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❝ i hope it's ripping you apart ❞
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𝘚𝘺𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘦'𝘴 𝘗𝘖𝘝

"Finally" JJ huffs as Kiara and Pope arrive home, the four of us running down the pier towards them "Hey! Guys, don't tie up. Stop it!"

"What?" Kiara frowns as we approach the couple.

"We're dipping" JJ elaborates.

"Wait, why?" Pope asks.

"What?" Kiara repeats "What are you talking about?"

"Where'd you guys go? What happened last night?" John B questions them.

"We slept on the break. What's up?" Pope replies.

"Slept, right. Yeah" JJ scoffs and tries tug me closer to him but he moves far too fast, making me flinch "We were up all night"

"I'm sorry" I whisper guiltily, grabbing my boyfriend's hand.

"It's not your fault" He assures me, helping me into the boat.

"We gotta get the hell out of here" John B declares.

"Rafe knows we're here, so we have to leave, like, now" Sarah explains.

"Okay" Kiara nods.

"You all right?" John B asks his girlfriend, holding onto her as she climbs onto the boat.

"Yeah, yeah" She assures him, sitting down next to me.

"You okay, brat?" My sister questions quietly as the others climb in and we peel away from the pier.

"I think so" I nod, letting her wrap her arm around me.

The boat ride is completely silent and I think the reason is that no one knows quite what to say. I feel the Pogues taking turns looking at me but I don't return the gesture, not sure if I'll be able to fake a smile or burst into tears.

Pope drives us to the secluded spot of Rixon's Cove where we gather around and debate the shitshow of our current situation.

"Look, if Rafe and Barry know, it's only a matter of time" Kiara starts.

"Before everyone knows" Pope adds.

"I told you" JJ scoffs "We should've gone south, man"

"Just stop it" John B warns him.

"Why does no one ever listen?" JJ continues.

"I get it, I get it. I understand" John B assures the blonde who storms over to me in anger.

He sits down next to me on the grass and pulls meet sit between his legs, pressing a kiss to my temple. I sense how agitated the Maybank boy is, so I press a kiss to his jaw and lay my head on his chest. He eases up little by little and looks down at me with a warm smile that I return.

"I have an idea" Sarah speaks up and we all look at her "With me back, my dad's going to have to choose between me and Rafe"

"Sarah, Sarah-" John B tries to reason with her.

"He's gonna choose me" Sarah says with certainty.

"Just please listen. Ward keeps lying to you, Sarah" John B argues.

"He won't agree after all that's happened" Kiara sides with the brunette.

"No. I- I know it sounds crazy" Sarah protests.

"Yeah, it does" Kiara nods.

"I know!" Sarah retorts, her eyes watering with unshed tears "But he's my dad. And I know him, and I know he loves me"

"Barbie, this is not a good idea" I sigh and she sends me a pleading look.

"I'm just asking for two hours" She practically begs.

JJ throws his arms up in frustration while Kiara and Pope look down at their feet, John B looking at the water with a conflicted expression. Sarah stands up and before she can walk too far away from us, I scramble to my feet.

"Sarah!" I call out and she turns back to us "I'm going with you"

She smiles widely at me and I smile right back, jogging to catch up with my twin sister.

"Sarah, Sylvie, wait!" John B stops us and I turn my head to see him walk up to us with JJ.

John B swoops my sister away for a quiet conversation none of us can hear and JJ steals my attention from the couple by taking a hold of my hand gently.

"What's wrong, J?" I frown curiously as he tucks my hair behind my ear.

"I hate knowing you're going back there without me to protect you" He admits.

"I'm gonna be okay. I'll be with Sarah" I assure him, reaching up and cupping his jaw in my hand as he looks down at me "I won't be gone long"

"Promise me that if shit goes sideways you'll get out of there. Don't be a hero, angel" He pleads.

"I promise you. I'll come back to you" I seal my promise by leaning up on my tiptoes and pressing my lips to his.

He kisses me back feverishly and holds me tight enough that I almost think he'll never let me go.

"Sylvie, come on!" Sarah calls out and I pull away from JJ, giving him a reassuring smile.

He reluctantly smiles back and lets go of me, allowing me to run after my sister. We both climb into the HMS Pogue and I start up the engine, peeling away from the beach and heading towards Tannyhill.

We reach the pier of our childhood home and I tie up the boat as Sarah pauses, staring at the house in deep thought. I secure the rope and join my sister, placing my hand on her shoulder.

