𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐃 || 𝐙𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭

Chapter 27 - The Truth Comes to Light

You know I'd jump with you...

I felt like my world was crumbling down around me as he stared at me, his expression unreadable. Did he hate me now? Would he break up with me? Help Dr. Denman and his dad to experiment on us? I can't believe he was apart of this! He helped them to trap us in here! Tears pricked my dark brown eyes but I blinked them back, determined not to let him see the pain his betrayal was causing me.

"I...this...it's not my fault," Zane told us after everyone had dispersed.

"I wish I could believe that, Zane," Emma said, disappointment dripping off her words.

"But she doesn't. And neither do I," I piped up angrily.

"Can I please just talk to you, Leona?" he pleaded, kneeling down by the edge of the moon pool.

I was ready to refuse him then and there but after one look up into those warm, cocoa-brown eyes, I relented. I shared a glance with the other girls, shrugging and they nodded before diving underneath, giving me a moment with Zane.

"How is this even possible?" he asked me quietly in disbelief.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat before I spoke up.

"It's...a long story and from memory, you don't really have the attention span for that," I bit back, still feeling hurt.

He sighed, his words soft as he spoke, "You could have told me,"

I scoffed, shaking my head as the cool water swirled around me.

"See, there's where you're wrong. You were the Great Mermaid Hunter, shooting your mouth off about mermaids every chance you got. Telling you wasn't an option... I thought we had something, Zane. Something bigger than this. But obviously I was wrong," I said softly, glancing down at the water dejectedly.

"No! You weren't," he protested, surprising me a bit.

"Then do something!" I shot back.

"I can't - it's too late! My dad and Denman won't let this go now. It's out of my hands," he shrugged.

I scoffed, not believing what I was hearing before finally, I nodded, "Fine. Forget it,"

"Leona-" he started to grab my hand but I evaded him.

"Zane - don't. Right now, you and all your friends disgust me." I cut him off, a bitter tone attaching itself to my voice.

I pushed off the ledge just as he left, diving below the water to stop the flow of tears that threatened my cocoa orbs. I could feel every inch of my heart breaking as his footsteps receded, feeling like my world was crumbling without him.

It was a while before he returned and I admit, I didn't want to see him. But as he bent down over the ledge to talk to the four of us, against my will, my body ached to be held by him like before.

"We've known each other since we were three years old, Zane. How could you do this?" Emma asked him sternly.

Ignoring her, he glanced down briefly at his watch before meeting our gazes, "Get ready to leave,"

Just as the words had left his lips, we'd heard the sound of the metal barring the cave entrance underwater breaking off. Wide grins split our faces once we realized what was happening.

"What was that?" Dr. Denman snapped at no one in particular.

I couldn't believe it at all - he'd freed us! He'd really freed us! Zane matched our grins with his own in that moment, his eyes meeting mine before he nodded once to me.

"That was the sound of goodbye." I smirked at her triumphantly.

We dipped back below the surface then and swam through the now open cave entrance before shooting out into the open water - to freedom.