Trapped in the Pool with a BROKEN ARM and I AM DONE Chapter 03
The manager’s voice rose sharply through the radio, stripped of its usual control.
“This isn’t a stunt!”
“Get over here now!”
“Bring the first-aid kit!”
Everett scoffed at the warning and deliberately switched off the radio.
He turned to Brielle and spread his hands helplessly.
“See? She even got the manager to play along.”
“She’ll do anything to force me to back down.”
Brielle slowly set down her fork and studied Everett with carefully measured concern.
“Everett, the manager is usually serious. I don’t think he would joke about this.”
“Maybe you should go see what happened.”
“If Maren is actually hurt, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Everett placed a piece of meat onto Brielle’s plate.
“Why would I regret anything?”
“She chose the path, and she jumped into that water herself.”
“She has two working legs and an advanced water-rescue certification. How could she drown in the pool where she works?”
“She planned this entire production because she knew I would eventually feel sorry for her.”
“If I go now, her behavior will only get worse.”
He lifted his bowl and drank the soup slowly, showing no trace of urgency.
“Finish eating. Afterward, I’ll use the employee café account to get you dessert.”
“You deserve something after that scare.”
My unseen spirit remained suspended above their heads throughout the entire meal.
I watched Everett’s calm, confident expression and wondered how certainty could make someone so cruel.
He remained convinced that I was playing some elaborate game to win him back.
He was certain I could never leave him.
The faith he placed in my devotion was almost laughable.
After lunch, Everett took Brielle to the employee café.
Without asking permission, he pulled my staff ID and rewards card from his pocket.
Then he handed it to the cafeteria attendant.
“One slice of Black Forest cake and two caramel macchiatos.”
The cafeteria attendant accepted the card and scanned it through the register.
“Everett, Maren spent more than six months saving these reward points.”
“She told me two days ago that she planned to trade them for a set of scuba gear.”
“You’re really spending them on dessert?”
Everett showed no guilt, and his expression did not change at all.
“What’s mine is hers, and what’s hers is mine.”
“It’s only scuba gear. I’ll buy her a better set later.”
“She won’t argue over a few reward points.”
Brielle stood beside him and spoke quietly.
“Everett, I don’t think we should use Maren’s points.”
Everett stroked her hair.
“There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“She frightened you, so consider the points her apology.”
Brielle carried the cake to a nearby table and began scrolling through the staff Slack channel on her phone.
Suddenly, her hand went still.
“Everett… look at this.”
She held the phone in front of him.
One of our coworkers had just posted a shaky video in the staff channel.
In the recording, long strips of yellow police tape had already been stretched around the deep end.
A familiar blue lifeguard jacket floated motionlessly on the dark surface of the water.
The caption read: [This is terrifying. They pulled something out of the wave pool, and the police are here.]
Everett barely glanced at the screen before dismissively pushing Brielle’s phone away.
“It’s just a rescue mannequin.”
“Maren bought it last month to practice underwater extractions.”
“She has really lost all sense of limits. Now she’s even hiring people to impersonate police officers.”
“When the real police arrive, she could spend a few nights in jail.”
At that moment, Everett’s phone rang again.
An unfamiliar number with a local area code appeared across the screen.
He answered the call.
“Hello. Am I speaking with Everett?”
“This is the Briarhaven Police Department.”
“There has been a fatal drowning in the deep end at Bluehaven Water Park. The victim was identified as Maren Hayes.”
“You need to come to the scene immediately and confirm her identity.”
I thought he would finally believe the truth.
Instead, he laughed coldly.
“Maren, if you’re going to hire actors, at least find someone convincing.”
“You expect me to believe this is the police department’s number?”
“Tell her that if she keeps this up, our relationship is over.”
He ended the call before the officer could explain anything further.
Then he powered off his phone.
