CHAPTER 328: WHISPERING AGAINST THE SHORE (1)

Georgia’s POV

A sharp, twisting pain in my lower abdomen pulled me out of the darkness. My arm throbbed as if it had been cut and slammed against something hard.

I gasped and forced my eyes open, only to be blinded by sunlight. The sky above me was blindingly blue, and the crash of waves filled my ears.

Cold. Everything was cold: the wind, the sand sticking to my skin, the dampness clinging to my clothes.

Then it hit me.

The ship. The slapping. The fight. The push.

Nancy.

I shot upright, heart pounding, my breath catching as I looked down at myself. My clothes were drenched, clinging to my body, but... something was wrong.

"Wait, what the hell?" I muttered, staring at the dark fabric. "I was wearing pink silk pajamas... not navy blue."

Ella had picked that set for me, for my bridal shower.

Bridal shower... my wedding...

My chest tightened. Rage flared. "That bastard..." I whispered. Everything after Nancy’s sneer and the shove into the freezing water was a blur.

I tried to stand on my feet, unsteady, the world tilting as my injuries protested. My arm burned like fire, and when I touched it, my fingers came away sticky and red.

"Blood?! What the—"

Panic shot through me. The cut was deep; it stretched across my forearm, raw and ugly. I tried to recall hitting something, debris maybe, but nothing came to mind.

And then another pain hit, lower this time, deep and twisting in my abdomen.

I looked down and froze. "What the fuck..."

Blood again, this time soaking through the fabric of my shorts between my thighs. I blinked hard, shaking my head. "No, no, no... I just had my period last week."

I pressed a trembling hand to my stomach. The pain was too strong, the bleeding too much.

"Damn it," I hissed through gritted teeth. "Maybe it’s the fall... maybe my body’s just in shock."

But deep inside, a gnawing fear began to rise, one I couldn’t explain. My mind felt foggy, scattered, like someone had erased pieces of it.

I looked around, scanning the empty shoreline. The beach stretched endlessly in both directions, no signs of ships, no people, nothing but sand and sea.

"Where... am I?" I whispered.

Every muscle in my body screamed in protest as I trudged forward, my bare feet sinking into the wet sand. The saltwater stung my wounds, and the sound of the waves crashing behind me felt distant, almost muffled by the ringing in my ears. My head throbbed, my body trembled, and my breath came out in short, ragged gasps.

But I kept moving.

The only thing that mattered was getting help.

I must not give up for my niece, Katie; she is surely waiting for me. I am all she has. She has no mother or father anymore. I must survive this.

The sun was high now, glaring down at me, hot against my damp skin. My hair clung to my face, sticky with salt and sweat. Every few steps, my knees buckled, and I had to pause just to keep myself from collapsing.

My arm ached terribly, the wound looked worse now, the blood still oozing out fresh and dark against my skin. But it was my abdomen that scared me most. The pain there wasn’t just from impact. It was deep, pulsing, and getting worse.

Each breath felt heavier than the last.

Still, I pushed on, scanning the endless stretch of sand for any sign of life.

And then—I saw it.

Far ahead, where the coastline curved, several small wooden boats were anchored near the shallows. Nets were scattered across the shore, drying under the sun. A few figures moved about, men hauling buckets and ropes, their voices faint but real.

"Thank God..." I whispered hoarsely, my throat raw. Relief and desperation surged through me.

I tried to shout, but my voice broke into nothing more than a strangled cry. "H-Help! Please—" The wind swallowed my words.

Clutching my abdomen, I forced my legs to move faster, stumbling and staggering across the uneven sand. My vision blurred, spots of black dancing before my eyes. Each step was agony. The wound on my arm burned as if it were on fire, and my whole body felt like it was giving up on me.

Then, a bark.

A deep, sharp bark that cut through the crashing of waves.

I turned my head weakly and saw a brown dog sprinting toward me, its ears perked and tail stiff. It stopped a few feet away, barking frantically towards me.

The men turned at the sound, shielding their eyes from the sun. I saw confusion flash across their faces, then alarm.

One of them pointed. "Hey! Someone’s there!"

I tried to wave, but my arm felt too heavy. My knees gave out, and I dropped to the sand with a grunt. The world tilted, spinning violently.

"Help..." I managed to whisper, my voice barely audible even to myself. "Please help me..."

The fishermen came running, their feet pounding against the sand. I felt the ground tremble as they approached.

"Miss! Miss, what happened to you?" one of them asked as he knelt beside me.

I forced my eyes open, meeting their worried faces. "She... she pushed me," I rasped, every word scraping my throat. "From the ship... she wants me dead. Please help me..."

Then my eyes fluttered closed. I was still conscious, but my body refused to move. My limbs felt like lead, and the pain in my abdomen was fading, turning into a strange, frightening numbness.

"She’s bleeding badly! Call the police! And get the truck, we’re taking her to the hospital!" one of the men shouted.

I heard the frantic shuffle of feet, the barking of the dog again, the rustle of nets being tossed aside. Then strong arms slid under me and lifted me up.

The motion made my stomach twist, and I moaned weakly, my head rolling against the fisherman’s chest.

"It’s okay, miss. You’re safe now," he murmured. "Stay with us."

But I couldn’t. My consciousness slipped in and out like waves pulling me under.

Every time I fought to open my eyes, I saw fleeting images: the sky above, the rumbling engine of a truck, men shouting instructions, the glint of sunlight on metal. Then, bright lights. White walls. Voices echoing around me.

"Get her to the ER!" someone yelled.

Hands were on me, doctors, nurses, cutting through the soaked fabric of my clothes, pressing gauze on my arm, checking my pulse. The sharp scent of antiseptic burned my nose. I could barely breathe.

"She’s lost a lot of blood," someone said.

Then I heard familiar voices again, the fishermen, being questioned nearby.

"We found her on the shore," one of them said breathlessly. "Almost unconscious, bleeding from the arm and... and from below. We didn’t know what happened, but she said someone pushed her off a ship."

"Good work bringing her in," replied a nurse. "We’ll take it from here."

I tried to move my head to see them, but everything was spinning. Someone lifted my arm, another checked my eyes with a light. My hearing came and went like the tide.

Then a voice, a doctor, calm but firm, spoke near my ear while patting my shoulders trying to wake me up. "Miss, can you hear me? What’s your name?"

I swallowed hard, forcing my tongue to move. "G... Georgia... Jennifer... Lewis."

"Alright, Georgia," the doctor said, already calling instructions to the team. "Are you married? We need to contact your family."

"No..." My voice cracked. "I’m not married... I only have my niece... my best friend... and... my housekeeper."

The words slurred together as the darkness crept back in.

"Blood pressure dropping!" someone shouted.

I wanted to fight it, to stay awake, to stay alive, but the warmth spreading through my body was too heavy. My eyelids fluttered once, twice... and then everything went black.

Somewhere, far away, I thought I heard the ocean again, its relentless waves whispering against the shore. But this time, they didn’t sound angry. They sounded... serene, calm.

Then a voice I haven’t heard before, but it felt familiar. It felt warm.

"Georgia... Baby..."

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Kukeng15