Page 29 of Broken Bonds

“Why do you want to know?” I snapped, my voice filled with bitterness. “Maybe it was a dream about sex.”

He shook his head and laughed. He was seeing through my lies. Seeing right through me to the bloodied part of my soul. It left me feeling more vulnerable than I had when I’d been trying to walk again.

“After everything you shared with me, I know for certain you were reliving that accident. You’ve been having those nightmares since that night, haven’t you?” I couldn’t look at him.I couldn’t let him know just how right he was. He heaved a heavy, tired sigh. “Don’t lie to me, Celine. Don’t eventhinkabout lying.”

“You knownothing,” I spat. I looked to the ocean again, trying to calm down before I said something I would regret. A small wave had gone over the wall, and another followed. Soon, this road would flood just like the beach house had. We needed to keep moving. But instead, he chosenowto interrogate me. Couldn’t this have waited until we were at least further away from the beach?

I shouldn’t have told him. He hadn’t needed to know. But I had felt so much better after I opened up. I hadn’t been able to talk about that night since I told my parents and the police what happened. I couldn’t even tell my best friend; my mom had to. I couldn’t talk about Aidan for an entire year after his death. I hadn’t even gone to his funeral, and I hadn’t even given my condolences to his mother and father.

Ace didn’t understand my pain. He had no idea what it felt like to lose someone you loved that young.

A gust of wind blew my wet hair and dried my eyes of any possible tears.

I would not cry. Nobody would ever make me cry again. I was strong. I had survived.

I closed my eyes, chanting those phrases over and over until I felt strong enough to continue again. I looked into his eyes again, steely determination straightening my spine. A storm of intense emotions ranging from anger to confusion to sadness swirled between us.

“Princess, maybe I can help.”I didn’t want anything from him. Couldn’t he see that?

I scoffed. “What makes you think I need help? You can’t be all nice to me one minute, telling me you want to kiss me, then act like an asshole the next day. I’ve dealt with enough abuse andheartache. I don’t need to go through this again with another guy like Aidan. I’ve just recovered from him!” His eyes hardened. “I don’t want your help, Asshole, and I don’t want your pity. I don’t want anything from you other than to get home and forget this ever happened!” I shouted.

I pushed him out of my way and moved around him to keep walking. I didn’t care if he followed me anymore. I didn’t care that he had my phone in his pocket and my clean clothes. I wanted this to be over. I wanted to go back to being invisible. I wanted to go back to a world where I didn’t know Ace and where he didn’t know anything about my tragic past.

If I could just make it one more hour, I should make it to the school. Hopefully, they had a hot shower and dry clothes. My fingers were purple, and my body ached. My legs were tired, and my limp had returned.

I looked at the ground as I continued walking forward, trying to focus on making my legs continue working.

If I had just looked up, I would have seen it coming. I knew it was going to come, but not this fast.

“Celine! Watch out!” Ace shouted, raw terror in his voice, but he was too late. Wave after wave crashed through the barrier, taking me prisoner, knocking me off my feet, and pulling me away from him.

He didn’t know everything. He didn’t know that…

I couldn’t swim anymore.

The water took me away as wave after ice-cold wave beat against me. I fought against the current, trying to get back to Ace, who was being pulled in another direction.

I was going to drown.

I hadn’t been in a pool or the ocean since the accident. I hadn’t been taught how to swim again. I kicked my legs, which ached fiercely, but I wasn’t going anywhere.

“Ace, help!” Water rushed into my mouth, and I hurriedly spit it out.

He couldn’t hear me. Even if he could, he wouldn’t be able to save me. The waves were too strong. They were tugging me out to sea. Out where I would die. Drown.

I had been told countless times that the accident had made me stronger, that I survived for a reason, but at this moment, I didn’t believe any of those things. My arms and legs were tired of fighting.Iwas tired of fighting. I just wanted to rest. I was too tired. So, so tired.

I couldn’t swim—my legs no longer strong enough to even attempt it—and I couldn’t fight the ocean’s fury with my battered legs. My legs ached in protest with each kick. My body was so cold; my lips were trembling, and I couldn’t feel my toes.

My legs were tired from fighting the wind when I’d been walking, and now, they burned as I desperately kicked against the angry water, trying to keep my head above the water. But every time I broke the surface, another wave crashed over me, yanking me beneath the murky depths again.

I was so tired. I could hardly keep my eyes open against the harsh winds and freezing water. For the hundredth time, I wished again that I had never gone to the beach house. That’d I’d argued with my parents instead of being a good daughter.

Ace had promised to protect me. He had promised my parents and my brother that nothing would happen to me.

They were going to come home and have to bury their daughter—that was, if they ever found my body. Salty water splashed into my mouth, and I began to choke, unable to spit it out before more rushed into my mouth.

Where was Ace? Was he a strong swimmer? Would he survive? What would he tell my parents if he did? My brother?

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