When she finally quit fighting, quit struggling, quit living, I let go of her body as if it were on fire. My forearms burned, my body shook. I looked at my hands as if I expected them to bear proof of what I had done. The life I had taken. In my palm was a golden bracelet with a small heart charm. It must’ve slipped off her wrist in the struggle. For some reason, that bracelet broke me more than anything. What had I done?
Her body floated up, and I pushed it away, crying and shaking as realization overwhelmed me. Was this worse than her truth? What if her truth came out anyway? What had I done?
The body floated back to me, and I turned around, rushing away and back toward the sand. By the time I made it back to the hut, my legs were covered in sand up to my knees. I rushed inside, relieved that Nick hadn’t returned. I didn’t have the strength to worry about what that meant. I hurried upstairs and pulled off my wet clothes, my entire body trembling beyond my control. I threw them in a bag with the bracelet and carried them back downstairs, my bare body exposed in the moonlight from the windows as I tossed the bag into my suitcase. I’d have it washed tomorrow with the dirty clothes. I pulled on dry clothes and ran a brush through my hair. It was wet on the ends, so I tied it back into a bun. Would Nick notice? I didn’t have time to worry about it. I moved toward the door, squeezing my hands in front of my chest as I willed them to stop shaking.
When I glanced out the door, I saw Nick headed up the walk. He’d seen me. He must’ve. I sucked in a breath, darting toward the bed. My chest rose and fell wildly, and I squeezed my eyes shut despite the tears.
I was sure I’d been caught. I would’ve bet anything he caught a glimpse of me at the door, but to my relief, he walked inside and climbed in bed without a word. I cried in silence, my back to him, until I heard the undeniable screams through the storm outside.
They’ve found her.
Chapter Forty-Four
Laura
PRESENT DAY
“Don’t you see? I did what I had to do to protect you. To protect all of us,” Megan said, her eyes wild with fear. I backed away from her, taking careful steps. I couldn’t believe it.
“She was…just a child,” I whispered, shaking my head in horror. “You were protecting yourself.”
“Maybe,” Megan said, her lips thin as she pressed them together. “But I was also protecting Brad. Your children.”
“My children’s father was just arrested for a murder you committed!” I cried.
“I didn’t want that. I wanted them to think she’d drowned. She’d been drinking. It was plausible. But you and Andy wouldn’t stop pushing, stop digging. If you’d stopped asking questions, no one would’ve been arrested,” she reasoned.
“You killed her so Nick wouldn’t leave you, but now you’ve just pushed us further together. How did you plan to keep us apart once Brad was in jail? Because if you didn’t, Emily died for nothing at all!” I put a hand to my stomach, sure I was going to get sick. My knees began to tremble under my weight.
“Nick will never be with you. I don’t want to hurt you, Laura. I’m going to tell Nick after this that we need to leave. He shouldn’t allow himself to be hurt by you anymore. Not after this.”
I shook my head furiously, the idea of losing Nick causing me to grab hold of the bed to keep myself standing. “Nick will never go for that.”
“He won’t have a choice,” she said firmly, crossing her arms. “Either we leave, you drop all contact with him and we all live out the rest of our lives safely and peacefully, or…” She glanced behind her. “Well, now that I’ve gotten the hang of this shutting someone up for good thing, I guess I could probably figure out how to do it again.”
“You’re threatening me?” I demanded, stepping backward. I looked to my left, then right, searching for a weapon. We were so incredibly alone.
“I don’t want that. I don’t want to hurt you, Laura. Honestly, I don’t. I never meant for this to happen. I didn’t want anyone to get in trouble. I just wanted Emily to keep the secret to herself. That was it. I didn’t mean for Brad to get arrested. I only planted the bracelet because you kept pushing for answers. You wanted someone to pin your guilt on for what you’d done to Emily—the way you’d treated her. I gave you that. You told me the police were coming. You said they’d search the huts for proof, and I had the proof they needed. I helped you!”
“No, Megan, you didn’t. I didn’t want your help. I wanted the guilty person to go to prison. Brad’s innocent,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t let you do this.”
“Do you have any idea
