Page 99 of Sworn to My Heart
“Yeah, but Cora, you don’t understand...” I begin to explain, but I turn to her in surprise when I realize what she said.
“Free? How do you know about that?” I ask, unable to hide the shock in my voice.
“I had a few hours with your cousin downstairs while you were locked in here. I needed answers, and it seems my husband and brother-in-law weren’t willing to provide them,” she admits with a sigh.
I take a deep breath, needing to ask. “And you still came to see me? You’re not afraid of me? Look what I did to Zale and Galen.” She smiles at me with her familiar, warm smile that always calms me and pulls out her keys from her pocket, showing me the shared hammerhead shark keychain she bought for us.
“This is from one of my most cherished memories with you.That day, you chose to stay with us even though you knew we exposed you to danger, even though you knew I lied to you and hid things from you. You didn’t leave me and instead trusted me. You were my anchor, now it’s my turn to be yours,” she says, leaving me speechless.
I hug her tightly, sobbing into her shoulder.
“What can I do now, Cora? I tried to do exactly what Galen said, and I killed my father.”
She strokes my hair with her fingers like my mother used to do to calm me down when I first left my adoptive parents’ house.
“While you were downstairs, I thought of an idea. I don’t want to give you false hope, but I tried to think of a solution from a different perspective, maybe even a human one. We think it’s worth at least trying, and we waited for you to calm down a bit so we could suggest it,” she says, and despite her warnings, she fills me with hope again. Any small piece of good news will give me hope right now.
“What’s the idea?” I ask immediately, without hesitation, and stand up.
Cora stands up with me, smiling at my response.
“Galen said you needed to melt the paralysis, but maybe that’s not what needs to be done... It made me think. If it’s a liquid that paralyzes them, think of it like a poison absorbed into their bodies. With one touch, it infiltrated their systems. So, melting the liquid won’t change the poison’s effect; it’s still in their bodies. We need to evaporate it out of their bodies. Can you reverse the absorption process?” she explains, then hesitantly asks.
“Cora, that’s brilliant! Let’s go,” I declare confidently, grabbing her hand and rushing downstairs. When we reach the ground floor, I see Mariano and Pedro looking exhausted and worn, much like myself. Unable to find the words, I offer them anapologetic glance, and it seems they understand.
“Bay, are you ready to try again?” I ask as my eyes meet hers, curled up on the sofa behind the brothers, close to Pedro. She stands up immediately, but her expression still doesn’t instill confidence.
“Bay, we have to try everything; this has to be the way...” I tell her again, managing to elicit a resigned sigh from her.
“Let’s try on your father first. Maybe we have another chance,” she suggests, and I agree, sending Mariano, Pedro, and Cora to the closed office. Once I’m sure everything is in place and everyone is safe, Bay begins to produce her song again, and I take a deep breath, regaining my focus and confidence. I can’t mess this up.
I concentrate with all my might, sensing the foreign liquids within my father’s body. It’s a daunting task, but I carefully guide them out through his mouth, knowing they must be expelled. The process drains my concentration and energy, but I persevere. When I’m confident I’ve removed everything, I solidify the liquid into an ice ball and send it crashing to the ground, far from us.
Bay stops singing, and I take a moment to wipe the sweat from my forehead when suddenly, I hear it—a single heavy breath that confirms we did it. “Dad?” I ask, tears of hope streaming from my eyes this time. “Alianna? What’s happening?” he responds weakly, attempting to sit up but struggling with his tail. I lunge into a tight hug, overwhelming him momentarily with joy.
“I’ll explain later, Dad. Now we need to wake up Mom and Luca,” I announce with a broad smile, gathering my strength to continue. Bay and I get back to work.
When I wake up my mother, I already feel dizzy. The concentration and power, combined with the caution I need to exercise, are taking too much out of me. I have to keep goinga little longer, forcing myself to summon renewed strength to wake Luca. We start again, for the last time.
“Alin?” I hear Luca’s voice call me after Bay wakes him up. I can hear him again; he’s here. I smile at him and want to hug him, but my body won’t move. The dizziness takes over, and before I can react, the world turns black.
When I open my eyes, a familiar sensation envelops me—I’m in water. In a bathtub.
I sit up in a panic, fearing it was all a dream and they’re still lifeless downstairs. Lifting my head, I spot Luca, asleep again, leaning on the bathroom sink. A strange déjà vu washes over me. My smile widens, and I lift the bathwater into the air, swiftly transforming my tail back into legs. I rush to him, settle in his lap, and wake him with a flurry of kisses.
He’s here; I did it. He’s alive. Tears flood my eyes, this time from the excitement welling up inside me.
“Alin? Are you okay?” he asks, worried, wrapping me in his embrace. His stubble tickles my cheek, and I pull back to look at him. Color has returned to his face. Gently, I trace the scar on his eyebrow with my finger, savoring his rugged beauty. He’s with me now, forever.
“You’re asking if I’m okay? You were a human popsicle,” I laugh through my tears.
“I feel as good as new, even better than before. I heard you gave me a great detox,” he smiles his captivating smile.
“I was so afraid I’d never see that smile again,” I think aloud.
“I told you before. I’ll always come back as long as you’re waiting for me at home,” he says tenderly and kisses my lips.
“As much as I want you all to myself right now, there are a few things we need to take care of. Come on,” he says suddenly, pulling a dress he had prepared for me from the hanger by the sink and dressing me in it. For the first time, he doesn’tcomment on the lack of underwear, and I chuckle to myself, deciding not to mention it.
