Page 7

Preston hoisted me off the teakwood flooring and leaned my body against the boat’s railing. I screamed as he grabbed my hair, holding me out over the railing, my head dangling above the water.

“Let me go!” I screamed into the thrashing darkness below.

He yanked me back up by my shirt collar, pulling me inches from his face. “Oh, I don't think so, babe. One last goodbye kiss first.” He slowly forced his lips to mine, sending shockwaves through every fiber of my body.

My blood boiled, and I took the chance, biting down hard on his lip. A tiny piece of skin tore free, clenched within my teeth. I smiled at him, the small bits of victory dripping from my mouth. It was barely more than a flesh wound, and would easily heal within a few days—but I reveled in making that bastard bleed.

Preston reeled his head back, rage spilling out of him as his hands gripped my neck. Bloodshot and wild eyes glared back at me, filled with years of resentment from my continued rejection. “You know I’ve really fucking had it with you, Evie. You could have had everything with me,” he hissed, as his grip tightened around my throat. “But instead, you’re going to have yourself a little accident.”

My jaw clenched as anger roared through my veins, and I glared back at him, keeping the terror hidden away behind my eyes. I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Instead, I pooled my bloody saliva and spat it back in his face.

Preston drew his hand back and slapped me so hard my ears rang. “Fine,” he hissed, “You like gutting fish so much, let’s see how you like it when they’re picking at your bones.”

He yanked on the zip ties, tightening them against my wrists and ankles. They bit deeper into my skin, and every muscle in my body screamed from exhaustion. He leaned my body against the edge of the yacht’s railing, eyes boring into me, one last time.

I met his stare head-on, the fire behind my eyes burning back at him. If this was the last time he’d see my face, I wanted to make sure it would be seared into his memory—determined to haunt his dreams forever.

“Do it, you weak piece of shit,” I snarled, ignoring the gnawing pain and fear.

“Just remember, Evie. This is your fault. It didn't have to be like this,” he sneered.

“Fuck you,” I spat, the blood and spit trailing down my mouth.

Preston looked at me with his abysmal and hollow black eyes. “After tonight, you’ll be just another dead girl that nobody gives a shit about.”

Then, he pushed.

Falling.

Falling.

My head hit the water first, and the world around me spun. The frigid cold of the water ripped the air from my lungs, and the weight of the water pressed down the deeper I sank. The hull of the boat faded fast above me, its silhouette rippling against the moonlight.

Lungs burning, panic roared in my ears. I tried to kick and wiggle myself free from the bindings, but there was no escaping their grip. Salt stung my eyes as I stared at the fading world above me.

The realization was suffocating me far more than the water. No one would find my body. There were countless cases of girls who disappeared out on the water, but were never found.

Preston was right—just another dead girl.

Thoughts of Dad's kind face flooded my mind. What would he think when I wasn't there in the morning? How would he survive without me?

He’ll have lost both of the women he loved.

His world.

It wasn't even the thought of dying that tore me up the most; It was what it would do to him.

Meanwhile, Preston Willows would go home to some fucking high-rise, wash off my blood, and likely call his father to cover up the mess.

My blood boiled as the world around me darkened, sinking deeper into The Sound.

Despite the burning pain in my lungs, the need for oxygen waned in comparison to my desire for revenge. The longing to make Preston pay for the hell that he’d put Dad and me through surged deep within me.

As the fire inside me raged and licked at my bones, I felt the last bit of air escape my lungs, the bubble rushing up towards the surface.

Everything went black, and I felt my body and mind split in two. The feeling of sinking was gone, and I felt myself suspended between two worlds: The drowned tomb which held my body—the other, my soul—floating somewhere in between. The searing pain that had previously riddled my body was gone, and my lungs no longer burned.

There was no more hurt or sadness. I was just weightless and free, sinking into the darkness.