The boats disappeared into the horizon, leaving only the sound of waves and the heavy silence that followed.
I stood on the cliff with Daddy’s arms wrapped tightly around me, my body trembling from the emotional storm that had just passed. The baby kicked hard inside me, as if protesting the chaos that had nearly torn our world apart. Tears streamed down my face as I clung to him, feeling the steady beat of his heart against my cheek.
“You chose me,” Daddy whispered again, his voice raw with relief and something deeper fear. “Even when they offered you freedom. Even when Harrington begged you to leave. You stayed.”
I nodded, sobbing quietly against his chest.
“I did,” I managed to say. “But it hurts, Daddy. It hurts so much. I feel like I killed the last piece of my mother that was st
