Clara: Just hold my neck, Ella. Don't let go, sweetie.
Ella: Mommy, my fingers won't move. Why did Daddy leave us?
Clara: He’s... he’s mistaken, baby. Someone will see us. Keep breathing.
Ella: I saw him kiss that lady on the big boat. Why did he give her the warm towel instead of us?
Clara: Don't think about that right now. Focus on my voice, okay?
The salt stung Clara’s eye, but the pain in her chest was far worse. Just three hours ago, Raymond had invited them on his brand-new speedboat. He had claimed he wanted to talk about Ella's trust fund and medical trust. Clara had believed him, hoping her wealthy ex-husband was finally stepping up to pay for Ella’s urgent heart surgery.
Clara: He brought us out here on purpose. It wasn't an accident.
Ella: Mommy, I hear a engine sound! Is it Daddy?
Clara: No, baby. Look over there!
A heavy wooden fishing vessel was cutting through the fog about two hundred yards to their left. Clara raised one frozen arm, screaming until her vocal cords burned.
Clara: Help! Over here! Please, my child is in the water!
Captain Vance: Cut the engine! Hey, I see someone out there in the tide!
First Mate Sam: Throw the buoy! Quick, before the current pulls them under!
Captain Vance: Grab hold of the rope, ma'am! We’ve got you!
Clara hooked her wrist through the orange life preserver, refusing to drop Ella for even a fraction of a second. Strong hands pulled them over the wooden gunwale. The crew wrapped them in thick wool blankets while Captain Vance poured hot tea into a metal cup.
Captain Vance: What in God's name happened to you two? Did your boat sink?
Clara: No. My ex-husband... Raymond Vance... he threw us overboard.
First Mate Sam: Raymond Vance? The property developer from the harbor board?
Clara: Yes. He took our life jackets and drove away. He left his own daughter to drown.
Captain Vance: That man is a monster. Sam, call the Coast Guard right now!
Clara: Wait. Don't call the harbor police yet.
Captain Vance: Why not? He tried to kill you both!
Clara: Because if he knows we survived, his high-priced lawyers will hide his money before the custody settlement is finalized tomorrow morning. He thinks we're dead.
Ella: Mommy... my chest still hurts, but I'm warmer now.
Clara: You're safe now, baby. Captain, take us to the mainland emergency room, but please... report nothing on the radio frequencies. Let Raymond think the ocean took his secrets.
Leave a Comment