The Fatal Stream

I took my fiancé, Julian, on a Caribbean vacation aboard my private yacht.

But he took the liberty of bringing Harper, a childhood best friend my family had financially sponsored growing up.

"Eve, she's practically your sister," he argued. "She hasn't had your luck in life. I brought her along to help you take care of her. Don't tell me you're jealous of your own bestie?"

Once on board, Harper feigned seasickness, melting comfortably into Julian's arms.

Yet, to chase views for her videos, she miraculously recovered, insisting on a cageless deep-sea dive with bloody chum.

When I forcefully stopped them, they started a live stream, framing me as an arrogant rich girl crushing a poor girl's ocean dream. They milked my warnings for millions of views.

Drunk on viral fame, Harper dragged Julian for a secret dive behind my back, instantly attracting a frenzy of aggressive bull sharks.

I dove in to save them without hesitation. But to escape, Harper kicked me straight toward the shark frenzy, while Julian scrambled up the deck without looking back.

I was torn to pieces alive.

They built their fame over my dead body, took over my trust fund, and indirectly caused my devastated parents to die in a plane crash while rushing to the Bahamas.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the first day of that fatal trip.

...

"Julian, look! Look what I caught!"

Harper's shrill, excited voice pierced through the salty ocean breeze.

I snapped my eyes open, my chest heaving as I gasped for air. The thick stench of blood from my past life still seemed to linger in my nose, and I could almost feel the freezing seawater violently flooding into my lungs.

I looked down at my hands. There were no gaping wounds torn by bull sharks, no bite marks exposing my bones.

I was reborn. Reborn back into this fatal Caribbean vacation.

In my previous life, during this very same trip, Harper insisted on diving without a cage just to get attention online.

When the swarm of bull sharks, drawn by Harper's chum, closed in, I swam desperately toward them, trying to drag them back to the yacht's boarding ladder.

But to save herself, Harper kicked me hard in the shoulder, sending me flying right into the jaws of the sharks. And Julian used the few seconds I bought them to scramble onto the deck without looking back.

I was torn apart alive in the deep.

Later, upon hearing of my death, my devastated parents took a plane overnight to the Bahamas, only to encounter a severe thunderstorm. The plane crashed, and both perished.

As my fiancé, Julian smoothly took over part of my trust fund and lived a life of extreme luxury with Harper.

"Eve! What are you spacing out for? Come over here and film!" Harper's impatient voice rang out again, yanking me out of my memories.

I suppressed the murderous rage surging in my eyes, stood up slowly, and walked toward the aft deck.

Harper was holding up a long-handled dip net. Inside, a small octopus covered in brilliant, vibrant blue rings was squirming restlessly.

Julian stood next to her, holding an action camera, the lens pointed right at Harper's face with its flawless waterproof makeup.

"Hey guys! Look at this gorgeous little cutie I caught in the Caribbean! Its colors are totally dreamy! I'm going to take it out and hold it in my hand for you all to see!" Harper pouted at the lens, her hand already reaching into the net.

I stopped in my tracks and stared at the octopus.

A blue-ringed octopus.

One of the most venomous creatures in the ocean. The tetrodotoxin in its body is enough to kill twenty-six grown adults in a matter of minutes, and there is currently no known antidote.

In my past life, Harper caught this exact same octopus. I recognized it immediately. Scared out of my mind, I rushed over recklessly, snatched the net by force, and chucked it back into the ocean.

Because of this, Harper threw a massive tantrum on the deck, accusing me of ruining a video that was about to hit a million views. Julian even scolded me in front of the entire crew, claiming I was jealous of Harper's youthful energy and calling me an arrogant, buzzkill rich girl.

This time, I stood at a safe distance of three meters, arms crossed, my voice utterly flat. "That is a blue-ringed octopus. It's highly venomous. If it bites you, you won't even have the chance to cry for help before you're completely paralyzed and die of asphyxiation. I suggest you throw it back right now."

Harper's hand paused, but then she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Eve, do you have some kind of paranoia disorder?" She scoffed, turning to Julian. "Julian, listen to her. How could such a tiny, pretty octopus be venomous? She just hates seeing my live stream do well, so she's making up lies to ruin the mood!"

Julian immediately walked up to me, using that tone he thought was understanding but was actually incredibly patronizing. "Eve, Harper just wants to bond with marine life. It's a spirit of exploration. You can't always constrain us with your boring safety regulations. It makes you a real buzzkill."

"A spirit of exploration?" I sneered. "Not having even the most basic ocean knowledge isn't exploration. It's called being stupid."

"Eve! You are so out of line!" Harper shrieked. Her eyes turned red in an instant, playing the part of a fragile, deeply wronged victim. "I know you're rich and this yacht belongs to you! But you can't just trample over other people's dignity because you have money! I'm keeping it!"

With that, she turned and ordered a nearby steward, "Go, get me a glass tank. I'm keeping it as a pet!"

The steward looked at me hesitantly. Everyone on this ship was paid a high salary by me; they all knew who the real boss was.

"Go get it for her," I said evenly.

The steward froze for a second, then quickly nodded and brought out a clear acrylic tank filled with seawater.

Harper shot me a triumphant look, then carefully tipped the blue-ringed octopus into the tank. The octopus stretched its tentacles out in the water, the blue rings on its body flashing an even more eerie, vivid glow from being startled.

"Wow, it's so beautiful! Julian, get a close-up of this!" Harper leaned excitedly over the tank.

Julian hurried over, filming while still making sure to turn back and lecture me. "Eve, look. It doesn't bite at all. You really need to learn how to relax, drop that high and mighty attitude of yours, and learn a bit of Harper's innocence."

Innocence? Confusing ignorance for innocence, and mistaking a death wish for romance.

I watched the two of them huddled over a glass tank filled with lethal poison. It was like watching two clowns dancing on the edge of a cliff.

I didn't say another word. Since they were hell-bent on dying, why should I stop them?

I watched from the sidelines. Thinking about how Harper was about to experience the agonizing despair of a suffocating death from my past life, a wave of profound satisfaction washed over me.

"Julian, focus the lens! I'm going to touch it!"

I watched as Harper's fingertips moved closer and closer to the lethal blue rings.

The octopus in the tank instantly retracted its tentacles. Its vivid blue rings began flashing violently, locking into a deadly striking stance.

Just at the very second her fingertip was about to make contact—

The sirens on the main deck suddenly erupted into an ear-piercing shriek!