The sharp slap echoed off the steel walls of the deck.
Nancy's hand had landed hard across Georgia's face, snapping her head to the side.
Georgia stumbled back a step, one hand flying to her burning cheek, stunned.
"Oh, poor little Georgia," Nancy snarled, her voice shaking with rage. "Still living in your fantasy garden, pretending everything was perfect.
You think I wanted what happened to your brother? I loved him, you delusional brat! Loved him so much it hurt! But he was drowning in land even before dying, Georgia. And do you know why?"
She stepped forward, fury surging in her chest.
"Because of you and that kid! He couldn't even breathe without thinking about how he was dragging you both down! But of course, you wouldn't know that—you were too busy playing plant princess in your little greenhouse fairy tale to see how much he was suffering!"
Georgia's face twisted in anguish, but the fire in her eyes burned brighter. "Don't you dare speak for my brother! You don't know the first thing about him!" she spat, her tears streaming more but not from weakness. From rage.
"Oh, please," Nancy scoffed. "He was almost my husband! He was supposed to be my family, until everything got messed up and you made everything about you and Katie!"
That was it. Georgia lunged at Nancy.
With a snarl like a wild animal, she grabbed Nancy by the hair and yanked with every ounce of fury in her soul. "You will not drag my niece into this, you heartless bitch!" she hissed, tightening her grip, pulling harder as Nancy screamed.
But Nancy wasn't going down without a fight.
With a savage grunt, she drove her knee into Georgia's stomach, hard.
Georgia let out a strangled gasp and released her grip, stumbling back in pain.
Nancy wasn't done. She stormed forward and shoved her, once, twice, again. Her hands hit Georgia's chest like hammer blows.
"You think you're so innocent? So perfect? You've always been a spoiled, useless leech! Leeching off your brother! Leeching off Raymond! You don't deserve any of this!"
And then, the final shove.
Georgia's back slammed into the cold steel railing. The force rattled her bones. Her arms flailed, desperately grabbing for something, anything to hold onto.
But there was nothing. Her time slowed, and the world tilted. And then, she tipped.
Nancy's furious expression dropped into horror as Georgia's body flipped over the railing, her scream vanishing into the roar of the wind.
*SPLASH*
The sound of the sea swallowing her up echoed into the silence that followed, and for a heartbeat, there was only the pounding of Nancy's pulse in her ears.
She staggered to the railing, gripped it with trembling hands, and stared into the dark waves below.
"Oh my God…" she whispered as she covered her mouth with both hands and watched Georgia struggle into the water.
The icy shock of the ocean hit Georgia like a thousand knives.
She plunged into the black water with a violent splash, the cold ripping the breath from her lungs. Panic surged as she flailed beneath the surface, kicking upward with frantic strokes. Her head broke through the waves with a gasp, salt water stinging her throat and eyes.
"NANCY HELP!" she screamed, coughing, spitting. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
She treaded water, thrashing her arms, her silk pajama dragging her down like a net. The weight of the soaked fabric clung to her body, making every movement harder, heavier. The waves slapped her face, stealing her voice.
She looked up, desperate, clinging to hope. And there was Nancy, still standing on the deck, watching her.
Then, their eyes locked.
Georgia's heart pounded harder than ever. Her arms ached. Her voice cracked. "Nancy! Help me! Please—please!"
But Nancy didn't move, not even an inch.
She did not even shout or run for help.
She didn't throw a lifebuoy.
She just stood there, face unreadable, arms limp at her sides, hair blowing gently in the wind.
Georgia's limbs were starting to burn. She kicked harder, desperate to stay afloat. "NANCY!" she screamed again, the salt water burning her throat raw. "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"
But Nancy only tilted her head slightly, like she was observing a curious fish in a tank, and then, without a word, she turned around and walked away.
Georgia's blood turned to ice.
The deck lights faded. The ship's music was still thumping, carefree, and deafening. No one heard her. No one knew.
And the ship… it was moving.
She watched helplessly as the massive cruise liner glided farther and farther into the night, its lights becoming specks against the vast darkness of the sea.
Her screams grew weaker, her arms thrashed more slowly. Her breathing turned ragged.
The ship sailed on.
The last thing she saw before the shadows devoured it completely was Nancy's pale silhouette disappearing behind the railings.
Georgia was alone. Floating in the middle of the ocean.
She gritted her teeth through chattering lips, blinking away the salt and tears.
"Damn you, Nancy!" she screamed as hard as she could.
Georgia spun in the water, heart pounding, and vision blurring. The ocean stretched endlessly around her, black and unforgiving but not pitch dark.
Thank God for the full moon.
The moonlight cast a silver sheen across the surface, illuminating ripples and shadows. That's when she saw it... trash. A cluster of floating plastic bottles bobbed a few feet away, riding the gentle swells of the sea.
Her survival instincts kicked in like wildfire.
She swam toward the debris with gritted teeth and trembling limbs. As she reached the bottles, she fought to stay above water, breathing hard.
She had to think fast.
She untied her pants underwater with shaking fingers, pulling them off as quickly as her freezing muscles allowed. 'Come on, Georgia… think!' she told herself.
She tied the bottom of each pant leg tight, knotting them shut.
Then she grabbed the bottles—two, three, four, and everything that she could grab—and stuffed them into each leg of the pants, then she tied the waistband with its drawstring.
She twisted it tight and looped her arm through the makeshift float.
It wasn't a boat, but it was enough to keep her alive.
She let herself breathe, just for a moment. Then she remembered her brother, who died at sea. 'This is scary and bad, I bet you felt worse, brother.'
Her heart ached more, imagining how her brother must have felt while knowing he was about to die that night.
The cruise ship was a distant light now, twinkling like a cruel star on the horizon.
'But I'm still here. I'm still alive. I must not die here, Katie needs me!' she told herself.