"We got this, barbie" I assure her and she nods response.

We head down the dock towards the house and halfway down it, Sarah stops dead and turns back.

"No, no" She mutters.

"We don't have to do this" I tell her but she shakes her head and walks up to my side again.

"Okay. Okay" She breathes as we start walking again.

"Sarah? Sylvie? Sarah!" We hear our father call out as we reach the back yard and he starts running towards us with a grin on his face "Oh my God, sweetheart. Oh my God!"

"Stay back. Stay back. Stay back!" Sarah warns him, backing up beside me.

"Okay. I'm just-" He stutters out.

"Don't!" My sister snaps.

"I'm back. I'm back. I just-" He tries to assure her.

"I swear to God" She adds.

"I'm so happy. I'm sorry" He chuckles but that only makes me uneasy.

"Where's Rafe?" I question immediately.

"Uh, I... I don't... I don't know.  He's not home. He's not home" Dad assures us with worried eyes, darting to Sarah's shot wound "You okay?"

"Of course I'm not okay. You saw what Rafe did" Sarah scoffs in disbelief.

"He didn't mean to, sweetheart. It was an accident. It was" Dad excuses Rafe's behaviour like he always does and Sarah nods with tears in her eyes " I didn't think I was ever gonna see you again, and here you are. You're... in your backyard. You're home"

"I'm not coming home" Sarah states firmly.

"Sare Bear, you're here" Dad starts, walking forward and I take a step forward protectively but Sarah grabs my wrist.

"I said stay back!" She yells at him in irritation.

"I'm staying back. I'm right here. I'm just- I can't stand to see you hurt, and...I just want to protect you, and I can't do that when you're with him, and he's got you both in these situations. You just can't even know what it's been like" Dad explains himself "I thought you- I thought you were dead"

"Do you remember the night of the storm?" Sarah asks, ignoring his explanation.

"Yeah" He nods.

"On the radio, you promised me that if I came back, you would tell the truth. You remember?" Sarah reminds him "I'm going to testify against you. That you lied. And that Rafe lied and that Rose lied. And that you forced Sylvie to lie too"

"Oh, sweetie" Dad sighs, looking stressed out.

"Just convince Rafe to turn himself in" I plead, knowing it's the best option for my brother to get the help that he needs.

"I'm not gonna do that" Dad objects.

"But why? John B didn't shoot Peterkin" Sarah protests.

"No, he didn't kill Sheriff Peterkin, but he is the reason she's dead" Dad counters.

"What?" Sarah shrieks incredulously.

"I offered to help him for just the tiniest little bit of what was already rightfully mine, and he said no. You know why he said no? Because he's greedy, like his father before him" Dad tells us "He's so crazy for all that goddamn gold that he wouldn't share any of it with the one person that could help him"

"So crazy for that gold that he pulls his van         in front of our airplane almost killing both of you and me on that tarmac. That's why we were even there. That's why Peterkin was there. That's why it all happened. Him" Dad rants angrily.

"No. It was Rafe" Sarah retorts "And he's gonna get caught, and he's gonna drag all of you with him"
                                                                                                "Honey, he's not, because I'm not gonna let it happen" Dad argues, looking between the both of us "You still don't understand. Girls, this family, all of this...I didn't have it growing up...any of it. And if you think there is anything that I wouldn't do to keep us all together, sweetheart, you haven't been paying attention"

"If you don't tell the truth, you'll never see me again" Sarah declares sternly.

"You don't mean that" Dad shakes his head "You're my favorite, Sarah. Rafe knows it. Sylvie knows it"

I lower my head to look at my feet, not letting the man see the tears in my eyes over finally hearing the words I've known my whole life but secretly hoped weren't true.

"But no. I'm not gonna choose between my daughters and my son. I can't" Dad says to us "But I will tell you that, in the end, it will be okay. We will all be okay, and we will be right back here. We'll be together, and we'll be a family"

Sarah leaves my side and I look up as she walks right up to our father, stopping mere inches away from him.

"What happened to you?" She asks him almost sadly and his face drops.

She then turns and walks past me, back towards the pier. My father turns to look at me and I let a tear roll down my cheek.

"I hope it's ripping you apart inside to know that everyone is finally seeing you for the monster that you are" I speak up, looking at the man "I hope you feel as broken as you made me feel"

"Sylvie!" Sarah calls on me and I turn my head to see her waiting for me at the pier.

"I guess this is goodbye, Dad" I salute the man, giving him the middle finger and jogging after my sister.