"You're in your twenties and still calling yourself 'baby.' What are you, a manchild?"

That one sentence made my boyfriend's childhood sweetheart hate my guts.

At the party that night, she suddenly dumped a bucket of industrial-strength glue on me and shoved me into the pool.

I thrashed, desperate to climb out, but I was stuck. 

She stood at the edge with her little gang, pointing and laughing.

"HA! Iris, you look like a toad glued to a sidewalk!"

Their eyes—disgusting—kept crawling over my clothes plastered to my skin.

"Damn, look at that body."

"Come on, struggle more! Bigger splash! Give us a show!"

And my boyfriend?

He was too busy draping his jacket over her shoulders. Didn't even look my way.

"Quit the drama. You can swim, can't you? What's a few more minutes gonna hurt?"

"Chloe wanted a water show. Is it really that hard to play along?"

Well, WELL!

She wants a fking show, huh?!

I grabbed my phone and made a call.

"Get me ten barrels of industrial glue. I'm turning these assholes into STATUES!"

"THAT'S a show worth watching, b!tch!"

"OMG! I'm dying! Who's she calling? Does she think she's royalty or something?"

"Girl's delusional. That phone's waterlogged. Bet the call didn't even go through!"

Chloe nestled into Dane's arms, dabbing fake tears from her eyes.

"Dane, Iris is being so mean. I just wanted to have fun, and she threatened to turn us into statues."

"I'm scared."

Dane wrapped his arm around her, patting her shoulder.

He turned to me, looking down like I was garbage.

"Iris, cut the act."

"Chloe gets anxious easily. How DARE you threaten her?"

"Apologize. NOW."

The industrial glue was reacting violently with the pool water. Huge patches of my skin were bonding to my clothes. Every movement felt like my flesh was being ripped off.

I clenched my teeth, clawing at the pool's edge, trying to pull myself up.

"Dane, I'm not joking—this glue is CORROSIVE!"

"Pull me up. Please."

I begged. I actually begged.

Eight years together. I thought he'd at least feel SOMETHING.

But he just stood there. Didn't budge.

"Corrosive? Chloe bought craft glue for arts and crafts. Stop being dramatic."

"It's just an apology. Do you really need to play victim?"

Chloe poked her head out from his embrace and crouched by the pool.

She smiled sweetly at me.

"Iris, stop faking. Dane says if you say 'I'm sorry, Chloe' three times real loud, he'll pull you out."

"Hurry up. The water must be freezing."

As she spoke, she shifted her foot.

Her heel pressed down on my fingers.

Pain shot through my entire body.

I gasped, instinctively trying to pull my hand back.

But Chloe pressed harder, grinding her heel into my knuckles.

I couldn't hold it in. I screamed.

"Chloe, GET OFF!"

She blinked innocently, but her foot didn't budge.

"Iris, why are you yelling? You scared me."

I looked up at Dane.

He SAW it. He saw her stepping on my hand.

But all he did was glance over lazily.

"Iris, Chloe didn't mean it. Why'd you put your hand there anyway?"

"Last chance. Apologize."

"Do it, and I'll have someone pull you out right now."

Eight years.

I stood by him when he had nothing. Helped him build his empire from the ground up.

I pulled all-nighters writing proposals. I stood in the pouring rain for three hours to land him an investor.

He used to hold me and say, Iris, I'll never let anyone hurt you.

Now, he was standing there, watching me suffer for some twenty-two-year-old brat who still calls herself "baby."

This was his version of "never letting me get hurt."

I looked into his cold, empty eyes. Suddenly, the last eight years felt like a joke.

I swallowed the metallic taste of blood and glared at him.

Through gritted teeth, I spat out two words.

"FUCK. YOU."

Dane's face darkened instantly.

"Still got some fight in you, huh?"

He let out a bitter laugh.

"Chloe, since she likes the water so much, let's give her MORE."

"Maybe that'll cool her down."

Chloe's eyes lit up.

She squealed and waved at the others.

"Quick! Quick! Dane said so! Get all the ice from the kitchen!"

"Iris is running hot. Let's help her COOL DOWN!"

They all rushed inside the villa.

Two minutes later, they came running back, each hauling a giant bucket of ice.

"Move! Ice bath for the drama queen!"

Three massive buckets of ice were dumped on my head.

The ice slammed into my skull, my shoulders—blunt, brutal pain.

The glue hardened instantly in the cold.

The shock of hot and cold made my body convulse uncontrollably.

I could barely stay afloat.

"HAHAHA! Look at her shaking! Like she's getting ELECTROCUTED!"

"Get more ice! This isn't enough!"

Their laughter roared louder and louder.

Dane stood in the center of the crowd, hands in his pockets, watching it all with dead eyes.

Chloe walked up to me, waving a marriage certificate and a photo in my face.

She opened it deliberately, flaunting it.

"Oops, my surprise slipped out."

"This is Dane's gift to me for my birthday party."

In the photo, Dane wore a white shirt. Chloe leaned into his ch//est, grinning like she'd won the lottery.

The registration date: today.

Just a few hours ago, Dane texted me saying he couldn't have lunch because of an "urgent meeting."

Turns out his "urgent meeting" was getting MARRIED to her.

I looked up at him.

He stepped closer, staring down at me.

No panic. No guilt. Just cold indifference.

"See it?"

"Chloe's been unstable lately. The doctor said she needs security."

"She wanted legal status as a birthday gift. I was just helping her out."

He paused, voice casual.

"It's just paperwork. Doesn't change what we have."

I almost laughed.

Just paperwork?

That was the paperwork I'd waited eight years for. The one he kept putting off.

Every time I mentioned marriage, he'd say, "My company's still growing. Just wait a little longer."

Now he gave that certificate to another woman as a BIRTHDAY PRESENT.

