Allison walked through the grocery store, the bright fluorescent lights glaring down on her as she tried to focus on picking out snacks for herself and Wheezie. The simple task of grocery shopping had become a refuge for her—a distraction from the storm of thoughts swirling in her mind. But even as she reached for a bag of chips, her thoughts kept drifting back to Rafe.

Rafe had always been her safe place, her anchor in the chaos of her life. But lately, something has changed. He had grown distant, his mood swinging between intense affection and a cold detachment that left her feeling more alone than ever. The love they shared was real, but it was becoming harder to ignore the cracks forming beneath the surface.

As she moved to the next aisle, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in her chest. She knew that the Rafe she had fallen in love with was still there, but she couldn't help but wonder how much of him had been changed by the secrets he kept. The rumors she had heard about him—it all fed into the gnawing doubt that had taken root in her heart.

She was halfway through checking out when she saw Kie walk into the store. Their eyes met, and Allison felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly looked away, pretending to be engrossed in the cashier's movements as she bagged her groceries. But Kie wasn't so easily deterred.

"Hey," Kie called softly, her voice cutting through the background noise of the store.

Allison pretended not to hear her, hastily grabbing her bags and making a beeline for the exit. Her heart pounded in her chest as she pushed through the doors, desperate to avoid any confrontation. She didn't want to hear whatever Kie had to say. She wasn't ready to face the truths she knew were waiting for her.

But Kie was persistent. "Are you really going to ignore me?" she asked, following Allison out into the parking lot, her tone tinged with frustration.

Allison quickened her pace, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts as she neared her car. She could feel Kie's eyes on her, could sense the tension radiating off of her, but she refused to turn around.

"Just listen to me," Kie pleaded, desperation creeping into her voice. "Rafe killed Sheriff Peterkin."

The words hit Allison like a punch to the gut. She froze, her fingers trembling as she fumbled with her keys. "If you have any other lies to say, now's your chance," Allison spat, her voice sharp with anger.

"It's not a lie, Allison. She's telling the truth," another voice interjected. Allison glanced over her shoulder to see Jordan standing by Kie's car, his bruised face a stark reminder of the violence Rafe was capable of. His tone was calm, but there was a firmness in his words that shook Allison to her core.

Allison shook her head, her grip on her keys tightening as she tried to push the thought away. "No. Rafe was with me that day," she lied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No, Allison. He's a murderer. They blamed it on John B," Kie said, her voice rising in pitch as she tried to make Allison see the truth. "He killed someone in cold blood, and you're still with him. What is wrong with you?"

The words cut through Allison like a knife, but she refused to let them sink in. "Shut your fucking mouth, Kiara. I don't want to hear from you or see you again," she hissed, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and fury. Without waiting for a response, she yanked open her car door and slammed it shut, her heart racing as she sped out of the parking lot.

・ • ・ • ・

In the Bahamas, Ward and Rafe were dealing with the chaos of trying to secure the gold. They had just discovered that John B and Sarah were alive and attempting to take the gold from them. As tensions escalated, John B pulled a gun on Ward to keep him at bay. Rafe, seeing his father in danger, drew his own gun. Cleo, witnessing the situation, smacked Rafe's hand, causing him to fire the gun accidentally. The bullet struck Sarah in the stomach. Though he hadn't meant to shoot her, Rafe felt a strange detachment from the consequences of his actions.

Later, as the police secured the gold and took statements, the blue and red sirens cast an eerie glow on Rafe's face. He sat, lost in thought about the events that had transpired. Ward finished speaking with the officers and wandered back over to his son. "I'm very, very grateful," Ward told the officers. "Thank you so much." He then sat down next to Rafe, laughing nervously. "That's unbelievable. It's all there. As far as I can tell, the gold's all there." He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh my God. They say we can go in just a second here. I'm gonna fly it out in the morning. Until then, it's in the capable hands of the Bahamian Police Department."

Rafe didn't respond, his mind elsewhere. Ward noticed his son's detachment. "Rafe, I know you're upset. I know you're feeling bad, but you don't have to, okay? I know you didn't mean to hurt her. They said they've checked the hospitals and the morgue. There's been nothing. It's good news. Means she's okay, all right?" Ward sighed softly. "She'll come back to us."

Rafe glanced sideways at his father, his voice barely a whisper. "What if I'm not okay?"

Ward, taken aback, asked, "What? I'm sorry."

"I'm not okay," Rafe repeated, his voice breaking.

Ward tried to reassure him. "You are. You're okay, buddy."

Rafe shook his head, the weight of his actions pressing down on him. "No, Dad, I'm not okay."

