Chapter 8: The Truth Beneath the Waves
Chrissy lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind refusing to settle. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the lighthouse. The storm. The woman plunging into the sea. Kyle's words echoed in her head.223Please respect copyright.PENANAL5VECrUgOp
"She didn't just vanish. She jumped. During a hurricane. And never came back."223Please respect copyright.PENANADKnqHmdCs7
Her fingers curled around the necklace at her throat. She had spent her whole life feeling like something was missing. A part of her that she could never quite name. But now, with every new discovery, she felt herself being pulled closer to a truth she wasn't sure she was ready for.223Please respect copyright.PENANAjvdo2rRCxu
With a quiet breath, she sat up and pushed back her blankets. Her room was dark, the soft glow of the streetlight outside casting shadows across her floor. She moved quickly, slipping on her jacket and sneakers before easing the window open.223Please respect copyright.PENANAAdfiQYx5N1
She had to go back.223Please respect copyright.PENANAJGl4c5A05Y
The cave had called to her once, and she needed to know why.223Please respect copyright.PENANAPW7aTnburl
As she climbed out the window and into the cool night, she didn't notice the figure sleeping in the car across the street.223Please respect copyright.PENANAOHdjOqQ8KZ
Nick had been parked outside her house for hours, arms crossed over his chest, attempting to rest but never quite letting himself fall asleep. He had been on edge ever since the hurricane. Ever since he'd nearly lost her.223Please respect copyright.PENANAlMoKugkgCn
When he saw movement from her window, his exhaustion vanished.223Please respect copyright.PENANAvhiaFANrV7
His breath caught as Chrissy slipped into the night, her movements careful, purposeful.223Please respect copyright.PENANAAwroPxaiVL
Nick cursed under his breath, grabbing his jacket. Where the hell is she going?223Please respect copyright.PENANAxAfMclbSqo
Without hesitation, he got out of the car and followed.223Please respect copyright.PENANAoafBSsEQok
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Chrissy reached the shoreline quickly, the waves crashing gently against the sand. The moon hung low in the sky, its silver light illuminating the water. She didn't stop to think.223Please respect copyright.PENANAjFQC2kweYh
She stepped into the surf, the cold biting at her skin as she waded in deeper, her breath hitching as the current tugged at her. But she didn't fight it. She let it pull her forward, her body cutting through the water as she swam toward the hidden cave.223Please respect copyright.PENANAvPwTAahSSG
Nick arrived just in time to see her disappear beneath the surface.223Please respect copyright.PENANAY7KnnBGy00
His heart stopped.223Please respect copyright.PENANA4quBW9IHom
"Chrissy—"223Please respect copyright.PENANAt5y4609XQk
Without thinking, he tore off his jacket and ran into the waves.223Please respect copyright.PENANA65obPGRUxH
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Chrissy surfaced inside the cave, gasping as she pulled herself onto the rocky ledge. Water dripped from her clothes, her breath uneven. The cave felt different this time.223Please respect copyright.PENANAZ61urVLlWb
Deeper.223Please respect copyright.PENANAlGYrVPp3k8
More alive.223Please respect copyright.PENANAjGOfPsInIj
She ran her fingers along the walls, feeling the smooth stone beneath her palm. Then, something caught her eye.223Please respect copyright.PENANAPLi3LxRfEl
A small, glinting object, half-buried in the rock.223Please respect copyright.PENANAl5n23KsqJb
She reached out, brushing away the damp sand.223Please respect copyright.PENANAyHvC4aV1NS
A gemstone.223Please respect copyright.PENANAibilJHT63q
A deep blue sapphire, its edges perfectly shaped, like it had been waiting to be found.223Please respect copyright.PENANAEG71QdnC1J
Her chest tightened as she turned it over in her palm, realization crashing over her like a wave.223Please respect copyright.PENANANQaq6qZDni
It was the missing piece.223Please respect copyright.PENANAgv9mekghem
The empty setting in her necklace.223Please respect copyright.PENANADfn8pnijA6
Before she could process it, she heard movement behind her.223Please respect copyright.PENANAGV538Bw7Wg
She spun just as Nick hauled himself out of the water, breathless and dripping.223Please respect copyright.PENANAQTX2B5mwv5
"Nick?" Her voice wavered.223Please respect copyright.PENANASIhwmmhrBq
He was soaked, his hair a mess, his eyes burning with frustration. "Are you insane?" he snapped, striding toward her. "You just—just vanished into the ocean! Do you even know what could've happened to you?"223Please respect copyright.PENANAgaPzoLgKll
Chrissy gaped at him. "I—I needed to come back here."223Please respect copyright.PENANA27oim7S4Bv
"In the middle of the night?" His voice was rising, his hands running through his wet hair in exasperation. "Do you even think about what you put me through? I thought you—" He broke off, shaking his head.223Please respect copyright.PENANAuJiptaEtRk
