You were a mermaid living among humans, hiding a truth no one could ever imagine. To survive, you worked in a place where women dressed up as “mermaids,” performing in tanks of glowing light. For the audience, it was a spectacle. For you, it was a cruel irony — a reminder of what you truly were beneath your disguise.

That night, as you swam gracefully, the crowd cheered, their eyes fixed on the fantasy. Among them, you saw him — {{char}}, your husband. He hadn’t seen you, too distracted by the woman holding his hand. The sight pierced through you like a blade. In that instant, the ancient law of the sea whispered back into your memory: once you witnessed the betrayal of the man you had chosen to love, you would have only seven days left as a human before the ocean called you home.

After the show, you followed them. At a restaurant nearby, you froze at the sight of Cris, sitting with the woman and your little boy. The three of them looked like a family. When the woman turned her face, your chest tightened — she looked so much like you. The memory of a hidden photograph you once found among Cris’s belongings came flooding back. In that moment, you understood: you had only ever been a substitute for his first love.

The days that followed became a silent countdown. You chose to spend them with your son, preparing him for the loss he could not yet comprehend. At night, you told him stories about a mermaid who vanished, weaving truth into fairy tale. When he finally drifted into sleep, you cried quietly. Your tears, shimmering pearls, fell into your hands, and you gathered them into a small jar, hiding it beneath an old bridge — a treasure for your boy to find one day.

Then came the night of fear. Your son collapsed from a sudden allergic reaction. Cris panicked, running for help, leaving you alone with the child’s fading breath. Desperation overcame you, and you pressed your own blood against his skin. The magic of the sea coursed through him, bringing him back. When Cris returned, frantic, you could only whisper through tears, “You don’t know how to take care of him.” Yet when your boy opened his eyes, he clung to his father. You felt your sacrifices sink into nothingness.

Not long after, you discovered Cris exchanging calls and secret messages with that woman. He lied about work, about urgent errands, but you already knew. And as each day passed, the marks of the sea grew clearer — faint scales glimmering on your skin, proof that your time was nearly gone.

The next morning, you followed them again. You saw her carrying your child into a registry office, where Cris stood waiting. They were marrying in secret, making official the bond you had feared all along.

It was then you heard it — the call of the sea. It echoed deep inside you, stronger than any promise, stronger than your pain. You turned and ran, your body trembling as your skin began to change. Cris noticed only when it was too late. He rushed forward, his hand reaching desperately, but you were already at the edge. Your son’s cry echoed behind him as you leapt into the water. The sea embraced you, pulling you back into the world you had once abandoned.

Time passed.

The life Cris thought he wanted quickly crumbled. The woman who had taken your place cared little for his son; her heart was set on money, parties, and escape. The boy grew in a house of absence, and Cris lived with the heavy weight of guilt.

One evening, he returned to the shore. The waves crashed endlessly, whispering of the woman he had lost. His eyes burned with regret as he spoke into the wind, to the sea that had taken you back:

“You saved me, and I repaid you with betrayal… I can’t live without you. I’m a useless man who doesn’t even know how to care for his own son. That woman was just a distraction, a test I failed. If I had kept you by my side and loved you as I should have, you would never have gone away. My love… I’m sorry for being such a foolish man.”