And had the audacity to say it didn't matter.

"Iris, you've always been reasonable."

"You know I only care about you. Chloe? She's just a kid who needs babysitting."

"Just play nice today, and tomorrow I'll buy you that jewelry set you wanted."

"You're still MY girl."

He even reached out his hand.

"Come on. Apologize, and I'll pull you out."

I stared at that hand. Disgusted.

How had I been blind enough to love this piece of sh!t?

"Dane..."

My voice came out hoarse, barely audible.

"You make me SICK."

Dane's hand froze mid-air.

"Iris, don't push your luck!"

"I'm being NICE to you. Don't mistake that for weakness!"

Chloe chimed in, adding fuel to the fire.

"Dane, look at her! I just wanted to share the good news, and she's cursing at you!"

"She doesn't love you. She only cares about her stupid pride!"

Dane suddenly stood up and kicked over a beach chair.

"FINE! If you're so tough, stay in the water!"

"Let's see how long you last!"

My leg cramped violently.

The cold and constant tension finally caught up. My calf seized up hard.

My body started sinking.

Ice-cold water flooded my nose.

I choked, gasping, flailing—but my limbs wouldn't cooperate.

My vision blurred.

Water poured into my lungs in violent gulps.

I forced my head above the surface, coughing violently.

"Help... help..."

Dane stood on the edge, watching me struggle.

He frowned, voice dripping with irritation.

"Iris, your acting is pathetic."

"You won the citywide swimming championship in college. Now you're pretending to drown in a shallow pool?"

"You think I'm falling for this?"

I didn't have the energy to explain.

The industrial glue made it impossible to move my arms. Combined with the cramp, I might as well have been tied to a stone and thrown overboard.

Chloe leaned against Dane's shoulder, covering her eyes like she was scared.

"Dane, Iris looks so angry."

"She keeps staring at me. Is she gonna kill me when she gets out?"

Dane immediately stepped in front of her, pointing at me furiously.

"Iris, drop the victim act!"

"Chloe is sweet and innocent. Stop scaring her!"

The others egged it on.

One guy with bleached hair whistled.

"Bro, ice alone isn't cutting it."

"There's a pressure hose over there. Why don't we help your girl wash away her attitude?"

Chloe's eyes sparkled. She clapped her hands.

"Yes! I LOVE water games!"

Dane didn't stop them. He even stepped back to give them space.

Blondie dragged over a thick industrial hose from the garden corner.

He cranked the valve to MAX.

"Open wide, b!tch!"

A jet of water slammed into my face like a sledgehammer.

My skull rattled. Everything went black for a second.

Water forced its way into my mouth, my nose.

I couldn't breathe.

"Cough—guh!"

I tried to turn away.

"HAHA! Where you going? Let's clean that ug1y attitude off your face!"

"Yeah! Always walking around looking pissed. Who you mad at?"

Disgusting whistles and laughter surrounded me.

"Damn, Iris dresses so boring, but look at THAT body!"

"He11 yeah. Dane, you've been eating GOOD, huh?"

"Spray her ch//est! Give us a better view!"

Their leering eyes felt like knives on my skin.

Shame crashed over me from every direction.

I bit my lip hard, refusing to make a sound.

I looked at Dane.

The man I loved for eight years had his back turned.

He was fixing Chloe's windblown hair.

He HEARD those disgusting comments. He KNEW what they were doing to me.

But he didn't turn around.

He let his buddies humiliate me in the most vile way possible.

The water pressure kept increasing.

My ears filled with a deafening roar.

My consciousness started slipping.

Just as I was about to black out completely—

The hose stopped.

I gasped for air, clinging to the pool wall, dry heaving.

Blondie dropped the hose. He and the other guys grabbed pool cues and walked to the edge.

Their faces twisted with sick amusement.

"Spraying water's boring."

Blondie poked my shoulder with the tip of his cue.

"Iris, how's the water? Having fun?"

The cue slid down from my shoulder.

His eyes roamed shamelessly over my ch//est.

"She's got great skin."

Another guy jabbed my back with his cue, spouting filth.

"Iris has got a killer body, huh?"

"Dane doesn't want you anymore. How about... giving us a shot?"

Blondie got bolder, trying to hook my collar with the cue.

"Stop hiding. Let the boys get a good look."

I used the last of my strength to grab the cue at my ch//est.

I glared up at them, teeth clenched.

"FUCK OFF."

Blondie flinched, then his face twisted with rage.

"b!tch still got attitude!"

He yanked the cue hard.

It sliced my palm open. Blood dripped into the water.

Chloe stood nearby, laughing hysterically, snapping photos with her phone.

"Oh my god, Iris looks SO fierce! I'm posting this everywhere!"

"Caption: 'Drowned Rat's Last Stand.' Perfect!"

I looked at Dane.

He was lighting a cigar, slow and deliberate.

Through the sm0ke, his eyes looked at me like I was a stranger.

I was completely out of strength.

A trickle of blood ran from the corner of my mouth.

Dane finally walked to the edge. He kicked Blondie's cue away.

"Alright, don't kill her."

"Iris, just beg me."

"Stay in your lane from now on. Be my woman in the shadows. Never interfere with me and Chloe again. Stop pissing her off."

"Do that, and I'll pull you out."

Be his secret mistress?

Looking at his smug face, I suddenly laughed.

"Dane."

I stared into his eyes, voice steady and cold.

"If I survive this, I'll make you BEG for death. Every. Last. One of you."

Dane's face twitched, about to snap back—

"BANG!!!"

A deafening crash came from the villa entrance.

A squad of men in black stormed in.

Each one carried two barrels of industrial glue.

They walked straight toward us.

"IRIS! I'M HERE!"

Help. I'm looking for this novel.