My Mafia Fiancé Chained Me Underwater and Married My SisterChapter 2

I pressed my right hand against my belly, eyes burning.

"It's okay, baby. Don't be scared."

"Mommy is going to get us out of here."

The custom dive watch on my wrist caught my eye, and my emotions twisted into a knot.

When I first started learning to dive, I made a mistake during training and had an accident in the practice pool.

Adrian saved me.

Afterward, he gave me this custom watch.

Even at fifty meters down, it could still pick up a signal.

He told me that whenever the phone rang, he would come.

Instinctively, I video-called Adrian.

The call connected.

The roar of cheers from the wedding venue hit my eardrums like a physical blow, yet not a single person had noticed the bride had been replaced.

Adrian didn't seem to realize the call had gone through.

As he moved, the camera swept across the entire venue.

The bride's photos had been swapped for Lily's.

The blue roses decorating the venue had been replaced with white lilies—her favorite.

The haute couture wedding gown I had waited a full year for was now on her body, as if it had been made for her all along.

In that moment, I finally understood.

This wedding had never been meant for me.

Mia, the best friend who had promised to be my bridesmaid, was still wearing the bridesmaid dress—but her arm was linked intimately with Lily's.

"Lily, Adrian already took you to Manila to register the marriage and hosted all the families and allies. I honestly thought you weren't going to have a ceremony."

"After all, Claire has always been so domineering and petty. If she made a scene, you'd be the one who suffered."

Back in middle school, Mia was being bullied, and I was the one who stepped in front of her and shielded her through gritted teeth.

She once told me I was the only person in the world who was unconditionally good to her.

Lily tugged absently at her veil, the corners of her mouth lifting, her face smug.

"Honestly, I didn't even want to get the marriage certificate."

"But Adrian was worried I'd feel insecure, so he insisted on taking me."

"Same with this wedding. Adrian wanted to keep a room for me in the marital home so I could stay whenever I liked, but my sister absolutely refused."

"So he came up with this plan to wear down her temper a little."

Luca, Adrian's childhood friend, was wearing his groomsman suit and couldn't help but laugh.

"If Claire ever found out that the so-called bet was just a front—that whether she knelt or not, she was going to lose either way—imagine the scene she'd make."

Just then, my mother, Evelyn, walked over with a smile on her face.

"Claire has the softest heart. Just sweet-talk her afterward and she'll come around."

She paused, and there was actually a hint of reluctance in her voice.

"It's Lily I feel sorry for. Having to move abroad just to keep the peace with her sister. It'll be so hard to see her after this."

Adrian's arm settled naturally around Lily's waist as he murmured reassuringly.

"Evelyn, don't worry. Whenever you miss Lily, I'll have you flown out to be with her."

My heart felt like it was being crushed in a fist. The pain was so sharp I couldn't breathe.

So my mother knew too.

Every single one of them had been keeping it from me.

My whole body was shaking, but I forced myself to steady my breathing.

I couldn't waste air.

Tears poured out uncontrollably.

I hammered the watch screen, sending out a distress signal.

Adrian finally noticed the call.

He stiffened, a flash of panic crossing his face.

"Claire, you heard all of that?"

It didn't matter anymore. None of it mattered.

All I wanted now was to survive.

All I asked was that once he saw the baby's ultrasound, he would spare my life.

I looked down to grab the waterproof pouch.

But Adrian's soft sigh reached my ears.

"Maybe it's better that you know."

"I've made Lily suffer for too long."

"She's pregnant now. I have to consider her feelings."

My hand went rigid. My heart twisted like a blade was turning inside it.

After falling into that frozen pool, I never dared go near the water again.

Two months ago, Adrian coaxed me into relearning how to dive.

Bit by bit, I fought through the fear. Night after night, I endured the nightmares of losing our child.

But from the very beginning, he had only been doing it to settle a score for Lily.

So in his heart, Lily's feelings were worth soothing with my life.

Just then, Lily quietly placed a velvet box in front of the camera.

I had seen that box countless times.

Inside it was the little silver lock Adrian had kept for five years.

The miracle he'd been waiting for had long since been filled by someone else.

I nearly shattered.

But I didn't dare break down. I couldn't afford to.

I tapped the watch gently, with one last plea.

Two taps in a second and a half. Five times in a row.

Adrian once told me that a second and a half between beats was his heart rate.

Five times consecutively was the distress signal meant only for me.

The last time I tapped out that code was the night I fell into the frozen pool.

He was there in three minutes.

He jumped into the ice without a thought for his own life to save me.

But this time, he just stood there, frozen.

A flicker of hesitation crossed his face.

Lily dabbed at her tears, crying with a delicate, pitiful grace.

"Adrian, go save my sister."

"Before the ceremony starts, let her come back and be the bride."

"All I want is for our family to be at peace."

The moment those words landed, every trace of hesitation vanished from Adrian's face.

His expression turned cold.

"The distress code we agreed on is for saving lives. Not for your tantrums."

"Lily has already promised to go abroad after the wedding. She won't bother you."

"It's just a wedding, Claire. You'd better know when to stop."

He moved to hang up, and I shook my head frantically.

"I don't want the wedding."

"The air won't last much longer. I'm really going to die."

Adrian waved his hand impatiently.

"If there's really a problem, call the dive instructor."

He stopped paying attention to me and hung up.

The screen went dark. The only light vanished with it.

Darkness closed in again.

The tears finally broke free, dripping one by one into my mask.

Adrian knew I was afraid of the water.

During dive training, his vigilance bordered on obsession.

No matter how deep I went, a dive instructor had to be standing by nearby.

I hadn't expected that today, he hadn't forgotten to arrange for one.

The emotional turmoil had burned through my air even faster.

Half an hour left. At most.

I forced myself to stay calm and called Marco, the dive instructor.

When the call connected, I tapped out the distress signal at the agreed-upon frequency.

Marco was silent for a few seconds, his voice uneasy.

"Miss Morgan, we are directly above you on the boat."

"But Boss Moretti gave explicit orders—no one goes down to get you until the wedding is over."