My Sweet Mistake

Trapped 3,000 meters beneath the sea, the submersible I designed was my coffin. The air was turning to poison.

But my fiancé, Jeffery, gave our only long-term life support-a CO2 scrubber I invented-to his social media star mistress.

"You're strong, Elaina," he said. "You can figure something out."

When I tried to use the emergency comms, he broke my wrist and smashed the console.

He and his mistress sealed the hatch, leaving me to die alone in the crushing dark.

He chose his career over my life. He chose her over me. The man I was supposed to marry would rather I suffocate at the bottom of the ocean than face a failed mission.

But as the blackness closed in, I remembered a secret. A tiny, personal emergency pinger I' d built into my glove. With my last bit of strength, I tore the seam with my teeth and slammed my hand against my head. A faint click echoed in the silence. My revenge had just begun.

Chapter 1

Elaina Valencia POV:

The world was ending, not with a bang, but with a slow, suffocating hiss. I knew it. Every cell in my body screamed it.

My breath hitched, a desperate plea for air that the failing environmental system of the submersible couldn't grant. The cold seeped into my bones, a deep, pervasive chill that promised to turn my very blood to ice.

I was trapped, 3,000 meters beneath the surface, in a crippled steel coffin.

The pressure outside was immense, enough to crush a battleship into scrap in seconds. Inside, my own body was starting to fail.

My fingers, numb and clumsy, fumbled at the console. Hypoxia was setting in, painting the edges of my vision with shimmering light.

As a marine biologist and robotics engineer, I understood the mechanics of my impending death with chilling clarity. It wasn't just the failing life support; it was the betrayal that pulsed beneath it, a toxic current in the frigid darkness.

I needed the scrubber. My proprietary CO2 scrubber. It was our only long-term chance.

My gaze snapped to the compartment where it should have been. My hands, trembling, reached for it.

The compartment was empty.

My breath caught. No. It couldn't be. Not now.

A cold dread, colder than the abyss outside, clutched at my chest. The scrubber was unique, a prototype designed for extended deep-sea missions. It could have given us days, maybe even a week.

"Jeffery!" My voice, raw and raspy, cut through the oppressive silence of the damaged sub.

Jeffery Castillo, my fiancé, turned from where he was trying to reassure Jaden Savage. His eyes, usually so quick to meet mine, darted away.

He looked guilty. He looked shifty.

"What is it, Elaina? Keep your voice down. You'll upset Jaden." He spoke in his publicist's calm, measured tone, as if we were discussing funding, not fighting for our lives.

My blood ran cold. "The scrubber, Jeffery. Where is it?"

He hesitated, a fleeting shadow crossing his face. "It's... it's fine. We have plenty of air."

"Don't lie to me." My voice was a low growl, laced with a desperation I couldn't hide. "The telemetry shows critical oxygen levels. The backup failed. We need the primary scrubber. Now."

He swallowed hard, his gaze shifting to Jaden, who was huddled, trembling, in the corner, her face a mask of manufactured fear. "I... I gave it to Jaden."

The words hit me like a physical blow. The air rushed out of my lungs. I swayed, bracing myself against the console.

"You what?" My voice was barely a whisper. It felt like the pressure outside was crushing my very soul.

"She was panicking!" He gestured wildly towards Jaden. "She's not used to this. She's delicate. You're strong, Elaina. You're the engineer. You can figure something out."

Jaden looked up, her eyes wide and innocent, but a flicker of triumph danced within them. My scrubber, strapped awkwardly to her chest, pulsed faintly, filtering the toxic CO2.

Fury, cold and precise, replaced the panic. "That scrubber was designed for us, Jeffery. For the crew. It's life support, not a comfort blanket for your social media star."

"Don't be so dramatic." He scoffed, his face hardening. "We're fine. Just think, Elaina. Invent something. You always do." He turned back to Jaden, patting her hand. "See? I told you she'd be okay. She's brilliant."

Jaden offered a weak, grateful smile, her eyes still fixed on me. A challenge. A sneer.

"Jaden Savage is a social media influencer," I ground out, my voice thick with disbelief. "She was brought on this expedition for publicity, not for her deep-sea survival skills. You gave away our only chance because you wanted to look good for her."

"She's a documentarian, Elaina!" Jeffery snapped, his face flushing. "She's bringing our work to the world! Without her, where would our funding be? Where would my career be?"