Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Skye

##Chapter 51: Skye

We lie stretched out on oversized towels that Hunter grabbed from the trunk of his car. Other than a few people strolling past us, we have the beach to ourselves. I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the water lapping against the shore and the seagulls crying overhead. The wind slides over my face as the sun's warmth strokes my cheeks. Things that would normally bring me peace aren't enough to mend the tattered fragments of my heart.

I will never be whole again.

Exhaustion overtakes me, making it difficult to pick up my head or even suck in a breath. I want nothing more than to dissolve into the sand and become nothing. Maybe then everything won't feel quite so painful. The thought of not being able to see Dad or pick up the phone and call him leaves me feeling lost. As if I'm no longer tethered to the earth.

I'm not ready for this.

I will never be ready to say goodbye.

That thought breaks my heart all over again.