As I stared at Sara, visions of Wyatt swam in my mind, bringing with them fresh pain and anger. And mistrust. I remembered meeting him in person for the first time when he'd brought me to the palace after I'd passed out; I saw him reuniting with his aunt after so long and the passionate plea she'd given my parents. "'I'm sorry for everything. But please don't take him away from me.'"

When Dad spoke, his voice was cautious. "Faye, do you know this mermaid?" His eyes darted between me and Sara, his body tense as if preparing to spring between us if needed.

I swallowed hard before speaking. "Is Isla still alive?" The question was directed toward Sara, but Mom answered it instead.

"Isla?" Mom swam in front of Sara and scrutinized her. Her eyes widened as she silently put the pieces together. To me, they looked nothing alike, but to Mom—who'd been close with Isla—I could tell that she saw the subtle, similar characteristics. "You... You're her..."

"Niece," Sara answered softly. "But I haven't seen or spoken to her or Wyatt in a year. The last time I talked to either of them was right after our mother's death. Despite Wyatt being two years older than me, we are incredibly close."

Her chest hitched as the last word left her mouth. "Were." Though her face and voice stayed impassive, I could see the pain flash in her eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you or your family," Sara continued, reading my expression and tense body language. "As Waverly noted in the letter, I'm an orphan, just like you." Her eyes shone with apology as the words lingered in the water. She truly meant no disrespect to me or my family.

She didn't harbor the same resentment toward me as her brother did. Though, as she'd said, she hadn't spoken to him in a year. If she knew what he did, would she treat me differently? "Wyatt never mentioned you," I said slowly, trying to understand her intentions.

Her face lit up when I mentioned his name. She clasped her hands together as tears shone in her eyes. "You've seen him? Is he okay?" Her voice broke on the last word.

My stomach twisted as I stared at this mermaid—whose brother had been the cause of such pain and grief in my life, yet despite it all, some deeply buried instinct inside told me to help her. "I haven't seen him in years. Even if I had, I wouldn't know where to look for him now."

When Mom spoke, I flinched. I'd forgotten she was behind me. "Have you spoken to Isla recently? Do you know where she is?" I turned to meet Mom's gaze and was shocked at the conflicting emotions in her eyes—pain, confusion, longing, and (possibly the most shocking) love.

Sara exhaled, tears brimming in her eyes. Even I could tell the sound was fatigued. Dad looked from me to Sara, eyes filled with sympathy. "You must be exhausted. We have plenty of spare rooms if you want to stay for the night. Then, in the morning, we can figure out our next move."

Despite the mistrust between Wyatt and me, I couldn't leave her alone. I swam up to her, my voice gentle as I spoke. "Come with me." When I looked at her, I saw Raina. And I remembered my urge to help her, no matter the cost. I felt the same urge now.

She swiped at her face as she nodded. Silently, we swam up to a spare room that, up until now, had been used as storage. Luckily, it hadn't been that crowded to begin with, so I made quick work of the few boxes that were strewn around the room and resting on the bed. I swam back to the door and paused as I put my hand on the doorknob, turning back to face her.

"If you need anything, our room is just down the hall." My voice was so soft that I wondered if she even heard me. She'd been staring out the lone window into the night-dark waters but turned at the sound of my voice.

"Thank you," she replied, her voice equally as soft. "I know you have no reason to trust me, and if I were in your position, I certainly wouldn't." I couldn't help but flinch at her words. Whether she noticed or not, she didn't let on. "Though I am a Siren, I certainly don't intend to use my voice to harm others. All I want is to find my brother and our aunt. They're the only family I have left."

Keeping my face expressionless as the words left her mouth was an act of sheer will. A part of me still wanted to trust her, yet the other warned me against it. That's why I was surprised to find my voice cold when I spoke.

"I've been through many betrayals and, as a result, have become cynical. But something inside me will always want to reach out and help others, even when they don't deserve it. I knew from the moment I met your brother—from that note in The Bronze Mermaid all those years ago—that even the cruelest people can hide behind a façade of kindness.

"I don't know your aunt well, but my parents have a long and messy history with her, as I do with Wyatt. I will not stand in your way of finding him, but I will never be as kind as I have been with you. He almost killed me and my family. I won't endanger my family or myself to find him."

I exhaled as the last word left my mouth, surprised to find myself trembling. Sara had turned toward the bathing room door as I'd spoken and was now swimming towards it. I started to turn away but, at the last second, hesitated. She looked back at me, her face filled with sympathy and regret. "I'm so sorry that happened to you and your family. But you don't know Wyatt like I do. Maybe I can finally get through to him."

Her words weren't malicious—if anything, they were compassionate. I held my tongue, nodding as I left the suite and closed the door. '"You don't know Wyatt like I do.'"

A slew of memories came crashing down on me before I'd even taken a stroke forward. I felt Wyatt's hand clamp down on my mouth as I choked on a scream; I saw him point to the bathing room and lean towards me, lowering his voice. "'Get dressed, quietly, then meet me at the back entrance. If you so much as call out, I'll be forced to take more... drastic measures.'"

I remembered the impatience in his eyes when I finally joined him at the back entrance—the mock pity that had surfaced in them when I'd spoken and the cruelty in his voice when he'd responded. "'If I do this, you'll leave my family alone?'"

I shuddered as I heard his response in my head. "'Of course, Faye. I keep my promises.'"

Though he'd indeed kept his promise, the arrival of Sara brought more questions than answers. How would I know she wouldn't turn on me the first chance she got if I did as she asked and brought them back together? A voice, low and concerned, pulled me from my racing thoughts.

"Are you okay?" The words vaguely registered in the haze of confusion, terror, and anxiety that had fallen over me as I'd left her suite. When the warm hand settled on my back, I relaxed slightly. Wordlessly, Jonah pulled me into his arms right as the tears began to slide down my cheeks.

I was tired, I realized, as the sobs silently shuddered through my body. I was tired of willingly putting my trust in situations that either resulted in it getting thrown back in my face or manipulated by others. "I'm so sorry, Faye," Jonah whispered, his voice soft against my hair.

Like a harbinger of doom, my worst nightmare resurfaced in my head before his words even finished echoing. Jonah looked regretfully at me over his shoulder as he left, taking my shattered heart with him.

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