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.124Please respect copyright.PENANAMlwNj1ozAI
"She didn't just vanish. She jumped. During a hurricane. And never came back."124Please respect copyright.PENANACl3X5mXP6L
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.124Please respect copyright.PENANAdN4yDG44Yc
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.124Please respect copyright.PENANAgCA661Aw1l
She had to go back.124Please respect copyright.PENANARlqrVg6f5R
The cave had called to her once, and she needed to know why.124Please respect copyright.PENANAQd3faf9JlA
As she climbed out the window and into the cool night, she didn't notice the figure sleeping in the car across the street.124Please respect copyright.PENANAqOQlizlXev
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.124Please respect copyright.PENANAVvcJsT4KtD
When he saw movement from her window, his exhaustion vanished.124Please respect copyright.PENANAkWjvsWcuo4
His breath caught as Chrissy slipped into the night, her movements careful, purposeful.124Please respect copyright.PENANAMn3YXjegyA
Nick cursed under his breath, grabbing his jacket. Where the hell is she going?124Please respect copyright.PENANALWa1XwbsN5
Without hesitation, he got out of the car and followed.124Please respect copyright.PENANAKRv2Agptk4
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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.124Please respect copyright.PENANAkfK5F7GklI
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.124Please respect copyright.PENANANAYgXzfB5I
Nick arrived just in time to see her disappear beneath the surface.124Please respect copyright.PENANAcWVLjbVXsW
His heart stopped.124Please respect copyright.PENANAeEtxmH0zWB
"Chrissy—"124Please respect copyright.PENANAmhKEIl3TcX
Without thinking, he tore off his jacket and ran into the waves.124Please respect copyright.PENANAvq0haDBIgh
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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.124Please respect copyright.PENANAxO5hoaozlD
Deeper.124Please respect copyright.PENANAPzcUbRLAfG
More alive.124Please respect copyright.PENANAg2YrWLm6a9
She ran her fingers along the walls, feeling the smooth stone beneath her palm. Then, something caught her eye.124Please respect copyright.PENANAT2BSQOshW4
A small, glinting object, half-buried in the rock.124Please respect copyright.PENANAr4wZH7CRSC
She reached out, brushing away the damp sand.124Please respect copyright.PENANAAPHQBbPZ7L
A gemstone.124Please respect copyright.PENANA7jc29evOyh
A deep blue sapphire, its edges perfectly shaped, like it had been waiting to be found.124Please respect copyright.PENANAWIHgmXNgsY
Her chest tightened as she turned it over in her palm, realization crashing over her like a wave.124Please respect copyright.PENANA3ez2teWuvr
It was the missing piece.124Please respect copyright.PENANA1UeTNIb6vb
The empty setting in her necklace.124Please respect copyright.PENANAM6gXnk3zHQ
Before she could process it, she heard movement behind her.124Please respect copyright.PENANAxc92TZ4Lnw
She spun just as Nick hauled himself out of the water, breathless and dripping.124Please respect copyright.PENANAlqeQAgXb7s
"Nick?" Her voice wavered.124Please respect copyright.PENANAMMz75Kum7j
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?"124Please respect copyright.PENANAbBcqmHVINf
Chrissy gaped at him. "I—I needed to come back here."124Please respect copyright.PENANAG55Kpa288S
"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.124Please respect copyright.PENANALCyKLn97Gp
Chrissy clenched her fists. "I had to come back." She held up the sapphire, her voice shaking. "I found this."124Please respect copyright.PENANAmyWh7pRvpB
Nick's anger wavered as he glanced at the gemstone, but his frustration didn't fade. "Chrissy, you almost drowned two days ago. You—"124Please respect copyright.PENANANCJvjhhmI6
She wasn't listening.124Please respect copyright.PENANAobL7Z7rl5V
Her breaths were coming quicker now, her grip on the sapphire tightening. "Nick, I think—I think she was my mother."124Please respect copyright.PENANAUs5dgLsiL4
Nick blinked. "What?"124Please respect copyright.PENANAC87TQpzf5I
"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."124Please respect copyright.PENANAHzVJQxbda9
Nick's anger vanished. "Chrissy..."124Please respect copyright.PENANALRawx5IvY2
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?"124Please respect copyright.PENANAZMBwLJWTkv
Nick's chest tightened as he watched her unravel.124Please respect copyright.PENANAL5j5kEJNVj
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.124Please respect copyright.PENANAOm9EZjBa7v
She was spiraling.124Please respect copyright.PENANABz9LwJ6dxz
"Chrissy."124Please respect copyright.PENANAKxbthfrXCv
She didn't stop. "I need to know the truth! I need to know why they kept this from me! Why my whole life—"124Please respect copyright.PENANA1hwIqKdiZ8
"Chrissy—"124Please respect copyright.PENANAiL4oiterdo
"I need—"124Please respect copyright.PENANAiAvprq0OUG
He grabbed her face and kissed her.124Please respect copyright.PENANAy6JKKMkSIN
The cave was silent except for the distant sound of waves as her breath hitched against his.124Please respect copyright.PENANAKybfu3YLUd
It wasn't a rushed, desperate kiss. It was firm, steady. A grounding force against the storm inside her.124Please respect copyright.PENANAfkyl8V8Ajh
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.124Please respect copyright.PENANAIbFrYcJ1xY
When they finally pulled apart, her lips parted in a shaky breath.124Please respect copyright.PENANAaSC0q9fFlO
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."124Please respect copyright.PENANA3XJv3nTn1u
Her eyes fluttered shut as she tried to catch up with her own thoughts.124Please respect copyright.PENANAtqNHjZ7MgZ
Her heart was pounding.124Please respect copyright.PENANAedOS8PEUn1
Nick's thumb brushed her cheek before he pulled back slightly, searching her face.124Please respect copyright.PENANAvXi7kHReuz
Chrissy swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you—Did you do that just to shut me up?"124Please respect copyright.PENANAW0GFyJKbpe
Nick exhaled a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "No."124Please respect copyright.PENANAkfw9Sw3MRA
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The walk home was a blur. Neither of them spoke.124Please respect copyright.PENANAjVPGJS6EKA
When they got back to her room, she hesitated before pulling the necklace over her head, holding it in her palm.124Please respect copyright.PENANAIY0JkiiBEa
Nick sat at her desk, watching quietly as she gently pressed the sapphire into the empty setting.124Please respect copyright.PENANAbr8VwkX8Li
The moment it clicked into place—124Please respect copyright.PENANAxuNQ8TTnFj
A bright, silvery light burst from the necklace, flooding the room in a warm glow.124Please respect copyright.PENANAvyeRE4Ly61
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.124Please respect copyright.PENANA8FFvTMJsnn
They were left in darkness again, the room silent.124Please respect copyright.PENANAE6okcEGg3T
Nick let out a breath. "Okay. That definitely wasn't normal."124Please respect copyright.PENANAiCHcsI1sT7
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.124Please respect copyright.PENANAOTtLUbW8Kw
Did he kiss me because he wanted to... or just to quiet me down?124Please respect copyright.PENANAnhPYk2XxsT
Nick didn't say anything.124Please respect copyright.PENANA6m14XosQKJ
And she didn't ask.124Please respect copyright.PENANAImvOFuImO7
But as she lay awake that night, the sapphire warm against her chest, she knew one thing for sure.124Please respect copyright.PENANAn4g51gHf3d
Something had changed.124Please respect copyright.PENANA76d1iVvbDg
And there was no going back now.124Please respect copyright.PENANAMdo9F7y7rK