Chrissy clenched her fists. "I had to come back." She held up the sapphire, her voice shaking. "I found this."223Please respect copyright.PENANA1UeFshsXJu
Nick's anger wavered as he glanced at the gemstone, but his frustration didn't fade. "Chrissy, you almost drowned two days ago. You—"223Please respect copyright.PENANAEokeM3F2pX
She wasn't listening.223Please respect copyright.PENANA5awdX9gBZq
Her breaths were coming quicker now, her grip on the sapphire tightening. "Nick, I think—I think she was my mother."223Please respect copyright.PENANAUOq6wrt522
Nick blinked. "What?"223Please respect copyright.PENANAz8YiK59Fe8
"The woman in the lighthouse. The one who disappeared. I think she was my mother. And the lighthouse keeper—" She swallowed hard. "I think he was my father."223Please respect copyright.PENANAW2qPwzsO8O
Nick's anger vanished. "Chrissy..."223Please respect copyright.PENANARpjlBuNLwN
She took a shaky breath, the words pouring out of her like a flood. "It makes sense, doesn't it? Why else would I be so drawn to this place? Why do I look like her? Why is my necklace connected to all of this?" Her voice cracked. "And what if my adoptive family knew? What if they knew the truth this whole time and never told me?"223Please respect copyright.PENANAqdtLbM2wbD
Nick's chest tightened as he watched her unravel.223Please respect copyright.PENANAhGrlr1GcWK
Her breathing was uneven, her hands trembling. He could see the weight of everything crashing down on her all at once—the questions, the doubt, the fear of what it all meant.223Please respect copyright.PENANALEBVt0rdRH
She was spiraling.223Please respect copyright.PENANA1DuJYmoeGs
"Chrissy."223Please respect copyright.PENANA2O8FN0oTQy
She didn't stop. "I need to know the truth! I need to know why they kept this from me! Why my whole life—"223Please respect copyright.PENANAtu5Hg9uM7a
"Chrissy—"223Please respect copyright.PENANAgiF1DMGMhI
"I need—"223Please respect copyright.PENANAbDA8UMbBai
He grabbed her face and kissed her.223Please respect copyright.PENANAjlWNM9uDtX
The cave was silent except for the distant sound of waves as her breath hitched against his.223Please respect copyright.PENANAZEj7EmWW09
It wasn't a rushed, desperate kiss. It was firm, steady. A grounding force against the storm inside her.223Please respect copyright.PENANAqrXbrae9Jm
Nick felt her stiffen, but then—slowly—she melted into him. Her hands clenched the front of his damp shirt as she let herself fall into the moment, into him.223Please respect copyright.PENANASzxium2Zix
When they finally pulled apart, her lips parted in a shaky breath.223Please respect copyright.PENANAazNrCMG7gB
Nick rested his forehead against hers, his hands still cradling her face. "I need you to breathe, okay?" His voice was soft now. Steady. "Just breathe."223Please respect copyright.PENANAp5kp0iNJXk
Her eyes fluttered shut as she tried to catch up with her own thoughts.223Please respect copyright.PENANA9JkGK2AFTc
Her heart was pounding.223Please respect copyright.PENANAhkhhYWdMeH
Nick's thumb brushed her cheek before he pulled back slightly, searching her face.223Please respect copyright.PENANAYDkWEc0Q7h
Chrissy swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you—Did you do that just to shut me up?"223Please respect copyright.PENANABzvYc2TCte
Nick exhaled a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "No."223Please respect copyright.PENANANZSWJWRTTm
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The walk home was a blur. Neither of them spoke.223Please respect copyright.PENANAppXT71rnOi
When they got back to her room, she hesitated before pulling the necklace over her head, holding it in her palm.223Please respect copyright.PENANAGovUTbJNcC
Nick sat at her desk, watching quietly as she gently pressed the sapphire into the empty setting.223Please respect copyright.PENANA92H9ZLmr3E
The moment it clicked into place—223Please respect copyright.PENANAkm06XbHCgA
A bright, silvery light burst from the necklace, flooding the room in a warm glow.223Please respect copyright.PENANABZhDz3hMqT
Chrissy gasped as the light wrapped around her skin, sinking into her like a pulse. Nick flinched, shielding his eyes. Then, just as quickly as it had come, it was gone.223Please respect copyright.PENANAHcPB1LTNos
They were left in darkness again, the room silent.223Please respect copyright.PENANADWzPVXwdW0
Nick let out a breath. "Okay. That definitely wasn't normal."223Please respect copyright.PENANACIjdeVQksL
Chrissy's fingers trembled against the now-cool metal. She looked up at him, her mind racing with a hundred thoughts, but one stood out above the rest.223Please respect copyright.PENANAjQXN9eGlb4
Did he kiss me because he wanted to... or just to quiet me down?223Please respect copyright.PENANA2sPVU6Zozh
Nick didn't say anything.223Please respect copyright.PENANA3nucSCrL7D
And she didn't ask.223Please respect copyright.PENANAPwVkKKFnAx
But as she lay awake that night, the sapphire warm against her chest, she knew one thing for sure.223Please respect copyright.PENANAk9HKgnF79t
Something had changed.223Please respect copyright.PENANAZAKlsSpXwx
And there was no going back now.223Please respect copyright.PENANAvDwFNi7BwK