Everlasting Regret Since My Daughter Was Gone

To settle a debt, I left my ocean home. I became Isabella Reed, the bride of Ethan Blackwood.

He adored me. He cherished me completely. Within six months, I was carrying his child.

The night our daughter was born, my world shattered. Ethan had me locked away in a custom-built aquarium, a cruel tank designed to force my true mermaid form to surface.

He stood there, our newborn daughter cradled in one arm, his other wrapped possessively around Chloe Vance's waist.

"Isabella," he said, his voice like ice. "Your kind killed my sister, Hailey. Now, your daughter is mine. Let's see how well she survives."

For three long years, that tank was my prison. They would slice my tail, then bathe the wounds in saltwater, watching with cold curiosity as they festered and bled.

When Chloe heard a rumor that mermaid blood was a potent tonic, Ethan used my flesh and blood to brew wine for her. He forced me to watch their celebrations as my own strength faded.

On our daughter Sophia's third birthday, Chloe found a new use for us. She learned mermaid scales could soothe nerves. So Ethan took a pair of tweezers to our little girl. He plucked her scales away, one by one, before tossing her into the tank with me.

I slammed my hands against the unyielding glass, my voice raw as I begged for her life. I pleaded with Ethan to save her from drowning.

He just sneered from the doorway before sealing the tank shut. "A mermaid's daughter, drown? Don't be absurd!"

I fought to keep her afloat, cradling her tiny head above the water. But it was useless. In my arms, she dissolved into a cloud of shimmering bubbles.

My heart froze solid. Gritting my teeth, I reached for the scale that protected my heart.

If I cast this scale into the sea, my brother Alexander would come. He would take me home.

When Margaret Blackwood rushed in, she saw only the last of Sophia's bubbles vanishing. She saw the luminous pearl forming in my hand. Horror and grief shattered her composure, and tears streamed down her face.

"Is Sophia… gone?" she whispered.

Mermaids become pearls when they die.

"The three years are over," I said, my voice gentle but hollow. "My debt to your family—to you and Lord Blackwood, for saving my life—is paid in full."

Margaret's lips trembled. She fell to her knees with a heavy thud.

"Isabella, Sophia's death was an accident! Ethan didn't know! Please, you must forgive him! He is the Blackwood family's only heir! The lineage cannot end with him!"

She pressed her forehead to the floor, just as she had years ago when she begged me to become human and marry her son.

I had agreed then. And it led to this nightmare.

"I'll call that wretched boy! I'll make him apologize to you!"

Her hands shook violently as she found her phone and dialed Ethan.

He answered on the first ring, his voice bright with excitement. "Mother! Chloe is pregnant! You're going to be a grandmother!"

Margaret's fingers clenched the phone. Rage dropped her voice to a low, dangerous growl. "That woman's child is no grandchild of mine! I have only one granddaughter, and her name was Sophia! You fool! Get back here now and beg for Isabella and Sophia's forgiveness!"

Ethan snorted, dismissive. "Have you been visiting that creature Isabella again? Mother, I told you. Her kind killed Hailey! You're the only one who treats that thing like it's special. It was just a few scales. Mermaids heal quickly. Don't let her trick you. Anyway, I'm taking Chloe to the beach to watch the sunset. You should go home."

Margaret gripped the phone until her knuckles were white. Her chest heaved.

Memories of Sophia struggling in the water flooded my mind. A sharp, physical pain lanced through my chest.

A hybrid mermaid child's gills only develop after touching seawater.

The Blackwood manor stood right beside the ocean. Yet for three whole years, Ethan never took Sophia there.

Instead, he walked with Chloe along that very shore every single day.

"Isabella, there is still hope," Margaret pleaded, bowing again. "If you have another child with Ethan, the Blackwood line will continue! Please! I promise he will treat you better this time! Remember, we saved your life! Just endure a little longer!"

My hands trembled. I placed Sophia's pearl safely away and closed my eyes.