But then Alex knelt down in front of her, his hands steady on her shoulders. “Sam,” he said, voice low but urgent, “you can’t give up now. He’s your family. You’ve come this far. You can’t stop until you know you’ve done everything. Everything.” His words snapped like a whip.
She looked up at him, breathing hard, heart hammering. The world didn’t stop hurting, but his words sliced through the panic just enough. She wiped her face with trembling hands, pulled in a shaky breath, and forced herself back onto her feet. She couldn’t drown. Not now.