The Water Under the Bridge Chapter 1

My boyfriend tried to drag me into a suicide pact with him. Not only did I refuse to die, but I held his head underwater and drowned him myself.

Forty years ago, our love was forbidden by social norms, so he asked me to jump into the river with him to end it all.

Julian died, but I was rescued.

Filled with guilt and pain, I lived a miserable, lonely life, working myself to the bone to support Julian's parents and younger brother.

But forty years later, as I lay dying in a hospital bed, broken and sick...

Julian, who was supposed to be dead, suddenly appeared before me, alive and well, hand-in-hand with an elegant, educated woman who had aged gracefully.

"One fake death and you were fooled for decades. A stupid woman like you actually thought I could love her?"

"But thanks anyway. If you hadn't supported my family, I wouldn't have had the peace of mind to take the college entrance exams, and I wouldn't have had the chance to live happily ever after with my sweet Sarah."

"Oh, by the way, Toby isn't my little brother. He's actually mine and Sarah's son! We had him before I even met you!"

They kissed passionately in front of me, and I died consumed by monstrous hatred.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back forty years ago, on the day Julian dragged me to commit suicide.

* * *

"Hannah! Let's meet again in the next life!"

The familiar voice from my memory echoed in my ears, accompanied by the chill of river water.

Before I could even react, the man in front of me jumped in with a splash.

Looking at his face, rage instantly erupted in my heart.

It was Julian! How did he suddenly become so young?

And this river... isn't this the same one where he tried to commit suicide with me forty years ago?

Was I reborn?

I didn't have time to think. I walked straight up to him.

If you like playing dead so much, then play dead forever!

As he dipped his head underwater, I whispered something next to him.

"Her name is Sarah, right?"

His body trembled violently, trying to lift his head, but I was already holding it down firmly under the surface.

I was a rough country girl. I didn't have book smarts, but I had strength from years of farm work.

Julian was an intellectual who spent his days buried in books. He was skinny as a rail and no match for me.

He thrashed wildly in the water, his body tensing from the pain of suffocation.

"Toby isn't your brother at all, is he? He's your son with Sarah! Did you take me for a fool?"

"Rest assured, I won't support your parents or your son. Not a single one! As for your lover, I'll make her pay!"

"And you... go in peace!"

By the end, my voice was trembling with a maniacal edge. The joy of revenge surged through my entire body.

Only when Julian stopped moving completely did I let go.

Before fear of my actions could set in, I plunged my head into the water.

Even as I choked and sputtered, nearly breaking down, I couldn't surface for a second. I couldn't let passersby see anything unusual.

It wasn't until consciousness was slipping away that I heard shouts from the bank.

"Help! Someone jumped in the river!"