Chapter 301

Chapter 301
Lucy's POV

I plummeted toward the azure waters. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, and the cold hit my skin like a thousand needles. Immediately, I felt myself being dragged deeper by Ivy's weight as she still gripped my leg, water rushing into my nose and mouth, the salt taste overwhelming my senses.

I'm going to drown, I thought with strange clarity.

Then Ethan was beside me, his strong arms encircling my waist, kicking upward. He managed to get my head above water long enough for me to gasp one precious breath before Ivy dragged us down again.

Underwater, I could see her face in the murky light—a mask of hatred and determination. Damn it! She was trying to take me with her!

Ethan struggled to free me from her grip, but his injured wrist was weakening, blood clouding the water around us. His powerful kicks became increasingly feeble as he fought to keep both of us from sinking deeper.

My lungs were on fire, desperate for air. Black spots appeared before my eyes, consciousness beginning to fade. This is it, I thought. This is how it ends.

Then a dark shape cut through the water beside us. Cole. He had jumped in after us.

With one last burst of strength, Cole pried Ivy's fingers from my ankle, her nails tearing away skin, taking chunks of flesh with them.

Then Cole looked at me deeply, one final gaze, before wrapping his arms around Ivy and kicking away from us, down into the darkness below, their silhouettes growing smaller until they disappeared completely into the bottomless depths.

Oh God! Cole! NO!

Ethan used his remaining strength to propel us upward. We broke the surface, and I greedily sucked air into my burning lungs, coughing up water, each breath like a knife. But Ethan was struggling, his movements becoming uncoordinated, his face terribly pale.

"Ethan?" I gasped, trying to keep his head above water, fear gripping my heart again. "Hold on!"

His eyes were unfocused, his face as white as paper from blood loss and exhaustion. "Lucy," he whispered, his voice so faint I could barely hear it, and then his eyes rolled back, slipping beneath the water.

"NO!" I screamed, trying to hold him up, but my own strength was fading, my limbs heavy as lead.

Suddenly, strong hands grabbed us, pulling us from the water. The NYPD Harbor Patrol had arrived. They hauled Ethan's limp body onto their boat, then pulled me aboard too.

"Cole's still down there! Save him!" I shouted at them, then turned to check on Ethan.

"He's not breathing!" an officer yelled, having laid Ethan on his back, his pale lips a terrible shade of blue.

I pushed them aside, ignoring their protests, my knees hitting the deck hard, but I felt no pain. "I'm a doctor," I quickly checked Ethan's airway, seeing water spill from his mouth, immediately turning his head to the side to drain more.

With shaking hands, I tilted his head back, ensuring his airway was clear, then began chest compressions.

"One, two, three, four..." I counted, my voice trembling. After thirty compressions, I bent down to breathe into his mouth.

Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me. The mantra repeated in my head as I pressed on his chest, breathed into his mouth, pressed again. My arms burned with fatigue, but I refused to give up.

"Stay with me, Ethan," I pleaded between breaths, my voice broken with desperation. "Please!"

The officers watched tensely around me, someone offering me a towel for the cut on my neck, but I couldn't spare the attention. My world narrowed to just Ethan's pale face and the rhythm of my hands on his chest.

"We've got a pulse!" an officer suddenly shouted, his fingers pressed against Ethan's neck.

In that moment, Ethan convulsed violently, his body arching, coughing up seawater. I quickly helped turn him onto his side, patting his back. He vomited water repeatedly, each cough accompanied by a painful groan.

When he finally stopped coughing, breathing weakly, his eyes focused hazily on my face. "Lucy," his hand weakly rose, trembling as it touched the cut on my face. "Are... you okay?"

I collapsed onto him, tears streaming uncontrollably. "I'm okay," I choked out, "I'm okay."

Ethan struggled to raise his arms, holding me tightly. "God, I thought I'd lost you," he whispered.

 ---

I clutched Ethan's hand tightly as we sat by the shore. The bandage covering the knife wound on my throat felt insignificant compared to the agony in my heart. The rescue teams had been searching for hours, trying to find any trace of Cole and Ivy in those cold waters.

They couldn't have survived, right? No one could live through something like that...

Then a police officer approached us, his expression solemn. My blood instantly froze. I didn't need to hear his words; I already knew.

"Mr. and Mrs. Storm," he said softly, hat in hand, his eyes flickering with reluctance. "I'm afraid I have news."

Even though I'd prepared myself, the confirmation hit my chest like a physical blow.

"We've recovered two bodies from the water. They've been identified as Cole Grayson and Ivy Wilson."

Everything around me suddenly became blurry and distant. Ethan was asking questions, the officer answering, but their voices sounded as if they were coming through thick glass. All I could hear was the heavy, painful beating of my own heart.

Cole is gone. He's really gone. He sacrificed himself to save me.

"Ms. Owen?"

I looked up to see a young man standing before me, impeccably dressed in a suit, his expression uneasy. He kept adjusting his tie as if unsure how to proceed.

"I'm Mike, Mr. Grayson's assistant. He, uh... he instructed me to give you this if anything happened to him."

He handed me a cream-colored envelope. My fingers trembled uncontrollably as I took it. The envelope bore Cole's familiar handwriting, and seeing it made my heart clench with an invisible grip.

"He wrote it before he went to find you," Mike added, his voice barely audible. "He said to make absolutely sure you received it if he didn't come back."

Ethan's arm encircled my shoulders, his hand gently rubbing my back. With shaking fingers, I broke the seal.

Lucy,

If you're reading this, then I didn't make it back. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for so many things—for not protecting you better, for the pain I've caused you over the years, for not being honest with you sooner.

You were the only warmth in my lonely life. From the moment we met as children, when no one else cared, you showed me kindness. I would do anything to keep you safe—and I mean anything.

Please forgive all the ways I've hurt you. Please believe that in the end, I tried to make things right. I would protect you at any cost. That's my promise.

Always yours,
Cole

The letter slipped from my hands, and I could no longer hold myself together. The grief came like a tidal wave, overwhelming me. I doubled over, letting out a gut-wrenching sob.

"He's gone," I cried, my voice breaking. "He's really gone, Ethan. He saved me... he just..."

God, why him? Why not me?

Ethan held me tightly, his shirt quickly becoming soaked with my tears. I could feel his body trembling slightly too, his chin resting on top of my head, his voice low and rough.

"I know, baby. I know," he whispered, his fingers gently combing through my hair. "It's okay, let it out."