She Sank Our Cruise, He Defended Her

The whole family was on vacation, but my husband, Adrian, was out with his old flame, Lily, zipping across the restricted waters on a jet ski.
Fueled by half a bottle of ros, Lily was demanding to ride to the opposite island, promising to carve a heart in the sand for him.
Next thing I knew, she was gunning the engine, twisting the throttle all the way, and slamming straight into my brother's yacht.
Adrian didn't even glance at the yacht as it started to go under.
Instead, he clutched Lily's hand, his voice a soothing balm.
"As long as you're okay, that's all that matters. They were in restricted waters anyway. If something happened, it was their own damn fault."
It wasn't until the yacht had vanished completely beneath the waves, its passengers missing, that Adrian finally called me.
"Cara," he said, his voice flat. "Your brother and your mom... they went down with the boat."
In that instant, a tidal wave of terror swallowed me whole.
But then, the world dissolved into a blur of memory. My mother, just like when I was a kid, was popping a piece of freshly cooked steak into my mouth.
My brother, Leo, laughing as he tried to steal it.
"Mom, you always play favorites."
They were right here, beside me. So who was on that sinking yacht?

The beach was a circus. Police officers were yelling, trying to keep a swarm of onlookers from filming the chaos.
In the distance, I could see the splintered remains of the yacht Id bought for Leo.
I shoved my way through the crowd, my ears catching the hushed, angry whispers of a few people who had been on a nearby boat.
"Those two are disgusting. Not even human."
"They were the closest! They could've saved them, two lives!"
"Get thisthe woman was pissed her 'heart' didn't get drawn. Like this is her private art studio or something!"
A cold sweat drenched my back. How could Adrian have become this person?
Were two human lives worth nothing in his eyes?
He was murmuring comforts to Lily when he turned and saw me. The gentle expression on his face vanished.
He dragged me away from the crowd. "What are you doing here, making a scene?"
I tried to explain, my voice trembling. "My mom and Leo, how could they have..."
Adrian's eyes narrowed, and he cut me off. "Those rubberneckers are just spouting nonsense. You think I'd just stand by and watch people die?"
"I'm your husband, Cara. Don't you trust me? Besides" His tone softened into a pained whisper. "Lily was terrified, practically in shock. Of course, I had to take care of the living."
I'd never heard anything so absurd. "Was her shock more important than two human lives?"
Adrian's face hardened.
"Your brother ignored the warning signs and tore through a restricted zone going twice the speed limit. He had it coming!"
The words hit me like a physical blow. I shook with rage. "That's a lie! That wasn't my brother! He was trained by the best captain on the coast; he would never be that reckless!"
I pointed a trembling finger at Lily. "She was driving drunk! That alone is a felony!"
Lily shrank back, clutching Adrian's arm like a frightened child.
"Adrian, it's all my fault," she whimpered.
"I was just so excited that my design made it to the finals. Cara, please don't let this ruin your marriage. I... I couldn't bear it if I came between you two."
Adrian's voice dropped to a low, dangerous warning.
"They're already dead, Cara. There's no point in dragging this out. Let it go."
"This is about Lily now. This isn't the time for your little tantrums."
My body swayed.
This man, who had once sworn he loved me more than life itself, was now twisting the truth, discarding my family's lives, all for his old flame.
An inferno of rage consumed me.
SMACK!
I slapped him, hard.
Adrians face contorted in shock. "Cara, have you lost your mind"
SMACK!
I hit him again with the back of my hand.
In all our years of marriage, I had never even raised my voice at him.
This was the first, and last, time I would show him this side of me.
Disbelief washed over his features. He just stared at me, speechless.
Lily threw her arms around him, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Cara, if you're angry, hit me. Don't hit Adrian. He didn't do anything wrong."
"You can hit me as much as you want, as long as you forgive him."
She even grabbed my hand and tried to make me slap her own face.
I snatched my hand back, refusing to participate in her pathetic theater.
"Those two slaps, Adrian, were for the dead!"
I turned to the nearest police officer. "That yacht was a birthday gift for my brother. I'm the owner. I want to see the black box footage from before the..."
Before I could finish, a hand yanked me backward, and I crashed onto the sand.
Adrian stood over me, his voice laced with cold fury. "I've already signed the waiver of legal action."
"Are you trying to make us the laughingstock of this entire beach by carrying on like this?"
I stared up at him, a sense of profound absurdity and despair washing over me.
"Adrian, you have no right to sign that for me!"
His face was a mask of ugly resentment.
"I'm your husband. Why the hell wouldn't I have the right?"
I couldn't stand the sight of his repulsive face for another second. I scrambled to my feet and turned back to the officer.
"I am the victim's sister. I do not consent to any waiver. I want this investigated."
"Please, retrieve the black box as soon as possible. We need to know who was on that yacht!"
The officer, having witnessed the whole drama, nodded agreeably.
"As soon as the yacht is salvaged, we'll analyze the data from the recorder. I'll make sure you're present for the viewing."
"Thank you!"
A thought struck me. I moved away from Adrian and quickly texted my brother.
[Lily crashed your yacht and sank it. The people on board are gone. I need you to pull the cloud surveillance footage from the yacht now. Tell me everything you find, immediately.]
Just as I put my phone away, the recovery team brought the bodies ashore.
They laid two figures side-by-side on the sand, their flesh ravaged by shark bites.
To call them bodies was a stretch. They were little more than mangled torsos.
Their limbs were gone, devoured. Most of the flesh had been stripped from their bones.
My stomach churned, but I forced myself to walk closer.
"I promise you," I whispered to them, "I will make the people who did this pay."
Just then, a text from Leo came through.
