To cover the astronomical medical bills, I married Finn Waterford as a stand-in bride — the billionaire everyone said had less than three months to live. On our wedding night, he sat in his wheelchair, coughing up blood, yet he pinned me down on the bed like a madman. His cold fingers dug into my waist, and by the time he was done with me, I was barely alive. The next day, they quietly shipped him abroad for treatment — and he was never heard from again. Everyone said I was about to inherit a fortune worth hundreds of billions and planned to keeping a Boy toy. Then, ten months later, I gave birth in the villa’s bathtub — to a creature whose lower half was a ghostly blue fish tail. I hadn’t even figured out what to do with this monster when the villa’s front door swung open. The man who was supposed to be dying on foreign soil walked in, trailing the chill of the deep sea, and stood right in front of me. Midnight. The villa’s heated rooftop pool. I was soaking wet, my face pale as a ghost, floating in the water with a newborn clutched tightly to my chest. No — not a newborn. Beneath the rippling surface, a fish tail covered in deep blue scales shimmered with an eerie glow, coiling gently around my thigh. Ice-cold. Slick. This was my own flesh and blood. Ten months in my womb, and this is what came out. Just a few hours ago, I had been writhing in agony on the bathroom floor, biting down on a towel as I gave birth to him alone. No doctor. No nurse. Because I couldn’t let anyone see this monster. I had assumed Finn was on his way dying. All I had to do was give birth to the Waterford heir, collect the rest of my payment, and use it to save my sister. But instead, I had given birth to a monster. My mind was spinning as I tried to figure out how to secretly smuggle this tailed freak out of here when — CLICK. Every blinding light around the pool snapped on at once. I squeezed my eyes shut against the glare and instinctively pressed the baby deeper under the water. My oversized silk nightgown spread out across the surface, barely concealing the blue tail beneath. “Well, darling. Fancy finding you here — swimming at midnight.” A low, hoarse voice cut through the empty air around the pool, laced with a bone-chilling cold. My whole body went rigid. My blood ran cold. Finn. He was seated in a wheelchair, being pushed by several bodyguards dressed in black. He had lost so much weight he was nearly unrecognizable — his already sharp features now looked even more severe and menacing. The collar of his black shirt hung open, his collarbone pale and completely bloodless. Wasn’t he supposed to be in the ICU overseas?! “F… Finn. When did you come back?” My teeth were chattering, my body instinctively backing away. The little monster beneath the water seemed to sense my fear. It squirmed restlessly, its ice-cold tail fin brushing against the sensitive skin of my calf, sending a shudder through me. Finn’s gaze was like two surgical scalpels — fixed on me, unblinking. My wet silk nightgown clung to every curve of my body. But he wasn’t looking at that. His eyes were locked on the bulge I was clutching tightly to my chest. “Get out of the water,” he ordered. His voice was quiet, but it carried a weight that left no room for argument. “I… I’m not wearing anything underneath, and the water’s warm. Let me stay in a little longer.” I scrambled for excuses, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst. Finn suddenly smiled. It was the kind of smile that made my skin crawl. He raised his hand and snapped his long, pale fingers. The bodyguards moved immediately. Ignoring my screams, they jumped into the pool, grabbed me by both arms, and hauled me out of the water by force. SPLASH. Water flew everywhere. I fought desperately to keep the baby wrapped inside my skirt as I was dragged out and dumped at the foot of Finn’s wheelchair, soaking wet and gasping. Finn leaned down. His ice-cold fingers closed around my jaw and forced my head up. His face was inches from mine. Close enough that I could smell him — something sharp and strange, like deep-sea kelp and blood mixed together. He drew a slow breath in, his nose nearly grazing my neck. “Why do you smell so strongly of… the sea?” His voice dropped to a murmur, but his eyes shifted in an instant — dark and dangerous. I was trembling so hard I could barely hold on. And that was when the little monster in my arms let out a tiny, weak whimper. Finn’s gaze dropped — straight to the bundle I was desperately pressing against my skirt.
