Page 134 of Mark

“Please?” I plead, and wait for her to nod before leaving the dining hall, using the back entrance that is barely used by anyone.

When this cruise ship docks tomorrow, I plan to leave and catch the next flight home. I can’t be trapped here with them.

It doesn’t take me long to get back to Nanna’s room, and instead of heading to the bed, I move into the bathroom, switching on the shower. I drop my phone and Nanna’s key card on the counter and step inside the shower fully clothed. The second the water runs down my face, I let out the pained sob that has been choking me. Unable to hold the heartbreak in any longer, I fall to the shower floor in a dishevelled heap, hoping the water pouring down on me washes away my grief.

Because that is what I am feeling.

Uncontrollable grief.

Grief for the sister I no longer have.

And grief for what felt like would have been an epic love.

Wails tear out of my chest as I slam my fists against the shower wall at how unfair this all is.

For the first time in my life, someone other than Summer liked me for me. They made me feel seen and heard. They made me feel safe. And Esther had to go and take it from me. My own sister. My flesh and blood.

I will never understand why she hates me so much, or why that hate grew into something cruel and unforgiving.

“Oh, my sweet girl,” Nanna soothes.

I startle, glancing up at her. “I thought you were having dinner.”

She kneels next to the small cubicle, placing her hands on my shoulders. “I felt your pain as if it were my own,” she whispers, sadness seeping from her soulful blue eyes. “What happened?”

I break, the cries and anguish pouring out of me as I replay the nightmare I just witnessed.

I glance up at her when I’m finished. “What is wrong with me, Nanna? Why does this keep happening to me?”

She brushes my wet hair from my face, before cupping my cheek. “There is nothing wrong with you. Your sister, on the other hand, has a screw loose somewhere.”

“Why does she hate me so much?” I choke out. “I get why she was upset over Danny, but I didn’t do it to hurt her. I never knew he was the boy she liked. She finally got him, and still didn’t stop being cruel. It no longer feels like it’s about a guy. It feels like it’s me she is mad at, and she wants to destroy every piece of happiness I can get.”

She reaches up to switch off the water. “I cannot begin to answer for that child. I don’t know what is going through her head. She’s acting like a child who was never shown love, or was the black sheep of the family. Both couldn’t be further from the truth. Your parents have enabled her behaviour by ignoring what she’s really been doing.”

I meet her gaze as she wraps a towel around my shoulders. “Mark was mine, Nanna. For the first time in a long time, I felt seen and heard. Why would she do this?”

“Believe me, I’ll be speaking to that boy. I still can’t wrap my head around him doing it to you. He is besotted with you. But I believe you saw what you saw.”

“Please don’t speak to him. I want to go home. I should never have come on this cruise. The next dock has a small airport that can take me back to the Bahamas. I’m going home, Nanna. I can’t stay here. Not now.”

She cups my cheek. “Then we will both go. I’ll book the tickets to get us back.”

“No, Nanna. Don’t let me ruin your time here.”

“You aren’t ruining anything. Let me take you home. I’ll get Margaret to pick us up from the airport and we can drop you home. If she’s not free, we can grab a taxi.”

“Thank you,” I whisper. “Thank you for always being there for me.”

“Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” she whispers. “I’ll go grab you some pyjamas and then we can spend the rest of the night watching movies.”

“What if Mark comes here looking for me? Or Esther?” I question as I peel my top off.

“I’ve given your parents strict orders not to tell them where you are.”

I nod as I grab another towel, wrapping it around me. I remove the rest of my wet clothes, yet I still feel like I’m carrying a heavy weight on me.

I just hope I can unload it before it drags me under and I drown.

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