina had never had any personal grudge against him, but because of Julian she had never treated Damon kindly. Every time they met, the two of them clashed head-on.

Under normal circumstances, Nina would have snapped back immediately. But now she felt utterly hollow, and even Damon's mockery no longer meant anything to her.

The next moment, Damon plunged into the sea. He caught Nina's sinking body, unlocked the iron chain around her ankles, and hauled her back to the surface.

Nina spat out seawater and weakly opened her eyes to look at him. "Why… did you save me?"

Damon lifted her onto the boat and wrapped his coat around her. A crooked smile spread across his face. "Because you're valuable. And…"

He glanced toward the distant Blackwell speedboat. "I've been wanting to get under Julian's skin for a long time."

Back at the Hale estate, Nina burned with a relentless fever. Damon stayed by her bedside himself, feeding her medicine.

"Relax. You're under my protection now," he said with a faint chuckle. "If he doesn't want you, I do."

A few hours later, Nina lay in the hospital bed when her phone suddenly lit up.

It was a notification from the bank informing her that fifty million dollars had been deposited into her account from the Blackwell Trust. The note attached read that the contract had been terminated and the money was given as a gift of freedom.

She stared at the ceiling and suddenly laughed.

Damon pushed the door open, holding a cup of hot cocoa. "Awake? Stick with me from now on. I'll make sure you live well."

Nina took the cup and said softly, "Thank you."

"Don't hate Julian anymore?" Damon raised a brow.

She looked toward the dawn outside the window, her eyes calm as the deep sea. "Hate is exhausting. From now on, whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me."