Allison kept her eyes locked on the endless line where the ocean met the sky. She sat perfectly still in the grit, entirely numb to the tropical sun beating down on her face. Hours bled together into a single, agonizing stretch of time. She couldn't cry; her sorrow ran too deep for tears, twisting into a tight, heavy knot in her chest. Her thoughts looped in the silence, detached from the island around her as her brain desperately tried to make sense of how her life had shattered in a single night.
Nearby, Daniel watched her, a heavy ache throbbing in his chest. He clenched his fist as Marcus's voice kept playing on a loop in his mind: Look what you did to me, Allison. I gotta say, I'm impressed. You're actually strong… Let's continue what we started, Allison.
Daniel stared at his raw kn
