"Fuck you," Parker snarls at his brother, and my heart splits in two as I realize the divide I've created between the two brothers. I never meant for it to end this way. I may have been naïve, but I always thought we could be happy together... That we could fix things, overlook our differences, and put the past behind us. My hand flies up in a silent goodbye, and I know this is my last chance to make things right.
Then I realize I have to end this myself. I’m the one who got us all into this mess. Now I’ll be the one to get us out of it.
“Parker,” I say fervently. “Parker, I changed my mind.”
His eyes flit to me, still keeping his attention focused on his brother. “Shut up, June.”
“No, please.” I wrestle free of his grasp and surprisingly, he lets me. “I want to come with you. I don’t want to die. Let’s get away, together.” My eyes go to Kade. “He won’t hurt you if you take me with you.”
Parker smirks at me. “I don’t believe you.”
“You will now.” I press my lips against his with determination. My heart is pounding because Kade is standing right there, but I hope he can see through what I’m doing.
I kiss Parker with all the anger I have in me. He thinks it’s a promise, but the only promise I’ve made is to myself – that this ends here, and now. His hands release me, and I’m free. I pull back, our eyes meeting, a fleeting expression of joy on Parker’s face.
“I’m sorry, Parker,” I say, and with my remaining strength, I push him into the abyss.
His expression changes at the last second and he grabs me, trying to pull me down with him.
“June!” Kade calls out. "I love you, June! No!”
Those are his last words to me before Parker falls, pulling me down into the deep abyss with him. I can hear the sea crashing against the rocks below me. And then there's nothing but darkness.
When I pushed Parker into the abyss, he lost his hold on me. The last thing I remember is his desperate face as he mouthed my name, turning into a scream as he realized he was falling, falling, falling deeper into the abyss. I think shock took over, but it wasn't before my adrenaline kicked in.
When Parker let go of me, I grabbed on to the edge covered in bushy, thick ivy. I remember it breaking beneath my fingers, but Kade was there. Kade, who is always my savior, always there to make it all better. He pulled me up. I don't know how he managed, but I was in his arms when I landed back in reality. He was clutching me close like I would fall apart in his arms if he let go. And he never did.
Not even when they came to the island hours later and tried to pry me out of his arms. He carried me to the boat, held me in his embrace as we went back to the mainland. He was the one who placed me in the hospital bed and never left my side. I slept for two days straight, and he later told me how worried he was when I wouldn't wake up. The doctors reassured him I would be okay, and thankfully, they were right. When I wake up, I am smothered by my husband's hug. He looks at me with longing.
"You're back," he murmurs. "I thought I lost you, Junebug. I thought I lost everything..." I see the pain in his eyes. We've each lost both of our parents, and he thought he lost his twin years ago, the only connection he had left to his family. I can't imagine the pain had he lost me too.
"I'm here," I say slowly, my voice raspy from the days of not speaking. He gets me a glass of water, and I take long gulps of the pleasantly cool liquid. We settle on the bed together. "What happened?" I ask hesitantly because I have to know. I need to be sure this time around, need to know the monster from my nightmares has been put to rest once and for all. Kade hesitates, gently stroking my fingers as he pulls me in a tighter embrace. I let him wait because I know he will tell me on his own time. Finally, several long minutes later, he begins to talk.