Chapter 25
The rhythmic crash of waves filled the air, the only sound breaking the stillness of the secluded beach. Sydney sat on the edge of a weathered wooden dock, her legs dangling over the edge as the salty breeze tugged at the loose strands of her hair. The horizon stretched endlessly before her, a soft blur of blue meeting gold as the sun prepared to set. No one knew where they were. Not Lia. Not her mother. Not anyone. She had turned off her phone the moment they crossed the state line, tossing it into the glove compartment as if it held all the suffocating weight she was running from. The calls, the texts—they were too much. The guilt, the whispers of her own mind accusing her, blaming her—it was too much. She just needed to breathe. Behind her, Alan emerged from the villa, his footsteps
- Writer
