#Chapter 289: Stronger Together

Ella’s POV Maria’s hand slipped from mine. “Tell my fathers I love them,” she whispered one last time. “And that I forgive them.” Before I could respond, she let go of my arm completely. I screamed and lunged for her, but it was too late. She was already falling backward, her body tipping over the edge of the cliff, arms stretched out to the sides. But she didn’t fall into the sea. Instead, her form began to glow, soft and golden, like sunlight breaking through the roiling storm clouds above. The light grew brighter and brighter until I had to shield my eyes. When I looked again, Maria wasn’t falling anymore. She was dissolving into thousands of tiny particles that swirled in the air like fireflies. The particles moved toward me. I tried to step back, but my feet wouldn’t move. The pull from the sea below had stopped. Everything had stopped except for those glowing particles. They touched my skin, and warmth spread through me immediately. I gas