The very last wisp of the twilight faded into the endless ocean, and Seraphina's strength seemed to be entirely consumed by the vast sea.

Ethan's consciousness also seemed to drift away completely, submerged beneath the rising waves.

Seraphina's heart constricted violently. Taking a deep breath, she dove beneath the surface, cradling the face of the unconscious Ethan and pressing her lips firmly against his.

The color of the churning ocean grew darker and darker as night fully descended.

Threads of precious oxygen finally pulled a fraction of Ethan's awareness back. He half-opened his eyes, and the deeply familiar face before him seemed to drag his memories from eight years ago completely into the light.

But it was a memory of life—a familiar girl who had thrown herself into the water without a single thought for her own safety, swimming toward him just as he was about to plummet into hell, extending a warm hand to drag him back to the mortal world.

That girl...

Ethan's eyes locked, and the blurry face in his memory perfectly overlapped with the person before him.

It was Seraphina!

His heart suffered a sudden, sharp stab, a pain akin to a thousand arrows piercing his chest rushing over him.

The warmth pressed against his lips gradually faded, and Ethan watched as the light in Seraphina's joyous eyes slowly dimmed, her body sinking into the dark, bottomless abyss like a single feather.

His dilated pupils trembled violently, and he desperately tried to reach out to capture her as she drifted further away, but in the end, he was left with nothing but the residual warmth on his lips.

A crushing ache that felt as though his heart were being ripped from his chest spread from his lungs to every corner of his body, before ultimately exploding inside his mind. Ethan's vision went entirely black, and just before losing consciousness completely, he felt his back settle onto the freezing yet soft sand.

Amidst the absolute chaos, Ethan seemed to catch the sound of Seraphina's voice.

She was calling his name gently, that unique voice of hers drifting from the radio—the sound he had listened to every single night just to fall asleep.

Immediately after, another youthful voice seemed to be speaking.

"The little mermaid loved the prince deeply. She couldn't bear to let him die, so she chose to sacrifice herself, turning into foam in the ocean and floating toward the kingdom of heaven..."

Ethan's heart violently sank. With red-rimmed eyes, he clamped his hands over his ears and shouted frantically, "Seraphina! Seraphina!"

With a soft thud, the man resting on the hospital bed bolted upright.

Leo, who had just stepped into the room, nearly wept with joy upon seeing Ethan awake. "CEO Vance! You're finally awake!"

Ethan's hazy eyes gradually cleared, and he murmured, "Seraphina... Seraphina..." His body trembled violently as he looked left and right.

Seraphina wasn't here!

Seeing him about to climb out of bed, Leo quickly rushed forward to press him down. Before he could even offer a word of comfort, Ethan fiercely grabbed him by the arms, his grip so tight that Leo winced in pain. "Where is Seraphina? Where on earth is she?"

Leo endured the sting and replied, "CEO Vance, please don't be so agitated first."

But how could Ethan possibly listen? The final image inside his mind was Seraphina drifting further and further away in the ocean; she couldn't have...

"Speak right now!"

He let out a low roar, the sound vibrating until Leo's scalp went numb.

"CEO Vance, Madam... Madam..." Leo wore a face full of gloom, letting out a heavy sigh. "Madam was sent abroad by Julian Vance."

Chapter 43: Residual Warmth

Ethan used his final shred of sobriety to forcefully counteract the resistance of the water, prying Seraphina's hand open.

Her body hadn't fully recovered yet, and swimming back alone was already deeply exhausting; there was absolutely no way she could carry him along with her.

He couldn't let her die a second time!

Seraphina stared at Ethan in pure terror. What on earth was he doing? Did he have any idea that he would drown like this!

She endured the biting chill of the seawater, gritting her teeth and refusing to let go no matter what. She clutched Ethan's wrist tightly, using her free hand to frantically paddle through the currents, desperately trying to swim toward the shore.

The very last wisp of the twilight faded into the endless ocean, and Seraphina's strength seemed to be entirely consumed by the vast sea.

Ethan's consciousness also seemed to drift away completely, submerged beneath the rising waves.

