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John B and Affinity had spent several excruciating hours paddling their way through the seemingly endless canal. She had never truly understood how long the trek from Figure 8 to the Cut was until she had made the journey solely with her arms. It felt as if their arms could fall off if they went anything further than a few feet. The sun was close to setting, leaving the island in a heavenly golden hue. Ironically enough, it was nowhere near the heaven she found in the Outer Banks.
This was hell.
"All right, hold up," John B exhaled as he stopped paddling and propped his arms on top of his board to rest. "I got to take a minute."
"Me too," Affinity agreed out of exhaustion, letting her weight sink into her paddleboard. "Do you know how close we are?"
"Half a mile," he answered. "Maybe less."
"Do you think JJ will get the boat?" She asked, doubt laced within her voice.
"He's JJ, he always finds a way."
"Okay, well we just need to keep moving."
Affinity reluctantly lifted her chest slightly so that her arms could begin to work effectively again. She veered herself in the direction of the boat ramp but for some reason, John B paddled in a completely different direction.
"John B, the boat ramp is this way," she stated while she ripped her hand out of the water to grab his board before he could go much further.
"I have to go back to the Château."
Affinity was completely overtaken by his words. "What?!"
"I have to, the gold is back there. It's the only money I have left. If we don't have any money, we're screwed."
"The Château is going to be swarmed with the police!" Affinity protested. "You'll get caught and all of this will be for nothing!"
John B could easily see how much this was hurting her and he despised that, especially since he felt like what happened to her father was his fault. The last thing he wanted to do was seem ungrateful for her and her father's sacrifices. He couldn't explain why he needed this...but he did.
"Please, Affinity, this is important to me and I'm trying to help us too," John B pleaded.
"Okay, then I'm coming with you," she snapped back.
John B shook his head. "No, I can't stand to watch you tear yourself apart to put me back together. I'll be careful I promise. Go to your dad."
"Promise me you'll be there," Affinity spoke, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm not letting you leave without a goodbye."
Affinity's words felt like a knife straight to the heart. All this time he thought that she would go with him, but now he knew that wasn't reality. He was foolish to think that she would leave her father. He was the most important person to her, nonetheless, it hurt more than anything. Without her, he felt empty...alone. She kept him sane, and now he couldn't even begin to imagine how he would be able to remain emotionally stable without her.
