Page 6 of Promises in the Dark

This is crazy.

Absolutely the most unhinged thing I’ve ever done.

Not to mention, I’m not exactly a great swimmer.

But I don’t have a choice.

Below me, darkness stretches endlessly in every direction.

My fingers curl over the wet railing, my knuckles tightening, demanding that I stay.

Rain dances across my face, beating down on my skin, soaking through my floral cotton dress.

I blink a few times, and that’s when I see it: the light swinging in the distance. I just need to swim that far, and I’ll be okay.

Closing my eyes, I take a steady breath. “I can do this.” Tears slide down my cheeks as I open my eyes and stare at the open sea before me. I’m about to jump when I stop and look over at my left hand.

My wedding band.

A ring that has become my shackle for these past three years. I never knew how Garrett found me the last and only time I tried to escape. I have no phone, no device for him to track me. But I have this, which must be how he traced my every step since it’s been on my finger.

It’s the only way.

My trembling fingers close around it and tug it off, not wasting a second to drop it into the sea.

And for the first time in years, a sudden preview of freedom rushes through me. It’s exhilarating, yet also terrifying.

And wanting to feel more of it, I jump. Within seconds, my body hits the ice-cold water. Air rushes out of my lungs as I fight to reach the surface, my arms and legs thrashing against the invisible current. The ocean tosses me around as if I weigh nothing, reminding me that it’s in control of my destiny.

Not me.

My lungs burn, my head drowning in pressure as terror begins to consume me.

Until finally, I break free, gasping for air.

Waves crash down on my face as I work to regain my bearings, coughing out water as I do everything in my power to stay afloat. I watch Garrett’s yacht as it continues its ascent, moving away from me.

Leaving me in darkness.

No. No. No.

What have I done?

I’m going to drown!

Fear grips its talons into my chest as I spin in a circle, not sure which way to go.

But then I see the light still glowing strong.

It won’t be long before they notice you’re missing.

The thought sends a fresh wave of adrenaline through me, and I swim, or I attempt to, kicking my feet behind me as my arms dig into the water, using every ounce of strength inside me. My swimming abilities are sloppy and limited. But as long as I keep my head above the water and my body moving forward, I can do this.

Every agonizing minute passes in a blur as I swim to the shore. More than once, the thought of what lives in the sea passes through my mind, but just as quickly I shake it away, focusing on the tiny light in the distance and the need to keep moving.

By the time I drag my body across the sand, I feel seconds from death. Every muscle shakes as I collapse, shivering as the cold takes over. My cheek rests against the wet sand, my fingers curling into it, anchoring me to land.

Get up! You can’t rest until you’re far away from here!