Page 31

I went down to the beach to look for her. Sand blasted against my cheeks, stinging reminders of each second slipping away. The storm was a living thing, its breath hot and heavy as it tried to push me back, away from her. But there she was, standing by the water, staring out toward the sea.

"Olivia!" My voice barely cut through the loud noise of wind and waves.

She stood still, too far away, her silhouette etched against the fury of the waves. I charged forward, my heart pounding in my ears louder than the thunder.

"Mom?" Her voice, a fragile thread, reached me.

"Stay there!" I yelled, pumping my legs harder, each step sinking into the shifting sand.

"Mom!"

I saw her turn then, her body tensed like a deer caught in headlights. The beach was no place for her, not now, not with the sky screaming and the ocean boiling.

"Olivia!" My call was a command, a plea. “We need to get inside, into safety.”

When I finally saw it, her face was a turmoil of relief and fear. The distance closed between us, and every stride was fueled by raw, maternal need.

"Get back to the house!" I ordered, though my voice wavered with the force of my own emotions. “It’s not safe out here.”

"Mom, I—" Her words were torn away, lost to the wind.

"Olivia, now!" There was no time for discussion, only action, only survival.

The gap between us shrank to nothing, and I wrapped Olivia in my arms. The thunder’s rage became a distant drumbeat against the cocoon of our embrace.

"Mom," she gasped, her breath warm on my neck.

"Here now, it's okay." My words were firm, a lifeline in the chaos.

"Everything's spinning," she murmured, clutching me tighter. “It’s out of control, Mom. I don’t know what to do.”

"Focus on my voice, Liv. Just on my voice." I smoothed her hair, matted by the rain.

She nodded against my chest, her body trembling.

"You have to stop running from me. I’m here to help you. Let’s talk. But first, let's get out of this weather."

I peeled back to see her face, scanning for that spark of resilience I knew so well. She nodded.

We turned, side by side, and charged toward the shelter of the resort, leaving footprints that the waves would soon claim. Our race against nature, against time itself, propelled us forward. The wind howled its protest, but we were relentless.

"Keep going!" I shouted over the tempest's fury.

"I’m right behind you," she called back, her voice steady now, steel lacing her words.

We burst through the threshold into the sanctuary of the resort. But even as the door closed to the bungalow, sealing away the wind’s violence, I felt the weight of the truth heavy in my heart.

"Mom?"

I turned to Olivia, my resolve a silent vow in the space between us.

"I believe in you. I know you didn’t hurt Mark. We'll find the answers, sweetheart. We'll make this right."

Her nod, slight but certain, sealed our pact. The storm outside raged on, and within me, I wondered how on earth I would be able to do this. How would I prove my daughter’s innocence when everything pointed to her being guilty?