Building Her Throne Burying My Heart (Claire) novel Chapter 87

Her words kept replaying in my mind. How did I not see this coming? Of course she’d dig into my life. Someone as sharp as her would’ve already figured out everything about me. Now that she knew about Darleen, I knew she’d use it to threaten me. She wouldn’t hesitate for a second.

It almost made me laugh, but not in a funny way. It was like a debt I could never pay off. What did she even want from me? Did she really want me gone for good?

I walked over to the pool, my thoughts racing. Garrison was standing off to the side, looking way too satisfied with himself, like he’d just won something. It was infuriating.

I glanced down at the water and realized someone had filled the pool all the way to the top. Usually, I only filled it halfway since hardly anyone here could actually swim. But today, it was filled to the brim. Just getting in and out would take forever. The pool wasn’t huge, but diving down to find something small at the bottom? That was going to suck.

I took a deep breath and was about to jump in when a sharp pain stabbed through my stomach. I doubled over, clutching my side, the ache making it hard to stand up straight.

“My stomach hurts,” I mumbled, trying to keep my voice steady. “Can I go grab some painkillers first?”

Claire didn’t even flinch. “A stomachache? What’s next, a headache? Just get it over with. Once you find the necklace, I won’t bother you anymore.”

I froze, her words sinking in. My stomach cramped again, hard enough to make me break out in a cold sweat. I could tell my face had gone pale.

“I’m serious. I’m not just trying to get out of it,” I said, my voice shaky. “I’ll come right back after I take something for the pain…”

I could hear muffled voices above me, people yelling directions, but it was all a blur.

After what felt like forever, I finally spotted the necklace. I swam over and grabbed it, but right as I was about to head up, another wave of pain shot through my stomach. My strength just disappeared. My legs stopped moving, and the pain took over. No matter how hard I tried to swim up, it felt like I was stuck, barely moving at all. My lungs were screaming for air. I was at my limit.

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to swim toward the ladder. I’d never thought a few meters could feel so far away.

Back on the deck, they saw me get the necklace and just wandered off, already sitting back down like nothing had happened. No one noticed I was struggling. I flailed my arms, trying to get their attention, but it was pointless. No one cared if I made it out or not. They got what they wanted. Now I was just left alone in the water.