Ward's voice grew more insistent. "We'll go back, get a good night's sleep. We'll get a steak or something." He reached out, holding the back of Rafe's head. "You're gonna feel completely different in the morning. I know you will."

Rafe rolled his eyes and buried his face in his hands, the frustration and despair bubbling over. "Dad, I thought I was okay, but I'm not."

Ward, his patience thinning, whispered, "Get control. Get control of yourself."

Rafe stood up abruptly, his head still in his hands. "I just keep... I keep having these, um, these thoughts in my head, and I don't... I don't know if I can control them." He rambled as Ward rubbed his forehead, clearly exasperated. "And I'm just... I'm afraid of what's gonna happen. I don't know how much more of this shit I can take, okay?"

Ward stood up, trying to calm him down. "We'll talk about it."

"I'm just afraid," Rafe repeated, his voice cracking as the weight of his actions bore down on him. He had crossed a line, and there was no going back. The darkness that had always lingered at the edges of his mind had finally taken hold, and he didn't know how to fight it.

Ward's patience was wearing thin, "We'll go back and talk about it at the house," he said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"I need help, okay? Not her," Rafe said, his frustration mounting.

Nearby officers started to take notice, their eyes on the unfolding scene.

"He's all right," Ward said, forcing a smile at the officers.

"I need it, okay?" Rafe insisted.

"I know. I know. We can talk about it," Ward told him.

"You're not listening," Rafe started to sway, his mind spinning. "I'm having a hard time right now."

In a last-ditch effort to rein his son in, Ward grabbed Rafe, pulling him into a rough embrace, "You need to man up," he whispered harshly into his ear, his grip tightening as he tried to force Rafe back under control. "Look at me." He held Rafe's face, speaking sternly. "Man up. Right now. Thank you." He patted Rafe's chest and turned to the officers. "He's good. He's just a little... It's been crazy. He was... he was out there on the road when the whole thing happened, so he's just a little freaked out. But he will be okay."

Rafe felt his father's words like a physical blow, the command snapping something inside him. He nodded numbly, his body going through the motions of compliance, but inside, the turmoil continued to rage.

・ • ・ • ・

Back in the Outer Banks, Allison parked the car in front of the Cameron mansion, her mind reeling from her encounter with Kie. Her hands trembled as she gripped the steering wheel, Kie's accusations echoing in her mind.

Rafe killed the sheriff, and they blamed it on John B.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She wanted to believe that it was all a lie, that Rafe was the same person she had always known. But the doubt gnawed at her, the seed of suspicion that had been planted now growing into something she couldn't ignore. Rafe had changed since that day, and no matter how hard he tried to hide it, she noticed. He was constantly on edge. Was it just withdrawal from cocaine, or was there more to it? Swallowing the lump in her throat, Allison exited the car. She was halfway to the door when Rose's voice called out, "Are you okay?"

Allison glanced over, seeing Rose watching her with concern. "Uh, yeah," she muttered. She had barely spoken to Rose since Rafe brought her to the house. She felt a strange disconnect, the only real connections she had were with Wheezie and Rafe.

As she made her way inside, her phone buzzed with a message from Rafe. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw his name on the screen, the conflicting emotions swirling within her intensifying. She needed to talk to him, needed to hear his voice, to find some reassurance that everything would be okay.

RAFE'S P.O.V:

Meanwhile, in the Bahamas, Rafe was grappling with his own demons. The night's events played over and over in his mind. Shooting Sarah, the confrontation with his father, the police involvement—it was all too much. He felt like he was on the edge of a breakdown, and his father's dismissive attitude wasn't helping.

Rafe wandered through the luxurious rooms, his thoughts a chaotic mess. He needed to get himself together, to find some way to control the spiraling chaos within him.

He found himself back in the room where the safe full of gold was. He remembered the sight of it, the sheer weight of the wealth it represented, it was both comforting and overwhelming. It was supposed to solve all their problems, but instead, it seemed to have brought nothing but more trouble.

Rafe clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He couldn't keep going like this. He needed help, but he didn't know where to turn. His father refused to see his pain, brushing it off as weakness. But Rafe knew he was on the verge of something dark, something he couldn't control.

He pulled out his phone and stared at Allison's name. She was the one person who might understand, who might be able to help him. But could he burden her with this? Could he bring her into the darkness that was consuming him?

After getting his message Allison quickly dialed his number, the phone ringing in her ear as she waited for him to pick up. When he finally did, his voice was tinged with exhaustion. "Hey, baby."

"Hey," Allison replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I really wish you were with me here right now," Rafe confessed, his voice low and filled with longing.

"Yeah..." Allison said softly, her heart heavy with the weight of her unspoken fears.

