Chapter 7 - The Choice
"She's going to drown!" I cried out, watching Chloe struggle in the dark water. Despite everything she had done to meâthe taunts, the stolen clothes, the silent complicity in my tormentâI couldn't watch a human being get crushed by a boat propeller.
Before the police could react, Thomas, the older security guard who had followed us to the pier, stripped off his heavy vest and dove into the freezing water. He swam aggressively toward Chloe, fighting the violent wake of the yachtâs engines.
Meanwhile, Richard didn't hesitate. He dashed down the slippery wooden dock toward the yachtâs mooring lines. Evelyn saw him coming and fired the flare gun directly at him. The brilliant red projectile hissed through the rain, narrowly missing his shoulder and exploding against a wooden crate behind him, setting it ablaze.
Richard didn't even flinch. He reached the heavy rope lines and threw his entire weight into pulling the yacht back toward the concrete pier, preventing Evelyn from moving the ship forward and crushing Chloe and Thomas in the water. His hands bled as the rough rope tore through his skin, but his grip was absolute.
"Detective, take the shot!" Harrison yelled to his sniper team.
A sharp, deafening pop echoed through the night. The sniper's bullet struck the flare gun directly out of Evelynâs hand, shattering the weapon and sending her spinning to the deck, nursing a broken wrist.
Within seconds, tactical officers breached the yacht, tackling Evelyn to the floor and pinning her down in the pouring rain.
At the edge of the pier, Thomas managed to grab Chloe by the collar of her drenched dress. With the help of three officers, they hauled her shaking, hypothermic body onto the concrete. Chloe collapsed into a puddle, coughing up river water, stripped of every ounce of pride she had ever possessed.
I walked slowly over to where Chloe lay shivering under a police blanket. She looked up at me, her eyes wide with a mixture of terror and profound shame.
"You... you didn't let them shoot," Chloe whispered, her teeth chattering violently. "Why didn't you let me drown after what we did to you?"
I looked down at her, the cashmere blanket my father gave me wrapped tightly around my shoulders. "Because unlike you and your mother, Chloe... I haven't forgotten what it means to be human."
May you like
Evelyn was dragged down the gangplank in heavy iron cuffs, her face smeared with mud and running mascara. As she passed Richard, she spat at his shoes. "You think youâve won, Richard? Iâll drag your name through the mud during the trial! Iâll tell everyone what a horrible husband you were!"
Richard didn't even look at her. He simply turned to Detective Harrison. "Take her away. And make sure she gets the maximum security cell."
