This Time, I'm Saving Myself

When Naomi saw that everyone's anger toward me was growing stronger, her lips twitched as she watched me from where she was hiding in Michael's arms.

She snatched the life jacket and said in a choked voice, "Mikey, Leah's pregnant. She has to stay safe!"

As she spoke, she walked toward me. Just as she was about to reach me, she suddenly stumbled and fell backward. Michael immediately rushed over to catch her.

When he saw Naomi's reddened eyes, he put the last life jacket on her without a second thought.

After checking that he had knotted it tightly, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and he ruffled Naomi's hair fondly.

"Don't worry. I told you that I wouldn't let anything happen to you!"

Everyone said that they were like loving siblings, and Michael never corrected them.

Suddenly, the ship lurched violently and tilted at a steep angle. Everyone screamed when they felt themselves losing their footing.

At the most critical moment, the captain found a few inflatable lifeboats from the storeroom.

Michael kept one arm around Naomi as he arranged quickly for the others to get into the lifeboats.

Everyone rushed onto the lifeboats as if it was their final hope. Only the security officer, who knew the truth, looked at Michael and Naomi with a conflicted look in his eyes.

"Commander, Mrs. Yates hasn't gotten into a lifeboat yet!"

Michael gave me a cold look and shouted loudly, "How can my wife be afraid to die? We must settle the other military dependents first. We'll get on if there are extra seats."

His raised voice pierced through the wind and the rain, and everyone heard him. Many of those who had already gotten into the lifeboats were so touched that they wiped away tears.

"But—"

"But what? The ship is about to sink! Hurry up and help!"

Michael roughly cut off the security officer from saying the remainder of his sentence.

I lowered my eyes in understanding.

The captain had just said that there was one extra passenger on the ship on this trip, which meant that there wouldn't be enough space on the lifeboats.

The security officer was startled for a moment, but then he hurried off to help everyone escape.

"Are you going to force me to give you a life jacket because you're pregnant? Don't think I don't know that you can swim. Mimi can't!"

Michael gritted his teeth as he looked at me through reddened eyes.

From the beginning to the end, I hadn't made a fuss at all. I only watched impassively as he picked Naomi up and got onto the lifeboat with her.

In my past life, he had tossed me into the sea. I could still vividly feel the pain of being bitten by shoals of fish. I already knew what kind of man Michael was.

Even though I had helped him get to the position of commander step by step, and even though I was pregnant with his child, he had still never loved me.

Since that was the case, why should I keep hoping?

I closed my eyes and let my body slide as the boat tilted. The seawater submerged my legs.

At the most critical moment, the security officer got out of the lifeboat and tried to give me his spot. He said that a life jacket would be enough for him.

Before I could speak, Michael roared, "Don't let the lifeboat lose its balance because of you! You'll make everyone drown!"

I smiled bitterly and waved a hand at the security officer.

I looked at Michael, and as he watched in surprise, I tore up our soaked marriage certificate into shreds and tossed it into the sea.

In the final second before the seawater swallowed up my body, I smiled in his direction and said, "I don't want you anymore, Michael."