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.217Please respect copyright.PENANAYBZ5fOMR7p
"She didn't just vanish. She jumped. During a hurricane. And never came back."217Please respect copyright.PENANAPUaJy0d8qf
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.217Please respect copyright.PENANAAAH3rwoXNo
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.217Please respect copyright.PENANASH947VhCTh
She had to go back.217Please respect copyright.PENANAc7zZEYfIcV
The cave had called to her once, and she needed to know why.217Please respect copyright.PENANAt2UQYfIgLZ
As she climbed out the window and into the cool night, she didn't notice the figure sleeping in the car across the street.217Please respect copyright.PENANA9n2szAwu8R
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.217Please respect copyright.PENANADTjJ1Cx8wf
When he saw movement from her window, his exhaustion vanished.217Please respect copyright.PENANAQTuD2BK4Ol
His breath caught as Chrissy slipped into the night, her movements careful, purposeful.217Please respect copyright.PENANAz2smVzgVbT
Nick cursed under his breath, grabbing his jacket. Where the hell is she going?217Please respect copyright.PENANASEq0JVkIe3
Without hesitation, he got out of the car and followed.217Please respect copyright.PENANAcLGLEDrvKm
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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.217Please respect copyright.PENANAQqnPwqcH9v
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.217Please respect copyright.PENANAmxr2NOOtF9
Nick arrived just in time to see her disappear beneath the surface.217Please respect copyright.PENANAUiVFBeZj0F
His heart stopped.217Please respect copyright.PENANAY5og1WMPMm
"Chrissy—"217Please respect copyright.PENANA6CJQf3p5w7
Without thinking, he tore off his jacket and ran into the waves.217Please respect copyright.PENANAS3LUg7ph8S
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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.217Please respect copyright.PENANAKfocnqGNuS
Deeper.217Please respect copyright.PENANAIrP8NWQwPo
More alive.217Please respect copyright.PENANAza8x9HRd0H
She ran her fingers along the walls, feeling the smooth stone beneath her palm. Then, something caught her eye.217Please respect copyright.PENANAErm5ec1c7l
A small, glinting object, half-buried in the rock.217Please respect copyright.PENANA17RWxe5YcC
She reached out, brushing away the damp sand.217Please respect copyright.PENANAOtpr1pU08Z
A gemstone.217Please respect copyright.PENANAHbMZP0bGKq
A deep blue sapphire, its edges perfectly shaped, like it had been waiting to be found.217Please respect copyright.PENANAmswG1ni9cM
Her chest tightened as she turned it over in her palm, realization crashing over her like a wave.217Please respect copyright.PENANA1sgkFnUTMn
It was the missing piece.217Please respect copyright.PENANAzLtuTCBaRl
The empty setting in her necklace.217Please respect copyright.PENANAfrMO6iz7Ig
Before she could process it, she heard movement behind her.217Please respect copyright.PENANAVhvMAp0Xhf
She spun just as Nick hauled himself out of the water, breathless and dripping.217Please respect copyright.PENANAdemhFU9Ov5
"Nick?" Her voice wavered.217Please respect copyright.PENANABvLoTM5K2g
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?"217Please respect copyright.PENANADPg7bT45Ol
Chrissy gaped at him. "I—I needed to come back here."217Please respect copyright.PENANACD9EM0zU0z
"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.217Please respect copyright.PENANAfoH6VTHro5
Chrissy clenched her fists. "I had to come back." She held up the sapphire, her voice shaking. "I found this."217Please respect copyright.PENANAgL4T72DXQL
Nick's anger wavered as he glanced at the gemstone, but his frustration didn't fade. "Chrissy, you almost drowned two days ago. You—"217Please respect copyright.PENANAaOtPerft6I
She wasn't listening.217Please respect copyright.PENANA9uNOiueJWX
Her breaths were coming quicker now, her grip on the sapphire tightening. "Nick, I think—I think she was my mother."217Please respect copyright.PENANAiXuFbnCRof
Nick blinked. "What?"217Please respect copyright.PENANALgvXswXib6
"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."217Please respect copyright.PENANAR6qP6XgqEs
Nick's anger vanished. "Chrissy..."217Please respect copyright.PENANAdZuYqRzlH1
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?"217Please respect copyright.PENANAw2SIIMhh8d
Nick's chest tightened as he watched her unravel.217Please respect copyright.PENANAwOHxs7Q9xm
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.217Please respect copyright.PENANAdDZALN5Gui
She was spiraling.217Please respect copyright.PENANA4ysjw297JJ
"Chrissy."217Please respect copyright.PENANAg7uhP3eVJR
She didn't stop. "I need to know the truth! I need to know why they kept this from me! Why my whole life—"217Please respect copyright.PENANACFSV5ULDt4
"Chrissy—"217Please respect copyright.PENANA01bEtE0xwF
"I need—"217Please respect copyright.PENANADTklCMTAke
He grabbed her face and kissed her.217Please respect copyright.PENANAztmvZUmiXb
The cave was silent except for the distant sound of waves as her breath hitched against his.217Please respect copyright.PENANAiLx3mlJS11
It wasn't a rushed, desperate kiss. It was firm, steady. A grounding force against the storm inside her.217Please respect copyright.PENANABXTSoBBX7p
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.217Please respect copyright.PENANAcR0qB9xqlG
When they finally pulled apart, her lips parted in a shaky breath.217Please respect copyright.PENANAHQwvYUNchn
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."217Please respect copyright.PENANA03mZVkzPhx
Her eyes fluttered shut as she tried to catch up with her own thoughts.217Please respect copyright.PENANA0XaxlsbaS6
Her heart was pounding.217Please respect copyright.PENANAXQcBMzCCrQ
Nick's thumb brushed her cheek before he pulled back slightly, searching her face.217Please respect copyright.PENANAVtPFOKNGLQ
Chrissy swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you—Did you do that just to shut me up?"217Please respect copyright.PENANAxssKVrYSCR
Nick exhaled a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "No."217Please respect copyright.PENANAvPleo0m9JO
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The walk home was a blur. Neither of them spoke.217Please respect copyright.PENANAZKOfmIUCvj
When they got back to her room, she hesitated before pulling the necklace over her head, holding it in her palm.217Please respect copyright.PENANA2UyFFVuV7Q
Nick sat at her desk, watching quietly as she gently pressed the sapphire into the empty setting.217Please respect copyright.PENANAHOFEPNAck7
The moment it clicked into place—217Please respect copyright.PENANAozfxfWRzCE
A bright, silvery light burst from the necklace, flooding the room in a warm glow.217Please respect copyright.PENANAAjhCQLgf6W
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.217Please respect copyright.PENANAZQlvD7uR7X
They were left in darkness again, the room silent.217Please respect copyright.PENANAw3cmt7le2T
Nick let out a breath. "Okay. That definitely wasn't normal."217Please respect copyright.PENANA4mh5DgUJxU
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.217Please respect copyright.PENANAqRDFv5OhXT
Did he kiss me because he wanted to... or just to quiet me down?217Please respect copyright.PENANAmAgiQlTYER
Nick didn't say anything.217Please respect copyright.PENANAp83wq4aSUg
And she didn't ask.217Please respect copyright.PENANA3uEj8sazRH
But as she lay awake that night, the sapphire warm against her chest, she knew one thing for sure.217Please respect copyright.PENANAU1gPrtRdSY
Something had changed.217Please respect copyright.PENANACzox7SoIyP
And there was no going back now.217Please respect copyright.PENANA3cLvqaiaAU