“Good morning, sister. Beautiful morning, isn’t it? What were you talking about with dad yesterday?”
“His health,” Melissa replied cautiously. “He seems worried.”
“I see,” Vanessa’s voice was light, but her eyes gleamed. “Is that all?” Later, they spoke of their childhood competition.
“You always take everything,” Vanessa hissed, her voice suddenly turning cold.
“Dad’s love. The company’s attention. And now the inheritance. We’ve been planning this for years.”
“Planning? What plan?” Melissa asked, her heart racing. Vanessa said nothing and walked away.
Panic set in. Melissa went to find Jacob and found him with Eleanor, who was trying to make him drink something bitter.
“Mommy, Grandma gave me a weird drink,” Jacob said, recoiling.
Melissa took him away immediately. That night, she packed a small backpack with essentials, a waterproof jacket for Jacob, and her smartphone in a waterproof case. She activated a location-sharing app and started recording.
Morning came. “Melissa, are you awake?” Charles called through the door. “I want us all to have breakfast on deck one last time.”
On deck, the table was set perfectly. Eleanor’s smile was flawless, but her eyes remained like ice. “Aren’t you eating?” Vanessa asked.
“I’m not hungry yet,” Melissa replied, peeling an orange for Jacob.
“Look,” Charles suddenly pointed. “You can see beautiful dolphins on the other side of the ship.”
They moved to the edge. Melissa gripped Jacob’s hand, her phone recording. There were no dolphins. Suddenly, a violent force sla:mmed into her back.
“You will be in nothing,” Eleanor said quietly, her voice as calm as the morning breeze.
Vanessa smirked, “Goodbye nuisances!”
Charles joined them, and all three pushed. Melissa and Jacob plummeted into the sea.
Cold water slammed into Melissa’s lungs. Clinging to Jacob, she kicked upward. The Elegant Lady sailed on, its engines humming indifferently as two lives were discarded. Melissa found a life ring that had fallen—perhaps by chance, perhaps by a sliver of Charles’s guilt. She placed Jacob on it.
“Mommy, I’m scared,” Jacob cried.
“It’s okay, son. Mommy’s here. Take deep breaths.”
Two hours later, a Coast Guard helicopter, alerted by her emergency app, spotted them. “Are you all right, ma’am?” a rescuer asked.
“We were pushed off the ship,” Melissa told them, holding up her phone. “By my family. This is evidence.”
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