Chapter Thirty-Seven: BOIL OR NOT TO BOIL?

Brocks Point of View—

As I plummeted through the tempest of my own thoughts, my mind meandered back to the instant Stephanie stormed into my world, dragging tumult in her wake like a comet tail. My existence had been a fortress of predictability, devoid of the heart-pounding emergencies that now punctuated my days like an insistent Morse code. Life had transformed into an exhilarating, frenetic ride—a roller coaster that twisted and turned with the wild energy of Stephanie's presence.

Under normal circumstances, fear and I were strangers. But as I teetered on the brink of a bubbling cauldron, primal terror took hold. Desperation surged within me, a wild, flailing attempt to evade my scalding demise. Beside me, Stephi's frantic struggles mirrored my own—equally futile, equally frantic. My eyes slammed shut, holding my breath, as I plummeted into the abyss, expecting searing agony.

But then... nothing. No blistering heat, no pain. I landed in a viscous, lukewarm