“What is that?” Finn’s fingers slid down from my jaw to my neckline and stopped there. That icy touch crept across my skin like a snake. “It’s… it’s nothing! A stray cat!” I clutched the bundle tighter, my fingernails digging into my own flesh. If he found out it was a mermaid, he would cut us both to pieces and feed us to the dogs. Finn let out a cold laugh. Then, in one sharp motion, he grabbed my nightgown and tore it open. RIIIP — The sound of the fabric shredding cut through the silence around the empty pool. I squeezed my eyes shut in despair, bracing for the storm. But the thunderous rage I’d been expecting never came. Dead silence. Trembling, I forced my eyes open — and froze. The creature in my arms — the one that had just moments ago had a dark blue fish tail — had transformed into a perfectly normal baby. Chubby little legs, soft rosy skin, like something carved from jade. He was sucking on his own fingers, staring up at Finn with wide, innocent dark eyes. Where was the tail?! My mind went completely blank. Finn stared at the baby, his expression unreadable. He reached out — his hand so pale you could trace the blue veins beneath the skin — and roughly pinched the baby’s leg. The baby yelped in pain and burst into tears. “Finn, what the hell are you doing!” I don’t know where I found the strength, but I shoved his hand away and pulled the baby tight against my chest, glaring at him with red-rimmed eyes. This was my flesh and blood. Even if he was some kind of monster, I wasn’t going to let anyone treat him badly. Finn stumbled from my shove and broke into a violent coughing fit. It sounded like it was tearing him apart from the inside. His bodyguard rushed to hand him a handkerchief, and the white fabric instantly bloomed with a vivid splash of red. He wiped the corner of his mouth with bloodied fingers, eyes fixed on me, a cruel smile pulling at his lips. “Lyra Oceanus, you’d better pray this child is actually mine.” Then he had someone wheel him away, without looking back once. I didn’t move until his silhouette disappeared completely. Then all the strength drained from my body and I crumpled to the floor. I looked down at the baby in my arms. The moment Finn left, faint blue scales shimmered across the baby’s soft legs — then sank back beneath the skin just as quickly. He… could disguise himself as a human? I swallowed hard, staring at this impossible little life in my arms, and felt a wild idea take hold. The Waterford family was a man-eating hell, and Finn was an unpredictable, dangerous man. I couldn’t leave the baby here. I had to take him and run — even if it meant selling every piece of jewelry I owned, even if it meant fleeing to the ends of the earth. Three days later, using a routine medical check-up as cover, I shook off my bodyguard and took the baby to a hidden underground black market. Not to sell him — to buy two smuggling tickets out of the country. The contact was a one-eyed man. When I slid the emerald necklace across to him — worth millions — his one good eye lit up. “Mrs. Waterford, smuggling is rough business.” He leered at me. “You really think that you can handle it?” I kept my expression cold. “Save it. I need to leave tonight.” That’s when something started thrashing violently inside the custom insulated carrier strapped to my chest. Then water began seeping through the bag — soaking through the fabric and dripping down my clothes. “What do you have in there?” The one-eyed man’s face changed. He reached out to grab it. “Don’t—” I wasn’t fast enough. A burst of force ripped the zipper clean open. A dark blue fish tail whipped out and smacked the one-eyed man straight across the face. SMACK. He let out a howl and flew backward into a table, blood streaming from his nose. The entire black market erupted into chaos. “A mon…monster — it’s a mermaid!” someone shrieked. My skin crawled with dread. I shoved the baby back into the bag and ran. The little one seemed to know he’d caused trouble. Guilty little gurgles came from inside the bag. And as if answering him, every water pipe in the black market burst at once — high-pressure jets spraying everywhere, cutting off anyone trying to chase me. I used the chaos to escape, ducking into a dead-end alley. I slumped against the wall, gasping for breath, and pulled the bag open to check. The little troublemaker was looking up at me with clear blue eyes, tiny fist clutching the hem of my shirt, rubbing against it like he was trying to win me over. My heart melted completely. “You little menace,” I laughed softly and kissed his forehead. “From now on, your name is Nova Waterford.” Chapter 3### The escape plan had failed. I had no choice but to drag myself back to the Waterford estate. The moment I stepped through the front door, I felt it — something was wrong. The living room was lined with bodyguards. Finn sat on the sofa, idly turning a sharp Swiss Army knife over in his fingers. And standing beside him was a woman in a white coat — a striking figure with sharp, arrogant eyes. Dr. Catherine Lockhart. Finn’s chief personal physician. And, according to rumor, the only woman Finn had ever trusted. “Where were you?” Finn didn’t even glance up. His voice was ice cold. “I… I’m going to buy something for the baby.” I instinctively pulled my bag tighter against my chest. Catherine clicked her heels across the floor and stopped in front of me, staring down at me with cold authority. “Mrs. Waterford, you’re well aware of Mr. Waterford’s condition. To ensure the purity of the Waterford family bloodline, we need to run a full genetic test on the child.” A genetic test? That would blow Nova’s cover — his mermaid identity would be exposed! “No!” I shrieked like a mother hen shielding her chick. “He’s still so small — drawing blood will hurt him! I have a paternity test report!” I frantically dug through my bag and pulled out the fake report I’d paid a doctor a fortune to forge, thrusting it toward Finn. “Finn, look — this is really your child.” Finn took the report. His