When she reached him, Ryan was unable to contain his delight. He swept her up into his arms and swung her through the air, grinning and laughing as Chloe’s rapturous screams rang out across the beach.

Watching the two of them brought tears to Amy’s eyes. She was so happy for them both, but especially for Ryan; amid all this loss, what better news could there be than to discover he’d gained a little sister.

But sand was still vanishing at an alarming rate; the few minutes they had left were dwindling fast.

Chloe was true to her word and kept her time with Ryan short. As soon as Ryan placed her back on the ground, she tugged his arm and pointed in Amy’s direction. Amy took her cue and set off toward him, and what started as a brisk walk soon became a run.

They collided in the middle and threw their arms around each other. Emotions took over and Amy instantly lost track of everything she had wanted to say. Words suddenly seemed so inadequate. All she could do was bury her head in the crook of Ryan’s neck and try not to cry.

“Probably not how you thought this day was gonna go,” he quipped.

Amy was too upset to see a light side to any of this. “I’m so sorry, Ryan.”

“Hey, don’t say that. You of all people have nothing to be sorry about.” He drew her in closer, one hand up by her neck, the other ambling in a long, slow circle around her back. “Actually, it’s me you need to forgive.”

“For what?”

“Remember how you invited me to come see you in Portland?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, in light of recent developments, I think I’m gonna need to take a rain check. Like, a really, really long rain check.”

Amy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or punch him in the chest.

“Shut up,” she said, sniffing and sobbing into his collar. “That’s not funny.”

“Not even a bit?”

“Nope.”

“Please don’t cry. Not for me. We can’t change what’s happened.”

“But it’s not fair. It’s not fair that you lost your life and have to leave everything you love behind. You’re one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, Ryan. It isn’t fair that this happened to you.”

“But it happened, Amy, and there’s nothing we can do to change that. And do you want to know something? This will sound a little strange, but once my mom explained everything, I actually felt a sense of calm, and of peace. This whole charade would’ve continued had you not helped me to uncover the truth. I would’ve been trapped in here forever, living a lie, never knowing that there was something waiting for me on the other side.”