My Ex’s Dad: The Best Plot Twist Ever

Chapter 2; Consider Us Done

Cielo POV.

Just as my eyes began to roll back and I let myself drift downward, I heard one more sound—another splash, loud and close, cutting through the silence. Then strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me upward, rushing toward the light.

A soft, rhythmic beeping hummed somewhere far away, mixed with the faint rustle of fabric and the cool touch of air against my damp skin. My eyelids felt heavy, as if weighed down by water and exhaustion, and every breath I drew still carried the faint, bitter taste of pool water. Slowly, painfully, I forced my eyes open.

A soft, rhythmic beeping hummed somewhere far away, mixed with the faint rustle of fabric and the cool touch of air against my damp skin. My eyelids felt heavy, as if weighed down by water and exhaustion, and every breath I drew still carried the faint, bitter taste of pool water. Slowly, painfully, I forced my eyes open.

The first thing I saw was a pair of eyes—deep, striking blue, like the calm center of a storm, staring straight into mine. They were intense, sharp, and yet held a flicker of something unreadable, something that made my breath catch in my throat.

For a heartbeat, everything else faded away. The sinking, the cold, the pain in my chest… all of it vanished. I was completely captivated.

I’d never seen eyes like these before—bright, vivid, and holding me as if I was the only thing in the world right then. I stared back, dazed, my mind going blank, forgetting every hurt, every betrayal, every second of what had happened just moments ago.

Then a voice exploded through the air.

“CIELO!”

Lance’s shout sliced through the fog. Instantly, every memory crashed back—brutal and clear.

Five o’clock sunset. Margaret’s taunt. The pool yanking me under. Me thrashing, choking, screaming silently for him. Him diving in… and swimming straight past me. Straight to her. He hauled Margaret up, held her tight, whispered to her, while I sank deeper, lungs burning, strength draining away.

I tore my eyes from the stranger’s and turned my head.

Lance knelt beside me, soaked and pale. His hands shook as they reached for me. “I didn’t know— I never realized you couldn’t swim—”

Lies. He knew. He’d known for two years.

I flinched hard, pulling away from his touch. I glanced past him. Margaret stood wrapped in a towel, sobbing like she was the victim. Lance never even looked at the man leaning over me—the one who’d saved me, the one whose breath I still felt lingering on my lips, the one who had just watched me cough up every drop of water that nearly killed me.

Those blue eyes still watched me, steady and knowing. I understood then, sharp and heavy: Lance didn’t save me. He never intended to. He chose her, right when my life hung in the balance.

I propped myself up on my elbows, water still dripping from my hair and clothes. My eyes locked onto Lance first—hard, burning, unyielding. Every lie, every second I drowned, every bit of love I wasted on him exploded into pure, blazing rage. I didn’t hide it. I glared at him like he was the worst thing I’d ever laid eyes on.

I was never the type to swallow hurt or stay quiet when I was wronged. I wouldn’t let them act like nothing happened, like I was just some minor thing they could discard.

I shoved Lance hard in the chest. He stumbled back, stunned, hands raised like he wanted to speak, but I spun away from him instantly. My focus shifted to Margaret—still wrapped in a towel, sniffling, playing the poor victim perfectly.

I marched straight up to her. Before she could even register what I was doing, my hand swung fast and sharp.

SMACK!

My palm cracked hard against her right cheek. Her head snapped to the side. Gasps erupted all around us, loud and sharp, but I didn’t stop. I drew my hand back again and struck her just as hard on the left cheek.

SMACK!

Her head jerked the other way. She froze, eyes wide, face red and stinging.

Silence crashed over the whole garden. Every guest stood still, mouths open, staring in shock. Lance stood frozen, horror written all over his face. Margaret stared back at me, shocked silent, tears stopping instantly.

I breathed hard, chest heaving, my hands still stinging. I didn’t flinch, didn’t look away. I let everyone see exactly what I thought of their little game. No more pretending. No more silence. I made them pay, right there in front of everyone.

Lance snapped out of his shock first. He rushed to Margaret, wrapped an arm tight around her shoulders, and spun on me, eyes blazing with rage.

“How could you do that?!” he shouted, voice cracking. “How could you hurt her like that? It’s not her fault I saved her first! It was my choice—mine alone! She didn’t do anything to you!”

That was it. Every bit of patience I had left shattered. I stepped forward and swung my arm hard.

SMACK!

The sound rang sharp across the garden. Lance’s head jerked sideways. He stared at me, stunned, hand pressed to his cheek.

“I slapped her,” I bit out, voice cold and sharp, “not because you saved her. I slapped her because she grabbed my wrist and dragged me into that pool—just to prove her stupid claim that you’d pick her over your own girlfriend. She staged the whole thing just to rub it in my face.”

I looked him dead in the eye, no regret, no hesitation.

“And for the record—don’t worry about me being your girlfriend anymore. Consider us done. You’re free now.”

Lance froze. His mouth fell open. He looked completely blindsided, like he never imagined I’d be the one to end it.

Margaret wiped her tears, stepped out from his hold, and spoke in a soft, trembling voice that carried everywhere.

“I really didn’t want to say anything… I didn’t want to cause trouble. But it hurts that you’d lie like that, Cielo. Everyone saw it. You were the one who got angry, you were the one who grabbed me and pushed me in… all because you were jealous of how close Lance and I are. You tried to hurt me, then made up a story to blame me.”

She sobbed, big tears rolling down her cheeks, and leaned into Lance’s side.

Lance’s face hardened instantly. He turned back to me, disgust and disappointment written all over him.

“I can’t believe you,” he spat. “I’m so disappointed in you. I never thought you’d be this cruel, this petty, this jealous.”

I didn’t even flinch. I didn’t care about his disappointment. I didn’t care about anything he said or felt anymore. He’d chosen her the moment he swam past me. He chose her the moment he believed her lies over the truth I’d lived through.

“Save your words,” I said flatly. “I’m leaving.”

I turned to walk away, but Lance lunged forward and grabbed my arm hard, fingers digging in. “You’re not going anywhere until you apologize to her—”

Before he could pull me closer, a strong arm wrapped firmly around my waist and yanked me back, away from his grip. I was pulled instantly behind a broad, solid chest.