Daniel stepped inside, also in dry clothes, balancing a tray with a cup and something that smelled like toast.
“Emily,” he breathed out, his voice cracking. With trembling hands, he set the tray on the nightstand.
A chair stood at the edge of the bed. He moved closer and sat beside me, pulling me into his arms. His grip was tight, desperate.
“Am I dead?” I asked the question without thinking.
“No,” he choked. Real tears slipped down his face. He looked wrecked, like he’d been dragged through the storm and wrung out. But he was alive. We both were.
An unexpected and overwhelming warmth spread through my chest. It felt like sunlight piercing through a frozen lake. A second chance. I clung to him harder and felt my throat tighten with tears.
“But how is that even possible? I remember the waves. They pulled me under. And you...you were gone. I thought you were dead.”
Daniel leaned back, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve.
“They did. I saw you get swept off the road when I ran back from the generator hut. I was fixing it. Cynthia had cut the wires to the house. If I’d been just a second later, I wouldn’t have seen you go under and...”
He broke off.
“You jumped in after me?” I asked, my breath catching.
“Of course I did. I’d rather drown with you than live in this shitty world without you.”
I blinked hard. “And you got us both out?”
“Barely. There’s a life ring tied to the old light pole near the road. By the stairs down to the boat ramp. Without it, we both would’ve gone under.”
Silence settled between us. It was broken only by the soft taps of rain hitting the window.
“Where’s Hudson?” I finally asked.
“The ambulance took him. You were stable when they got here. You woke up while they were checking you, then blacked out again. They think it’s a mild concussion, shock, mostly exhaustion. They’ll come back for you if you want, but other calls were more urgent. A lot of damage on the mainland. Deaths, too.”
I nodded slowly, the weight of it all beginning to settle.
“What about—” My voice caught in my throat.
Daniel shifted. His shoulders slumped.
“I heard her cries from the basement,” he said quietly. “The hidden door in the pantry was open. So...I shut the door and barricaded it with whatever furniture I could find. I had to take care of Hudson and you first.”
My stomach twisted. The whole thing was sick, but at least she was alive.
“Daniel—”
“I know,” he said softly. “And I swear to you, I don’t even know where to begin or what the hell to do now. I’m at a total loss here, Emily. But if you can just listen to me, just hear me out, that’s all I’m asking.”
“That woman,” I said. “Is she . . . is she my mother?”
He nodded slowly.
My hands flew to my face. “Oh, God, Daniel. What the hell is happening?”
“How much do you remember? From the night you got the scar?”
Flashes hit like lightning. Screams. Thunder so loud it shook my chest. A man’s face twisted in rage. Pain.
“I remember the man hurting us. The one who looked like you.”
