The 99th True Heart Test of My Fiancé

The day before my wedding, Sarah, my fiancée, decided to test my love.She invited both our families onto a cruise.Out on the choppy water, she pushed my mom overboard.Then, she jumped in herself.I was torn, panicked.My mom, already swallowing water, weakly pushed me away.“Save Sarah first! She’s your fiancée!”I dragged Sarah back onto the deck.When I turned to look for my mom, she was gone.Sarah watched me cry, a cold look in her eyes.“Stop pretending, your mom was a competitive swimmer, she can’t drown.”“You didn’t save me first, Alex was right, you don’t love me enough.”“We’re postponing the wedding. When you’ve thought about this and apologized, along with your mom, we'll talk.”She left, arm in arm with her childhood friend, Alex.She didn't know that years ago, an illness had left my mom unable to swim.This push had killed her.When they pulled my mom’s body from the water, she was cold and lifeless.I held her, shaking, trying to wake her, but she didn’t move.Sarah walked over impatiently and nudged my mom’s hand with her foot.“Stop the act! Everyone knows your mom’s a pro swimmer, a few waves can’t kill her.”“Even if you try to guilt me, I won’t let this go easily.”“I can’t stand liars. The man I marry has to love me completely, put me first. You’ve disappointed me.”My mom didn't react to the kick.A flicker of uncertainty crossed Sarah’s face.She started to bend down, but Alex stepped in front of her.He looked at my mom’s pale face and scoffed.“She looks fine to me, not like she’s dying at all.”He patted Sarah’s shoulder, acting like he knew everything.“I’ve heard these swimmers can hold their breath for ages, like two or three minutes, easy.”“I bet they’re both in on it, trying to intimidate you. So you’ll be under their thumb after the wedding.”Sarah hesitated, her hands clenched.She slowly turned to me.“Michael, is this true?”She cut me off before I could answer.“Don’t bother explaining, I can’t trust anything you say right now.”“As punishment, we’re postponing the wedding for six months. When you learn how to love me properly, I'll reconsider.”She turned and left with Alex, not looking back.Then, I felt my mom’s finger twitch in my arms.I felt a surge of hope, like grabbing a lifeline.I scrambled after Sarah.“Mom’s alive! We can still save her!”“There’s no hospital here on the island, please, call your private doctor, just let them take a look!”She didn’t react, so I pleaded again.“Remember how good she was to you? She treated you like her own daughter, brought you food during the flu outbreak, even with the lockdown! She wouldn’t hurt you! She wouldn’t try to control you!”Sarah seemed to waver, her steps faltering.She studied me for a long moment, then finally agreed.“Fine. I’ll call the doctor.”Alex tried to stop her.“Sarah, you don’t have to…”Sarah cut him off.“This is my last chance for you, Michael. If the doctor says your mom’s fine, you’ll both pay for this.”I nodded frantically. A doctor was coming, that was all that mattered.But a...