Rafe sensed the hesitation in her voice. "Is everything okay?"

Allison hesitated, the words she had been dreading to say now stuck in her throat. "Rafe, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What's up?" Rafe replied, concern creeping into his voice.

"Where were you that day when I was at the restaurant with my dad?" Allison asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"What do you mean?" Rafe asked, confusion evident in his tone. "I was with my dad, I told you that."

"Yeah, but..." Allison began, but Rafe's impatience cut her off. "What do you think I was doing, huh?"

"I'm not thinking anything," Allison quickly defended herself, trying to keep the conversation from spiraling. "It's just something Kie said..."

"Kie," Rafe repeated, his voice dripping with disdain. "I thought you weren't talking to her."

"I'm not!" Allison insisted, feeling the tension rise. "I was in a grocery store today, and she was there too."

"And what did she tell you?" Rafe asked, his tone growing colder, more dangerous.

Allison took a deep breath, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. "She said you killed Sheriff Peterkin."

Rafe expected this, but hearing it out loud still sent a chill down his spine. The silence on the other end of the line was deafening.

When Rafe finally spoke, his voice was icy. "I told you pogues just like to talk a bunch of shit."

"You've been acting so strange since that day, and I—" Allison began, but Rafe's voice cut through her like a knife.

"Do you believe her?" he demanded, his tone leaving no room for ambiguity.

"I didn't say I believe her," Allison whispered, her heart aching. "But I want you to tell me if you did it or not."

"I told you John B did it," Rafe exclaimed, the lie slipping off his tongue with practiced ease. "I saw it with my own eyes. I think you would act the same way if you saw someone getting killed in front of you and your dad almost getting killed too."

"Okay, Rafe," Allison repeated, her voice soft and unsure. She wanted to believe him, needed to believe him. But the doubt that had taken root in her heart refused to let go, even as she clung to his words. "I was just asking."

Rafe could hear the hesitation in her voice, the lingering uncertainty that threatened to unravel everything. His grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white. He hated this—hated the feeling of losing control, of being questioned, of hearing the doubt in Allison's voice. He had to keep her close, had to keep her believing in him, or everything would fall apart.

"Was Jordan there too?" Rafe asked suddenly, his voice sharp and accusing. The shift in the conversation caught Allison off guard.

"What does he have to do with anything?" Allison asked, confused by the sudden change in Rafe's tone.

"We both know if we were to break up, you would run back to him," Rafe said bitterly, his jealousy flaring up. The thought of losing her to someone else, especially Jordan, was unbearable.

"No, I would not," Allison replied, her voice rising with offense. "Why are you turning this against me now?"

Rafe could feel the conversation slipping away from him, his frustration mounting. "I don't want you leaving the house, okay?" he told her, his voice stern, almost commanding. "I don't want pogues filling your head with lies."

"But—" Allison began to protest, her heart sinking at the thought of being confined to the house, but Rafe cut her off once more.

"Just for one more day until I come back. I have to go now," he said curtly, the conversation ending abruptly as he hung up before she could respond.

Allison stared at her phone in disbelief, the silence on the other end feeling like a punch to the gut. The weight of Rafe's words pressed down on her, the accusations, the demands—everything was beginning to feel too much, too heavy. She had always known that loving Rafe came with challenges, but this was different. This was darker, and more dangerous, and it terrified her.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her thoughts a chaotic mess. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong, that the man she loved was slipping away from her, lost to the secrets and lies that were suffocating them both. She knew Rafe was hiding something, but she couldn't reconcile the loving boyfriend she knew with the murderer Kie described. Her heart ached with the weight of doubt and confusion.

・ • ・ • ・

In the Bahamas, Rafe hung up the phone, his hands trembling with a mixture of anger and fear. He had managed to keep Allison from fully realizing the truth, but just barely. The confrontation had left him rattled, his mind racing with thoughts of what could happen if she ever found out the full extent of his actions.

He needed to get a grip on himself, to find a way to regain control before everything spiraled out of control. He couldn't afford to lose Allison, not now, not ever. She was the one thing keeping him tethered to some semblance of sanity, the one person who made him feel like he wasn't completely lost.

But the guilt was there, gnawing at him, whispering in the back of his mind that he was too far gone, that he didn't deserve her, that the lies would eventually consume him. He knew he had to keep up the facade, had to keep pretending that everything was fine, even as the darkness within him threatened to swallow him whole.

Rafe clenched his fists, trying to push the thoughts away, but they lingered, taunting him with visions of what could happen if he failed. He couldn't let that happen. He had to stay strong, had to keep everything from falling apart.

But as he stared out at the night sky, a sinking feeling settled in his chest. He was running out of time, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up the act.