The Poolside Unraveling

Elena adjusted her straw **hat**, pulling the brim lower to hide the eyes that had revealed too much over breakfast. Across the resort courtyard, Richard sat with Tom — his oldest **friend**, his business partner, the man who'd sworn the **bull** market would never turn on them. Now, three months and two million dollars later, they were drinking mimosas like nothing had changed.

The papaya on Elena's plate glistened with tropical sweetness, but her stomach churned. She'd ordered it because Richard loved exotic fruits, because she was still playing the part of the supportive wife who enjoyed luxury getaways. Their villa cost more per night than her mother made in a year, and Richard had paid with a credit card that was surely maxed out by now.

She stood up, the patio chair scraping loudly against the tile deck. The infinity pool beckoned — **swimming** had always been her escape, the one place where thoughts could dissolve into weightlessness. She stepped into the cool water, fully dressed, the linen skirt billowing around her like a white surrender flag.

Behind her, Richard's laughter rang out — that confident, entitled sound that had made her fall in love with him twenty years ago, now grating against her nerves. Tom's deeper chuckle joined in. They were discussing a new venture, something about crypto, another chance to reclaim their former glory.

Elena dove beneath the surface. The silence was absolute. She stayed under as long as her breath held, wondering what would happen if she never came up. Wondered if Richard would even notice before the check arrived.

When she surfaced, gasping, Richard was standing at the pool's edge, his expression unreadable. "Your friend Tom thinks we should leverage the house," he said. "One last play to recover everything."

Elena treaded water, watching the man she'd spent two decades building a life with. The hat floated on the surface beside her, jaunty and absurd. "I'm done leveraging things we don't have," she said, and swam toward the opposite edge.