day," he admitted, his voice raw. "It's like there's something out there, always

one for a long time. She wanted to ask what had driven him to the edge of this storm, but the words felt too f

aking the quiet at last. She leaned forward,

far away. "The sea doesn't care who you are," he said. "It doesn't

ghting to be something she wasn't sure she wanted to be. The pull of the storm, the draw to the unkn

ost," he added, his voice dropping low

grief-things that had shaped the man standing before her. They both carried

e calm in the eye of the storm, began to darken again. The wind picked up,

is face hardened again, shifting back to the man of determination she had first seen on

steeled herself. The worst

boat. The rain began to fall again, light at first, but

o keep the bow facing the waves. If we get turned around, we'll c

em. The waves were already building, cresting higher with each passing

them full forc

giant. Waves crashed against the hull, sending icy water spraying over the sides. Mia

where he was lashing down the remaining gear. His

t at the peak before crashing down into the trough. She gasped, gripping the wheel with ev

her had changed. She

Every wave, every gust of wind, was a challenge she was ready to face. A

le against nature. It was a reckoning, a moment of truth where she h

fierce, but Mi

ade his way back to the front of the boat. In his gaze, she saw

voice steady despite

grip firm on the

t into the heart of the storm