All Chapters of Never Meant to be Seen : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

“Isabelle.” The name left my mouth before I could stop it, and for one strange second, neither of us moved. She stood across the smoke-filled deck, breathing hard, her damp hair clinging to her face as she looked at me with the same disbelief I felt. We had spent our entire lives apart, yet there was something unsettling about seeing the face I had spent months borrowing standing in front of me as a real person. Then another explosion sounded somewhere behind us. Isabelle's expression changed instantly. “Move.” She crossed the distance between us and grabbed my arm just as a section of metal collapsed nearby. I ducked with her, covering my head as debris scattered across the deck, while Arlo, Ava, and Danielle rushed toward us. “You came back,” I said when we got to our feet. “I couldn't leave you here.” Her eyes moved to Arlo, then Ava, and finally Danielle. “You found her.” “Danielle found us,” I corrected. Isabelle gave Danielle a quick look of recognition. “Then we hav

“You're asking me to choose which one of us dies.” Konstantin's expression remained calm. “I'm giving you the opportunity to decide.” I looked at Isabelle beside me, then at Arlo tied to the chair, and finally at the gun in Konstantin's hand. Smoke was thickening around the ceiling, and somewhere outside the room, people were shouting as the fire spread through the yacht, but Konstantin seemed completely untouched by the chaos. “I won't choose.” His eyes narrowed. “You misunderstand.” “No, I understand perfectly.” I took a slow breath. “You want me to point at my sister and tell you to kill her, or point at myself and let you kill me.” “Correct.” “Then you're going to be disappointed.” Isabelle looked at me. “Sofia—” “I said I won't choose.” Konstantin's gun shifted slightly toward her. “Then I choose for you.” My stomach tightened. “No.” The word came out before I could think. Konstantin smiled. “You're already choosing.” “No, I'm not.” “You've spent your entir

The gunshot exploded through the room. Konstantin jerked backward, one hand flying to his side as the gun slipped from his fingers and clattered across the floor. For half a second, nobody moved, and then the yacht lurched violently beneath us, sending everyone scrambling for something to hold onto. “Mia!” She was still standing. Her gun remained raised, smoke curling from the barrel as she stared at Konstantin. “I told you,” she whispered. “I remembered everything.” Konstantin pressed his hand against the wound. Blood seeped between his fingers. “You…” His voice was strained. “You actually did it.” Mia lowered the gun slightly. “You gave me thirty years to think about it.” Another explosion shook the yacht. This one sounded much closer. The ceiling groaned. A section of burning debris crashed into the corridor outside, sending flames racing along the wall. “Fire!” Ava shouted. That broke whatever spell had settled over the room. “We need to move!” Ava grabbed Dan

“Someone has to stay behind and hold this seal,” Arlo said. His words hung in the corridor as the yacht shook beneath our feet, and for a second, nobody answered him. The maintenance hatch was open, revealing a narrow passage beyond it, but the heavy mechanical seal would only remain raised while someone held the manual lever down. Smoke curled along the ceiling, heat pressed against my skin, and somewhere below us, the fire was moving closer to the fuel stores. “No,” I said firmly. Arlo looked at me. “Sofia—” “No,” I repeated. I tightened my grip around his arm. “We are not deciding who dies,” I said. “I’m not deciding that,” Arlo replied. “You’re preparing to.” His eyes moved toward the hatch. “We need everyone else to get through,” he said. “Then we find another way.” “There isn’t another way.” “There is always another way.” Ava shook her head. “Not this time.” I looked at her. “You’re not helping.” “I know,” Ava said. She crouched beside the mechanism again and ex

The explosion threw us across the raft before any of us had time to react. I hit the side hard, and the breath left my lungs as freezing seawater crashed over my head. Someone screamed beside me, but the roar of the explosion swallowed the sound almost immediately, while burning pieces of the yacht fell into the ocean around us. “Sofia!” Arlo's voice reached me through the chaos. I surfaced, coughing violently. “Arlo!” “I'm here!” His hand caught mine. “Hold on to me!” I grabbed his wrist as another wave slammed into the raft. “Where's everyone else?” I shouted. “Isabelle!” “I'm here!” Isabelle called from somewhere behind us. “Ava?” “Here!” “Mia?” There was no answer. My stomach dropped. “Mia!” “I've got her!” Isabelle shouted. I turned toward her. She was holding Mia against the side of the raft, keeping her head above the water. “Mia isn't responding properly,” Isabelle said urgently. Arlo moved toward them. “Let me see her.” Mia groaned weakly. “I can hea