long fingers moved slowly across the surface of the paper. Then, without warning, he seized my wrist and yanked hard. I gasped as I stumbled forward and fell against his chest. Ravaged by illness as he was, his strength was staggering. He wrapped one arm around my waist and picked up the lighter from the table with his other hand — click — a flame. The pale blue fire licked at the paternity test report and turned it to ash in seconds. “You think I’d trust a piece of paper?” His lips were at my ear, his voice low and rough, carrying the weight of something dangerous. The temperature of his body was unsettlingly cold — nothing like a living person’s warmth. His nose grazed the side of my neck, like a predator catching the scent of its prey. “Lyra, you’re hiding something.” He parted his lips and let his cold teeth graze my earlobe, sending a shiver straight through me. “I’m going to peel back every layer, one by one, until I see it all.” Catherine watched from the side, a flicker of jealousy and venom crossing her face before she masked it. “Mr. Waterford, since your wife won’t cooperate, we’ll have to take more forceful measures.” Catherine waved her hand. Several bodyguards stepped forward immediately, pinning me down on the sofa and tearing Nova from my arms. “No! Give him back to me!” I thrashed wildly, my nails raking deep red lines across the backs of the bodyguards’ hands. Catherine picked up a large syringe and walked toward Nova with a cold smirk. Nova had been placed on the glass coffee table. He seemed to sense the danger — his little face flushed deep red, and faint blue light began flickering across his pale little legs. He was going to transform! If he transformed now, it was over! “Finn! Tell them to stop! That is your own son!” I screamed until my voice broke, tears blurring everything in front of me. Finn watched with icy detachment. Those dark eyes held not a single trace of human emotion. Just as Catherine’s needle was about to pierce Nova’s thigh — Bang! Every floor-to-ceiling window in the villa exploded without warning. Chapter 4 A violent wall of wind and rain burst into the living room. Catherine was knocked off her feet by the force of it, the syringe shattering as it hit the floor. Nova seized the moment — he rolled across the coffee table, launched himself into the air, and landed perfectly inside my open neckline, pressing himself flat against my skin and trembling. I clapped my hand over my chest and held him close. “What the hell is going on?!” Catherine scrambled to her feet and screamed. The color had drained completely from Finn’s face the moment the glass shattered. He shot to his feet, and the body that had seemed so frail just moments ago suddenly radiated a terrifying, crushing pressure. He stared hard at the black sky beyond the broken windows, a faint golden glint flickering deep in his eyes. “Get out.” Finn said, cold and flat. “Mr. Waterford…” Catherine wasn’t ready to give up. “I said get out!” Finn snapped his head around, his gaze murderous. Catherine went white with fright and scrambled out of the living room with the bodyguards stumbling behind her. The vast living room fell silent — just me and Finn. The howling wind sent the crystal chandelier swaying above us. Finn walked toward me, step by step. With every step he took, I felt the air around me drop a few degrees colder. He stopped in front of me, looking down, his gaze settling on my chest where it visibly bulged. “Take him out.” His voice left no room for argument. “No…” I shook my head frantically, tears mixing with rain and running into my mouth — bitter and cold. Finn didn’t waste words. He reached directly into my neckline. His cold fingers met the warmth of my skin, and I flinched. He found Nova immediately and pulled him out. Nova left my body with a sharp, piercing shriek. That sound was nothing a human baby could ever make — shrill enough to cut straight through the soul. With that cry, Nova’s legs transformed completely into a deep-blue fish tail, thrashing wildly in Finn’s hands. It was over. Everything was over. I squeezed my eyes shut in despair, bracing for Finn’s fury. But a long moment passed, and Finn said nothing. I opened my eyes — and saw something I would never forget for the rest of my life. Finn was staring fixedly at Nova’s blue tail. Those eyes of his, once pitch-black, had shifted into something unnatural: slitted pupils, radiating an eerie, commanding golden light. And on his neck — once pale and smooth — several scales had surfaced. Deep blue. Identical to Nova’s. “You…” I pointed at him in horror, unable to form a single complete sentence. Finn’s head snapped up. Those golden slit-pupils locked onto me. He suddenly dropped Nova and grabbed my throat, slamming me hard against the wall. “You saw it.” His voice had turned impossibly hoarse, carrying a metallic quality that was anything but human. He leaned in close and opened his mouth — and I saw that his teeth, once perfectly straight, had become sharp and jagged, like a shark’s. “Lyra. You know my secret now.” A slow, dangerous smile. “What do you think I’m going to do to you?” His ice-cold lips pressed against my neck. The razor-sharp tips of his teeth grazed lightly over my carotid artery. My whole body went limp with terror. My mind went completely blank. This cold-blooded, all-powerful billionaire who dominated the entire business world — he was a monster too? “What… what are you…” I whispered, trembling. Finn laughed, low and quiet, the vibration rolling through his chest and into me. “What am I?” He grabbed his shirt and tore it open. Across his chest, his abdomen, and downward past his waist — deep-blue scales were spreading wildly, and his legs were visibly, horrifyingly shifting shape. “I am the nightmare of the deep sea.” His gaze met mine. “And I am your… husband.” He crushed his mouth against mine — ice-cold, domineering, overwhelmingly possessive, as if he meant to devour my very soul.
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