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.211Please respect copyright.PENANAz3Bw9yhkXh
"She didn't just vanish. She jumped. During a hurricane. And never came back."211Please respect copyright.PENANAeutALmXJOW
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.211Please respect copyright.PENANA99tGXffnrW
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.211Please respect copyright.PENANAjrSLaQET9r
She had to go back.211Please respect copyright.PENANAfaOx7ybmr7
The cave had called to her once, and she needed to know why.211Please respect copyright.PENANAVFN2sQu1JK
As she climbed out the window and into the cool night, she didn't notice the figure sleeping in the car across the street.211Please respect copyright.PENANA5L75u3BcJp
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.211Please respect copyright.PENANAtJIGAKtipU
When he saw movement from her window, his exhaustion vanished.211Please respect copyright.PENANAd40eolb3bv
His breath caught as Chrissy slipped into the night, her movements careful, purposeful.211Please respect copyright.PENANAonK4QSM3qV
Nick cursed under his breath, grabbing his jacket. Where the hell is she going?211Please respect copyright.PENANAiBL7B7WDqe
Without hesitation, he got out of the car and followed.211Please respect copyright.PENANAw8KtT21g3E
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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.211Please respect copyright.PENANAvQDnoa7FOF
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.211Please respect copyright.PENANAbTobQAnMmr
Nick arrived just in time to see her disappear beneath the surface.211Please respect copyright.PENANAyYvdYBLn4y
His heart stopped.211Please respect copyright.PENANAfW6EdavFXH
"Chrissy—"211Please respect copyright.PENANAaNaiw7UcHM
Without thinking, he tore off his jacket and ran into the waves.211Please respect copyright.PENANAU8KEaUpRmB
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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.211Please respect copyright.PENANAL0YNufuqA1
Deeper.211Please respect copyright.PENANA4HOc9AvNh8
More alive.211Please respect copyright.PENANA1tm3f32TCb
She ran her fingers along the walls, feeling the smooth stone beneath her palm. Then, something caught her eye.211Please respect copyright.PENANAfGNlEFRRDm
A small, glinting object, half-buried in the rock.211Please respect copyright.PENANAhpDjbk0icI
She reached out, brushing away the damp sand.211Please respect copyright.PENANALk9gZTT4nM
A gemstone.211Please respect copyright.PENANAwjLvgU4HUB
A deep blue sapphire, its edges perfectly shaped, like it had been waiting to be found.211Please respect copyright.PENANA3MRS964vun
Her chest tightened as she turned it over in her palm, realization crashing over her like a wave.211Please respect copyright.PENANAlHAhx0TLrG
It was the missing piece.211Please respect copyright.PENANAnILcFcuLq0
The empty setting in her necklace.211Please respect copyright.PENANAeXevwzB9q6
Before she could process it, she heard movement behind her.211Please respect copyright.PENANA4T2Rv3707m
She spun just as Nick hauled himself out of the water, breathless and dripping.211Please respect copyright.PENANApHbzmouloM
"Nick?" Her voice wavered.211Please respect copyright.PENANAhkzH9nm1NQ
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?"211Please respect copyright.PENANAJGugeAc9Qq
Chrissy gaped at him. "I—I needed to come back here."211Please respect copyright.PENANAMTypIZO5jb
"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.211Please respect copyright.PENANAnn7B9pBPWW
Chrissy clenched her fists. "I had to come back." She held up the sapphire, her voice shaking. "I found this."211Please respect copyright.PENANAdLJDRZwfwl
Nick's anger wavered as he glanced at the gemstone, but his frustration didn't fade. "Chrissy, you almost drowned two days ago. You—"211Please respect copyright.PENANAoaegqohUix
She wasn't listening.211Please respect copyright.PENANAXiBOvfR1ZH
Her breaths were coming quicker now, her grip on the sapphire tightening. "Nick, I think—I think she was my mother."211Please respect copyright.PENANAuJ7GSrUKLN
Nick blinked. "What?"211Please respect copyright.PENANALXOQNBBsPP
"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."211Please respect copyright.PENANAkhNV9CfyZG
Nick's anger vanished. "Chrissy..."211Please respect copyright.PENANAAhmcY9tx5h
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?"211Please respect copyright.PENANA8BfQVfmrxR
Nick's chest tightened as he watched her unravel.211Please respect copyright.PENANAl2SHKXAbID
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.211Please respect copyright.PENANAh4XA9gxloG
She was spiraling.211Please respect copyright.PENANArC57H2tvM2
"Chrissy."211Please respect copyright.PENANAGDBczGCQV9
She didn't stop. "I need to know the truth! I need to know why they kept this from me! Why my whole life—"211Please respect copyright.PENANAwpXcF06wY3
"Chrissy—"211Please respect copyright.PENANAjEUIhEJYiu
"I need—"211Please respect copyright.PENANA1QihofB1s5
He grabbed her face and kissed her.211Please respect copyright.PENANAmeUExmAiHL
The cave was silent except for the distant sound of waves as her breath hitched against his.211Please respect copyright.PENANAeVITTEAfHR
It wasn't a rushed, desperate kiss. It was firm, steady. A grounding force against the storm inside her.211Please respect copyright.PENANAglrnFxibyU
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.211Please respect copyright.PENANAWKctjYvV9H
When they finally pulled apart, her lips parted in a shaky breath.211Please respect copyright.PENANANyE3Bzvz2O
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."211Please respect copyright.PENANAGdlmZWpTY7
Her eyes fluttered shut as she tried to catch up with her own thoughts.211Please respect copyright.PENANAmkm7yzx4OH
Her heart was pounding.211Please respect copyright.PENANAv0kJn9Jv1V
Nick's thumb brushed her cheek before he pulled back slightly, searching her face.211Please respect copyright.PENANAAqwq9DCAgA
Chrissy swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you—Did you do that just to shut me up?"211Please respect copyright.PENANAXQ0pXufFfp
Nick exhaled a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "No."211Please respect copyright.PENANABmpxRiTo1m
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The walk home was a blur. Neither of them spoke.211Please respect copyright.PENANAICxcw1p7OE
When they got back to her room, she hesitated before pulling the necklace over her head, holding it in her palm.211Please respect copyright.PENANA6RxMM16gey
Nick sat at her desk, watching quietly as she gently pressed the sapphire into the empty setting.211Please respect copyright.PENANAg8sGYll9q1
The moment it clicked into place—211Please respect copyright.PENANAoAOMbDwoNp
A bright, silvery light burst from the necklace, flooding the room in a warm glow.211Please respect copyright.PENANA359W5V2Nqd
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.211Please respect copyright.PENANAuzGAprz3mv
They were left in darkness again, the room silent.211Please respect copyright.PENANAHyZ850HLT5
Nick let out a breath. "Okay. That definitely wasn't normal."211Please respect copyright.PENANA1WjThoVQgT
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.211Please respect copyright.PENANAtaXdpXqbQf
Did he kiss me because he wanted to... or just to quiet me down?211Please respect copyright.PENANAmTkcaq7ePT
Nick didn't say anything.211Please respect copyright.PENANAVJiCmMI2lA
And she didn't ask.211Please respect copyright.PENANAalle20qToe
But as she lay awake that night, the sapphire warm against her chest, she knew one thing for sure.211Please respect copyright.PENANALsWBEGqMg5
Something had changed.211Please respect copyright.PENANA0iMl2VHwK7
And there was no going back now.211Please respect copyright.PENANAyG5ZAelYtn