Chapter 2

The black Maybach screeched to a halt outside the Hamptons beach house. The tires skidded on the gravel, the sound cutting through the silent night like a scream.

Conrad walked around the hood of the car and yanked the passenger door open. The cold wind, carrying the salty sting of the ocean, instantly flooded the warm interior of the car.

Crista shrank back against the seat. The cramping in her lower abdomen had turned into a dull, constant ache, draining the color from her face. Her hands clutched the seatbelt across her chest, refusing to move.

Conrad didn't care. He reached over, unclicked the buckle, and grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the car. He let go, and she fell hard onto the freezing sand.

It was late autumn in the Hamptons. The temperature was near freezing. The thin evening gown she wore offered no protection against the biting wind. She shivered violently, the cold seeping into her bones.

Conrad stood over her, his shadow looming large against the headlights. His eyes were as cold as the Siberian wind. "Go," he commanded, pointing toward the churning black waves. "Cool your head in the water. Maybe then you'll remember how to behave."

Crista stared at the dark, roaring ocean, terror gripping her heart. She shook her head frantically, scrambling backward on the sand, trying to put distance between herself and the shoreline.

Conrad's patience snapped. He strode forward, his hand shooting out to grab the back of her dress. He hauled her up and began dragging her toward the water.

"No! Conrad, please!" The icy water rushed over her ankles. The cold was a physical shock, like a thousand needles piercing her skin. She screamed, a sound of pure despair.

A wave crashed against her knees. Her footing slipped on the slick sand, and she fell hard, her knees slamming into the sharp shells beneath the surface. Pain shot up her legs.

He didn't stop. He kept pulling her deeper, until the freezing water reached her waist.

Crista's teeth chattered so hard she thought they would crack. The cramping in her abdomen intensified, becoming a tearing, agonizing pain. She twisted, crying out, "Conrad, stop! My stomach... it hurts so much!"

Conrad laughed, the sound harsh and mocking over the roar of the surf. "You're really committed to this act, aren't you? Faking an illness to avoid an apology?" He grabbed her chin, forcing her face toward the sea. "Look at it. Let it wash the greed out of you."

Suddenly, a cry rang out from the shore. A red Porsche was parked near the house. Else, wrapped in a trench coat, was running down the beach, shouting Conrad's name.

She stumbled toward the water's edge. Then, as if on cue, her ankle twisted. She let out a terrified shriek, falling into the shallow water-barely half a meter deep-and began thrashing about. "Help! Conrad, help me!"

Conrad heard her cry. The cold annoyance on his face vanished, instantly replaced by sheer panic.

Without a second thought, he let go of Crista.

A retreating wave caught Crista off guard. The powerful undertow swept her feet out from under her, pulling her under the dark, icy water.

She choked, swallowing a mouthful of salty, bitter seawater. She thrashed, fighting her way to the surface, her vision blurred by the water and the pain. She looked toward the shore.

Under the harsh glare of the house's floodlights, she saw Conrad wading swiftly toward Else. He gathered the unharmed girl into his arms, his face filled with heart-wrenching concern.

A grief far colder than the ocean gripped Crista's heart. A despair deeper than the water under her feet swallowed her will to live.

Another massive wave roared in, slamming into her back. The force spun her around, dragging her down into the swirling vortex of the deep.

She tumbled underwater, the oxygen being ripped from her lungs. Then, a tearing agony ripped through her abdomen, far worse than anything before. A warm wetness trickled down her thighs, instantly diluted by the freezing sea.

Her mind went blank.

She reached out with the last ounce of her strength, her fingers grasping nothing but the empty, cold water.

On the shore, Conrad was taking off his jacket to wrap around Else's shoulders. He didn't look back at the roaring sea.

Crista's vision dimmed. The image of Conrad holding Else was the last thing she saw before the darkness took her. A single tear, lost in the ocean, rolled down her cheek.

Her body went limp, sinking like a dead leaf toward the dark, cold bottom.

The sound of the waves covered everything. The world was nothing but endless cold and the silence of death.