Sophia.

The cabin feels suffocating, even with the windows cracked open and the faint sound of the ocean in the distance.

The rhythmic rise and fall of Laurel's breathing beside me should be soothing, but it only tightens the knot in my chest.

She sleeps on her side, her face soft and unguarded, her hair fanned across the pillow.

In sleep, she looks nothing like the person who cuffed me, locked me in this remote cabin, and took away my freedom only to later fuck me like a crazy being.

No, that one's on me. I literally seduced her into it.

But then I remember the way her hands trembled when she uncuffed me, the way she whispered apologies like they could erase the hurt.

The contradiction of her leaves me uneasy, boiling between fury and confusion.

I can’t bring myself to close my eyes. Every time I try, the memories crash into me. The chaos, the fear, the cold steel of chains biting into my wrists.

And now she wants to make it right?

How easily forgiving does she think I am?

I glance at her again, resentment simmering low and steady in my chest.

What does she want from me?

Her face is peaceful now, but it’s the same face that’s watched me like a hawk, refused to let me out of her sight. Her breathing hitches slightly in her sleep, and I freeze.

When she doesn’t wake up, I slip out of bed, my bare feet landing on the cool wooden floor.

The big t-shirt hangs loosely on me, brushing my thighs. It smells faintly like her  and I don’t want it to be.

The floor creaks beneath my steps as I make my way to the door. My hand hovers over the handle, hesitant. For a moment, I consider crawling back under the covers, pretending none of this is happening.

But this was all part of the plan right? This is how I get out.

The door groans softly as I push it open, the cool night air rushing in to greet me.

The wind bites at my skin, but it’s a relief. I step outside, my toes curling against the rough wood of the porch, then the cool soft sand.

It’s quiet, save for the steady crash of waves in the distance. The ocean stretches out before me, endless and dark, lit only by the silver moonlight.

It’s so big, it feels like I could dissolve into it, vanish entirely.

A small fire crackles a few feet away. The big man is nowhere to be seen and this is just perfect timing.

I look around, there's a truck but I don't think I can find the keys in time. It's dark, I wouldn't even know which way to go.

I look back to the ocean.

The pull is irresistible. I walk past the fire, the sand sticking to my skin. The cold breeze makes me shiver, but I keep going.

I sit down as the water laps at my toes. Wrapping my arms around my knees, I let the waves whispers sweet peace to me.

For the first time in weeks, I let myself feel it.

The betrayals, the lies, the constant fear of what comes next. It’s as if every moment is catching up to me.

My throat tightens, my chest heaving as I try to hold it together.

I trusted people who didn’t deserve it. I trusted Laurel.

All the tiny little sparks from the start where nothing but a perfect plan to get me here.

I hate her so much for doing this to me.

It’s too much.

The ocean promises peace. An end to the noise, the fear, the exhaustion of constantly looking over my shoulder. I think about how easy it would be to let it take me.

Just one step after another, until there’s nothing left of me.

I stand, the water rushing over my ankles, and take a step forward.

One step.

Another step.

And another.

The waves rise higher, soaking the t-shirt clinging to my body. The pull of the current grows stronger, tugging me farther out, as if the ocean itself wants me.

When the water reaches my chest, I close my eyes. My breathing slows, the cold numbing my skin and dulling the ache inside me.

A voice, faint and distant sounds.

“Sophia!”

It’s muffled, like it’s coming from far away, but I know that voice.

It's Laurel.

I hesitate, my feet sinking into the sand below. The water swirls around me, tugging, coaxing, but her voice cuts through it again.

“Sophia, stop!”

My eyes open, and for a moment, everything feels suspended.

The voice grows louder, more desperate.

“Sophia!”

Suddenly, something slams into me—hard, with the brutal force. My body whips sideways, spinning uncontrollably as the crushing impact drives me downward.

My head plunges under the water, the salt burning like liquid fire in my eyes and flooding my nostrils with a stinging, acrid sensation that makes me want to gag.

The world above dissolves into a blurred, rippling distortion of light and shadow. Darkness presses against me from all sides, cold and oppressive, while the initial shock of the collision leaves my muscles momentarily paralyzed.

I thrash desperately, my limbs tangling in a frantic, uncoordinated attempt to right myself, to find up from down, but nothing.

Bubbles escape from my lips, silver-edged and panicked, racing upward as my lungs begin to burn with the primal, urgent need for air.

How is this not as easy as I imagined ?

The weight—solid, unyielding—continues to hold me down, a merciless force that seems almost deliberate in its intent to keep me submerged, to deny me the simple mercy of a breath.

Panic rises within me, a sharp and electric sensation that courses through my trembling muscles.

My hands claw at the water, fingers splayed and desperate, searching for any point of leverage, any chance to break free.

Each second becomes an eternity, measured by the increasing burn in my chest and the thundering pulse of my heart, which seems to echo in the muffled underwater silence.

The saltwater has saturated my senses now. Each desperate movement sends tendrils of bitter brine swirling around me, blinding me, choking me.

My lungs scream for oxygen. Whatever has struck me shows no signs of releasing its grip, and the darkness is starting to pulse at the edges of my consciousness, threatening to consume me entirely.

With the last of my strength going away, my thrashing gradually subsides. The violent movements drain from my limbs, replaced by stillness.

The water grows eerily calm around me. My body becomes weightless, suspended. The burning in my lungs transforms into a distant, numbing ache.

Sound dissolves into a profound silence, broken only by the muffled, slowing rhythm of my own heartbeat.

Darkness takes over, consuming the last fragments of struggle.

And then, nothing—just the vast, indifferent blue, holding me in its final, peaceful grip.

Finally.