8 Chapter 8
“You know my position. In my world, you think you can solve any problem, bend any rule. Women are always an issue. I was desperate. I couldn’t control my… my savior complex, so…”
I never thought I’d have the chance to dive freely again. The moment I descended into the silent blue, I felt a profound sense of coming home. A rush of pure joy coursed through me, making me feel whole.
“That’s your excuse for betrayal?” I exclaimed, my voice trembling with rage. “I told you before: if you ever cheated on me or lied to me, you had to tell me. But you? You’ve been with her for two years. Two years! You had countless chances to be honest, but you chose deceit. You even planned to carve me up like an animal so she could live!”
Unable to restrain myself any longer, I slapped him across the face, the sound echoing in the quiet lane.
I coughed up some seawater and nodded. “I’m okay, just a little shaken. It should pass
soon.”
There was a strange flicker of recognition in his eyes, as if we had met before.
Diving had always been my true love. For years, watching documentaries about the deep ocean made me ache to be there.
In that heart-stopping moment of weightless silence, Jasper was there, pushing his own octopus regulator into my mouth and guiding me through a controlled, life-saving
ascent.
After we married, I gave up my more extreme passions to avoid causing him anxiety.
The others rushed to check on me, with Jasper leading the way. He helped me onto the boat, his grip steady and reassuring.
Before we began our descent, he carefully checked everyone’s equipment. When he got to me, he gave me a long, thoughtful look.
However, Jasper maintained a professional focus, only answering questions related to the dive and politely ignoring anything else.
16:43
1/3
The fury I had suppressed for so long finally erupted, my voice rising with every word.
Xavier continued to plead, saying, “We’re still married. I shredded the divorce papers. You’re my wife. About Jennifer, let me explain. It was a moment of madness. I swear, you’re the one I’ve always loved, and that will never change.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw him standing motionless, like a statue. His back was to me, so I couldn’t see his expression-not that I cared to.
But just as we were exploring a reef wall, another diver in the group panicked and thrashed wildly, knocking my regulator from my mouth.
I had no desire to waste another breath on Xavier. I walked past him and headed toward the dive shop.
When I was with Xavier, he never let me do deep-water dives, convinced my body couldn’t handle the pressure.
His self-serving excuse felt like a final, deliberate insult, mocking the years of devotion and trust I had placed in him.
Xavier stood there, stunned into silence by my vehemence. But he didn’t get a chance to reply as the dive instructor, Jasper, called my name from the shop’s entrance.
But Jasper looked serious and said firmly, “No, we need to get you checked out by a medic. Some effects of a rapid ascent aren’t immediately obvious.”
“Are you alright?” he asked, his clear, calm eyes filled with concern.
The instructor was a local man named Jasper, with sun-kissed skin and a calm strength that was the complete antithesis of Xavier’s manic energy. Many of the local women seemed to have joined the dive group just to be near him.
What he never understood was that I had always been an adventurer. The more
challenging the environment, the more alive I felt.
But he said nothing, simply ensuring my regulator was secure before leading the group into the water.
15:43
2/2
