He Tried to Kill Me for the Insurance Money - Chapter 1: Chapter 1

The ocean breeze whipped through my hair as my husband, Victor, guided me toward the ship's railing. "Lean over, sweetheart," he coaxed, his voice dripping with false tenderness. "The view is breathtaking."
I should have known better.
With half my body suspended over the churning water, I barely had time to register the shift in his expression before his hands slammed into my back. My scream was swallowed by the roar of the waves as I plummeted into the icy depths.
Victor didn't even wait to watch me struggle. A flicker of satisfaction crossed his face before he pulled out his phone, dialing with eager fingers.
"She's overboard," he announced, breathless with excitement. "Now we can finally cash in on that insurance payout."
Saltwater burned my throat as I choked, thrashing against the merciless current. Panic clawed at my chest as I screamed, my voice raw with terror.
"Victor, please! Save me! I'll give you anything—just don't let me die!"
But my husband only stared down at me, his expression colder than the ocean swallowing me whole.
Adrenaline surged through me. I fought like hell, my fingers finally closing around the ship's rope ladder. For one fleeting second, I thought I might survive.
Then Victor's eyes darkened.
His mistress, Ruby, appeared beside him, her lips curling into a smirk. Without a word, Victor pointed to a metal rod nearby. "Hand me that," he ordered.
The moment she obeyed, he swung.
Pain exploded through my hands as the rod came down—once, twice, relentless. Blood slicked my fingers, my grip slipping with every brutal strike.
"Just die already!" Victor snarled. "This is for us—for our future! Wasn't my happiness all you ever wanted?"
The last blow shattered my resolve. My fingers gave way, and the sea dragged me under.
Above the surface, Victor's voice carried over the waves. "Relax. Lillian's a terrible swimmer—she won't last five minutes. And now?" He laughed. "She can't even hold on if she tries."
Ruby hesitated. "If she couldn't swim, why'd she agree to this?"
Victor's grin turned vicious. "I told her it was a romantic anniversary cruise. The idiot actually believed me."
Then he pulled Ruby into a deep, hungry kiss—right there on the deck where I'd stood minutes before.
Five years of marriage. Five years of lies.
When they finally broke apart, Victor's face twisted into frantic despair. "Help! Someone help! My wife fell overboard!"
The crew scrambled into action, radios crackling as they called for backup. But the ocean was vast, and I was already gone.
Hours later, the rescue team returned empty-handed. Victor collapsed to his knees, his shoulders shaking with sobs as onlookers murmured condolences.
But I saw it—the smirk he couldn't quite hide.
Drenched and shivering, I dragged myself onto a small fishing boat, my heart a hollow pit of betrayal. I'd known this was coming. A month ago, I'd found the insurance policy tucked in our closet—a million-dollar payout, with Victor as the sole beneficiary. The agent? Ruby Monroe, his first love and longtime mistress.
My phone buzzed. With trembling, bloodied fingers, I opened my social media—and there he was.
"Please help me find my wife!" Victor's tear-streaked face filled the screen, his voice breaking with manufactured grief. The video had already gone viral, strangers flooding the comments with prayers and sympathy.
The perfect grieving husband.
The perfect lie.
Back at the hotel I'd booked under a fake name, I toweled off my hair, ready to call my lawyer—until muffled voices from the hallway froze me in place.
Victor and Ruby.
My stomach churned as I pressed my ear to the door. Their laughter, their whispers—then the unmistakable sound of lips meeting skin.
I'd reserved the room next to theirs to gather evidence, but hearing them now made bile rise in my throat.
Then Ruby's voice cut through the haze.
"The receptionist mentioned the guest next door has the same name as Lillian," she purred. "I told her I was her best friend and got a spare key." A pause. "Should we check… just in case?"
The metallic click of a keycard sliding into the lock sent ice through my veins.
They were coming.