[HOLY SH*T! My yacht was stolen? And it SANK?! Are people dead? I bet it was that bastard again!]
[Does Adrian know? How's he taking it? Hope he doesn't strangle Lily in a fit of rage!]
I was confused, but before I could reply, Lily's delicate voice drifted from behind me. "Adrian, I'm scared. I can't look."
Adrian wrapped an arm around her, his voice tender. "I know, they're its gruesome. Listen to me, go wait in the car, okay?"
But Lily refused. She stepped out of his embrace and walked to within a few feet of the bodies, offering a careless little bow.
"I'm so sorry..."
As she straightened up, a smirk twisted her lips, and she whispered just loud enough for me to hear, "But then, what can you expect when you raise such a pathetic daughter? Couldn't even keep her man's heart. Your husband just watched you die, and now you're shark food."
Her words lit a fuse, and my rage exploded.
I lunged at her, my hand clamping down on the back of her neck, forcing her down. "If you have a shred of humanity left, you will get on your knees and apologize!"
"Murderers don't get to stand over their victims."
Lilys face crumpled, and she sobbed, trying to pull away.
"Cara, I was just paying my respects! Why are you attacking me?"
"Adrian, help me! She's trying to kill me!"
SMACK!
My head snapped to the side. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth.
I turned slowly, my eyes locking on Adrian, his hand still raised.
His chest heaved with fury. "How dare you lay a hand on Lily?"
"They're dead, Cara! We're the ones who have to keep living! Don't push your luck!"
"Lily came here to apologize. That's more respect than they deserve. Your mom and brother are dead and gone, so stop asking for so much!"
"THEY'RE NOT MY MOTHER AND BROTHER!" I screamed.
I glared at Lily. "You killed those people, and you dare stand there and say these things? Are you even human?!"
Terrified I might actually hurt his precious Lily, Adrian started spouting nonsense. "Lily did nothing wrong! Your mother and brother died in an accident, and I'm signing a waiver to close the case!"
I wiped the blood from my lip. In that moment, the last shred of affection I had for Adrian evaporated.
Just looking at him made me sick.
"Adrian, let's get a divorce."
He blinked, a flicker of guilt and regret crossing his face before being replaced by defiance. "No! I won't sign."
"You're vindictive, Cara. If we divorce, God knows what you'll do to Lily."
"I'm not giving you that chance!"
With that, he scooped Lily into his arms and walked away, leaving me alone on the beach.
My knees gave out, and I sank to the sand, the tears finally coming in a hot, silent flood.
I waited for hours outside the coroner's office.
I never got the autopsy results. Instead, a weary examiner informed me that the remains had already been claimed by the family. They were to be taken, along with the salvaged yacht, to a scrap yard to be crushed and disposed of. No further investigation into the cause of death would be pursued.
I saw the signature on the release form: Adrian Pierce. A bitter cold seeped into my bones.
Wasting no time, I floored it all the way to the industrial steel plant.
The two body bags had been placed inside the wrecked yacht, which was now suspended from a massive crane, ready to be dropped into the maw of a hydraulic press.
Adrian stood watching, his face a blank mask.
Lily was nestled against him, a triumphant, excited glint in her eyes.
I sprinted forward, planting myself in front of the machine. "STOP!"
"Adrian, the cause of death hasn't even been determined! You're destroying their bodies! Do you want them to never rest in peace?"
My repeated interference had worn his patience thin.
He motioned for his bodyguards to grab me. "Stop making a scene!"
"This is what your mother and brother wanted. It was in their will."
"You're lying! Since when do my mother and brother have a will I don't know about?"
A cold smile touched his lips. "Because you're so overbearing, Cara. They were always too scared to tell you things like this. But they told me. Leo said that once you're dead, you're just bones, nothing worth keeping. He wanted to be compressed and incinerated. To leave this world cleanly."
At his command, the giant press whirred to life.
I tried to rush forward, but he held me in an iron grip.
My eyes darted around frantically. "You're obstructing a police investigation by destroying evidence! That's a crime, Adrian!"
Lily stepped forward, acting as if she'd been mortally offended. "Cara, I didn't want to say this, but you're forcing my hand."
"Your brother was running with a bad crowd, junkies, Cara. He was a mess."
"This time, he was high as a kite and insisted on going into the restricted zone. What does that have to do with us?"
Before I could even deny it, Adrian cut me off.
He produced a lab report. "This is from the coroner. They found illegal substances in both bodies. You can't deny the facts."
"I know you're grieving, but you can't take it out on innocent people. Lily had nothing to do with this."
In a few short sentences, they had shifted the blame for Lily's reckless driving entirely onto the dead.
The workers standing around erupted.
"Drugs? Hell, getting crushed is too good for him!"
"Serves him right!"
"Junkies deserve whatever they get! No sympathy here!"
The ugly words drilled into my ears. My heart clenched for the victims, who couldn't even find peace in death.
The operator took the opportunity to restart the press. The massive hammer began its slow descent.
I lunged forward, screaming, "Adrian, the people who died aren't my family! Stop it, now!"
He just sneered. "Have you completely lost it? Making up ridiculous stories just to get your way."
I remembered Leos text, my heart pounding with desperation. "Just stop the machine! You don't know who's in there! What if it's someone you care about?"
His contempt was a physical blow. "Your mother and your brother? There's nothing for me to care about."
Lily clung to his arm, whispering poison. "She's just trying to threaten you with two corpses, Adrian. She can't stand to see us happy."
That was all it took. Adrians face hardened, and he shoved me aside.
"I don't care what you say today. Nothing is stopping this!"
He gave a sharp nod to the operator. The machine whirred, the hammer beginning its slow, final descent.

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