Seraphina's heart constricted violently. Taking a deep breath, she dove beneath the surface, cradling the face of the unconscious Ethan and pressing her lips firmly against his.

The color of the churning ocean grew darker and darker as night fully descended.

Threads of precious oxygen finally pulled a fraction of Ethan's awareness back. He half-opened his eyes, and the deeply familiar face before him seemed to drag his memories from eight years ago completely into the light.

But it was a memory of life—a familiar girl who had thrown herself into the water without a single thought for her own safety, swimming toward him just as he was about to plummet into hell, extending a warm hand to drag him back to the mortal world.

That girl...

Ethan's eyes locked, and the blurry face in his memory perfectly overlapped with the person before him.

It was Seraphina!

His heart suffered a sudden, sharp stab, a pain akin to a thousand arrows piercing his chest rushing over him.

The warmth pressed against his lips gradually faded, and Ethan watched as the light in Seraphina's joyous eyes slowly dimmed, her body sinking into the dark, bottomless abyss like a single feather.

His dilated pupils trembled violently, and he desperately tried to reach out to capture her as she drifted further away, but in the end, he was left with nothing but the residual warmth on his lips.

A crushing ache that felt as though his heart were being ripped from his chest spread from his lungs to every corner of his body, before ultimately exploding inside his mind. Ethan's vision went entirely black, and just before losing consciousness completely, he felt his back settle onto the freezing yet soft sand.

Amidst the absolute chaos, Ethan seemed to catch the sound of Seraphina's voice.

She was calling his name gently, that unique voice of hers drifting from the radio—the sound he had listened to every single night just to fall asleep.

Immediately after, another youthful voice seemed to be speaking.

"The little mermaid loved the prince deeply. She couldn't bear to let him die, so she chose to sacrifice herself, turning into foam in the ocean and floating toward the kingdom of heaven..."

Ethan's heart violently sank. With red-rimmed eyes, he clamped his hands over his ears and shouted frantically, "Seraphina! Seraphina!"

With a soft thud, the man resting on the hospital bed bolted upright.

Leo, who had just stepped into the room, vanished his exhaustion and nearly wept with joy upon seeing Ethan awake. "CEO Vance! You're finally awake!"

Ethan's hazy eyes gradually cleared, and he murmured, "Seraphina... Seraphina..." His body trembled violently as he looked left and right frantically.

Seraphina wasn't here!

Seeing him about to climb out of bed, Leo quickly rushed forward to press him down. Before he could even offer a word of comfort, Ethan fiercely grabbed him by the arms, his grip so tight that Leo winced in pain. "Where is Seraphina? Where on earth is she?"

Leo endured the sting and replied, "CEO Vance, please don't be so agitated first."

But how could Ethan possibly listen? The final image inside his mind was Seraphina drifting further and further away in the ocean; she couldn't have...

"Speak right now!"

He let out a low roar, the sound vibrating until Leo's scalp went numb.

"CEO Vance, Madam... Madam..." Leo wore a face full of gloom, letting out a heavy sigh. "Madam was sent abroad by Julian Vance."

Chapter 44: Love Beyond Mountains and Seas

Hearing this, Ethan froze, and an all-consuming fire of fury instantly erupted from the depths of his eyes.

Julian Vance had actually dared to send Seraphina abroad?!

Leo hurriedly continued to explain, "CEO Vance, please don't be angry just yet. Madam nearly drowned trying to save you. Fortunately, a fishing boat spotted her. Julian Vance said he was sending Madam abroad for her surgery. Since you were in a deep coma, Madam left only a handwritten note for you."

With that, he pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket. Ethan's trembling hand snatched the note away instantly.

Ethan, heaven has already spared the two of us twice. I haven't given up, and you shouldn't either. If you can, I hope you listen to the radio show I used to host once every day. I will wait until I can return...

Ethan stared blankly at the elegant handwriting on the paper, the raging fire in his chest slowly smoothing away, leaving behind only a crystalline sheet of tears within his red-rimmed eyes.