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.214Please respect copyright.PENANAlXwtrSZEjT
"She didn't just vanish. She jumped. During a hurricane. And never came back."214Please respect copyright.PENANANHQZvI4lMY
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.214Please respect copyright.PENANAuVLgKwdMJS
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.214Please respect copyright.PENANA8FDpSFcJ7p
She had to go back.214Please respect copyright.PENANACDkT53ZKvY
The cave had called to her once, and she needed to know why.214Please respect copyright.PENANAQe8zaRNT3S
As she climbed out the window and into the cool night, she didn't notice the figure sleeping in the car across the street.214Please respect copyright.PENANA5MPfWYkMQe
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.214Please respect copyright.PENANAERSBWyaorF
When he saw movement from her window, his exhaustion vanished.214Please respect copyright.PENANAtR0wHy52oM
His breath caught as Chrissy slipped into the night, her movements careful, purposeful.214Please respect copyright.PENANAJ5Ljv4Cz6b
Nick cursed under his breath, grabbing his jacket. Where the hell is she going?214Please respect copyright.PENANAE1mRhN6H06
Without hesitation, he got out of the car and followed.214Please respect copyright.PENANA9MKrZXjaY6
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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.214Please respect copyright.PENANAe8rmIXn5SE
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.214Please respect copyright.PENANAmxbTWQv56S
Nick arrived just in time to see her disappear beneath the surface.214Please respect copyright.PENANASdHAoLAdLV
His heart stopped.214Please respect copyright.PENANAB7tmwGgc9j
"Chrissy—"214Please respect copyright.PENANAL9T5yVYaqU
Without thinking, he tore off his jacket and ran into the waves.214Please respect copyright.PENANAmZ0XVVdTxP
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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.214Please respect copyright.PENANA8sKhWkgmM9
Deeper.214Please respect copyright.PENANA8VxIIQk9F5
More alive.214Please respect copyright.PENANAFjcwc05JB7
She ran her fingers along the walls, feeling the smooth stone beneath her palm. Then, something caught her eye.214Please respect copyright.PENANAkrLySjns5G
A small, glinting object, half-buried in the rock.214Please respect copyright.PENANAJqmsV4nBoy
She reached out, brushing away the damp sand.214Please respect copyright.PENANAWWYqd9G0ma
A gemstone.214Please respect copyright.PENANAjyW79OcwgK
A deep blue sapphire, its edges perfectly shaped, like it had been waiting to be found.214Please respect copyright.PENANAYWi5xQW3as
Her chest tightened as she turned it over in her palm, realization crashing over her like a wave.214Please respect copyright.PENANAyeh1pxmSE5
It was the missing piece.214Please respect copyright.PENANAdLZP9AnC6Z
The empty setting in her necklace.214Please respect copyright.PENANATWQ84e9N0Z
Before she could process it, she heard movement behind her.214Please respect copyright.PENANA8LoapFC9ZS
She spun just as Nick hauled himself out of the water, breathless and dripping.214Please respect copyright.PENANAAeLlWZljSD
"Nick?" Her voice wavered.214Please respect copyright.PENANATFFrkydIRZ
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?"214Please respect copyright.PENANAFihqIGhnZI
Chrissy gaped at him. "I—I needed to come back here."214Please respect copyright.PENANAym33iobolP
"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.214Please respect copyright.PENANANe07MGBTfJ
Chrissy clenched her fists. "I had to come back." She held up the sapphire, her voice shaking. "I found this."214Please respect copyright.PENANAJScWxYtgtY
Nick's anger wavered as he glanced at the gemstone, but his frustration didn't fade. "Chrissy, you almost drowned two days ago. You—"214Please respect copyright.PENANAZY1LKrYuCE
She wasn't listening.214Please respect copyright.PENANAbTPxJHpcaw
Her breaths were coming quicker now, her grip on the sapphire tightening. "Nick, I think—I think she was my mother."214Please respect copyright.PENANAw8sX2kJ1WD
Nick blinked. "What?"214Please respect copyright.PENANAyCWwaUhdAk
"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."214Please respect copyright.PENANANfqrsrzu5F
Nick's anger vanished. "Chrissy..."214Please respect copyright.PENANAEoUqiwgZgz
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?"214Please respect copyright.PENANA6pYgT0vAlA
Nick's chest tightened as he watched her unravel.214Please respect copyright.PENANARTPCi9qMgZ
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.214Please respect copyright.PENANApxRQjuZ9G7
She was spiraling.214Please respect copyright.PENANAIXzFLugItN
"Chrissy."214Please respect copyright.PENANAOQkiNTJ9nT
She didn't stop. "I need to know the truth! I need to know why they kept this from me! Why my whole life—"214Please respect copyright.PENANAymhvzVtza0
"Chrissy—"214Please respect copyright.PENANAbzQZdMhsSG
"I need—"214Please respect copyright.PENANAwRNwztw3H8
He grabbed her face and kissed her.214Please respect copyright.PENANAlZ8VkB6YWk
The cave was silent except for the distant sound of waves as her breath hitched against his.214Please respect copyright.PENANABqDf7XQaKc
It wasn't a rushed, desperate kiss. It was firm, steady. A grounding force against the storm inside her.214Please respect copyright.PENANA0KiYIiVmRW
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.214Please respect copyright.PENANAwdtPdlpCJ5
When they finally pulled apart, her lips parted in a shaky breath.214Please respect copyright.PENANA1MuIpf457V
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."214Please respect copyright.PENANAHyDowctb49
Her eyes fluttered shut as she tried to catch up with her own thoughts.214Please respect copyright.PENANAKJZbMRl0Co
Her heart was pounding.214Please respect copyright.PENANAKodTubdKsO
Nick's thumb brushed her cheek before he pulled back slightly, searching her face.214Please respect copyright.PENANALq6jbIA33t
Chrissy swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you—Did you do that just to shut me up?"214Please respect copyright.PENANAMT8HQEID2i
Nick exhaled a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "No."214Please respect copyright.PENANAOJQpVJLYh5
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The walk home was a blur. Neither of them spoke.214Please respect copyright.PENANACxPvlPdQtc
When they got back to her room, she hesitated before pulling the necklace over her head, holding it in her palm.214Please respect copyright.PENANAoC68DUmuYa
Nick sat at her desk, watching quietly as she gently pressed the sapphire into the empty setting.214Please respect copyright.PENANAouGBnzktFc
The moment it clicked into place—214Please respect copyright.PENANAkZWyrUjLRC
A bright, silvery light burst from the necklace, flooding the room in a warm glow.214Please respect copyright.PENANAH1fwZfvgYM
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.214Please respect copyright.PENANADAInE4vn5u
They were left in darkness again, the room silent.214Please respect copyright.PENANA03QTJE6yPa
Nick let out a breath. "Okay. That definitely wasn't normal."214Please respect copyright.PENANA2Dc7W47ML7
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.214Please respect copyright.PENANAM3lxJq31w0
Did he kiss me because he wanted to... or just to quiet me down?214Please respect copyright.PENANAm8eYoHGJNF
Nick didn't say anything.214Please respect copyright.PENANAbBXZqVMMDV
And she didn't ask.214Please respect copyright.PENANAGwVW9lqDC1
But as she lay awake that night, the sapphire warm against her chest, she knew one thing for sure.214Please respect copyright.PENANA3EyleAwwrH
Something had changed.214Please respect copyright.PENANAOCB2j7pVwh
And there was no going back now.214Please respect copyright.PENANA82bNelaKpV