VALERIE
The morning sun had barely crested the pine trees, casting a pale, silver light across the mist hanging over the ocean.
I couldn't sleep. The suffocating weight in my chest had dragged me out of bed before seven, sending me down to the private wooden dock behind the beach house just to breathe in the biting sea air. The wood beneath my bare feet was cold and slick with morning dew.
The sound of heavy, rapid footsteps breaking through the tall grass behind me made my blood freeze.
I didn't even have to turn around.
"What the hell was that last night, Valerie?"
Nathan’s voice sliced through the silence like a jagged blade. He grabbed my shoulder, spinning me around violently to face him. His eyes were bloodshot, his jaw clenched so hard the muscles were twitching, and the
