Chapter 292

Aria's POV I couldn't believe Claire remembered that incident from five years ago. It felt like such a distant memory, almost entirely faded from my mind. That day, after the competition and award ceremony, I was supposed to make a quick exit. But the organizers had insisted we record performance videos. As the reigning champion, I went first, eager to be done. I was in a hurry to leave, truly—didn't want anyone to discover the true identity behind my masked persona. Nana wanted to film me doing a short segment, so I took a jet ski to the calmer, more secluded side of the shore. Just as I finished recording, shouts pierced the twilight air from the main beach. It was sunset already, and I couldn't see clearly from that distance. But following everyone's frantic gaze, I spotted someone standing precariously on a cluster of rocks, already being swallowed by the ocean. The tide was rising fast, a relentless force, and those rocks would soon be completely submerged. Without a second though