Sentenced to Marriage by MadlainQ novel Chapter 91

Saving him I stared desperately at the surface of the water, swallowing my tears. I kept glancing at Chris; he was composed at first but became more restless by the second. He held his hand on my shoulder as if he was saying that Aren would be all right, but he couldn’t know that. It was unimaginably dark under the surface of the water, and the currents were unpredictable. Down there, Max wasn’t Aren’s only opponent; he needed to fight the forces of nature as well.

“Aren…” I wept quietly, my hot and salty tears falling down to the bay waters. Chris cleared his throat. “He’ll be all right. He is an excellent swimmer.” He didn’t sound convinced at all. I guess he wanted to reassure himself just as much as he wished to bring me comfort.

A few minutes passed, Jack joined us, and finally, Chris admitted that it was time to call for a rescue mission. I sat in the same place, numbly watching the divers go under the water while the lifeguards swam in boats, flashing lights at every corner. “This cannot be happening,” I muttered, petrified by the thought that I could suddenly hear that someone had found Aren’s body.

It was a nightmare. I still felt his touch on my skin, the warmth of his body against mine. He couldn’t have died.

I stood up, driven by some wild, unexplainable force, and shouted, “This is unacceptable! You cannot die! I won’t allow you to die! Do you hear me?!” My voice cracked at the last note as I stumbled, exhausted by my cry.

Jack rushed to grab me by my shoulders before I fell. I hated being so weak. I hated the fact that I was so useless, but most of all, I hated the fact that he wasn’t there with me. “I haven’t even told him…” I mumbled breathlessly.

“You will tell him everything once we get him back,” Jack said, rubbing my cold, stiff arms.” Besides, I’m sure that whatever you wish to tell him, he already knows.” ;

I shook my head. “No… I’ve never told him the way I feel about him…” I murmured, my voice barely audible.

Jack didn’t say a word, and I couldn’t tell if he heard what I said or not, but I didn’t care. I only knew that I would have shouted from the rooftops that I loved him if I had come back to me.

“We found him!” The lifeguard’s voice almost made my heart stop. I was so terrified, wondering if he was alive or not, that all sounds got stuck in my throat. “How is he?” Jack asked instead of me, his grip on my arms tightening protectively as he most likely thought that I might collapse after hearing the news. “Something hit his head and he is badly bleeding, but he is alive.” The lifeguards’ boat came closer, and I could see Aren lying there with an oxygen mask on his face, his eyes closed. He was pale, probably from blood loss and exhaustion. My heart ached as I watched the lifeguards bring him in his state closer to the shore. “We found him with his hands wrapped around the bridge pillar. He was nearly unconscious, and I cannot explain where he found the strength to

hold on until we got there.” Jack chuckled. “His strength? You are looking at her,” he said to the lifeguards, pointing at me.

I cried and laughed at the same time. I was amazingly relieved that Aren was alive, but his condition could have turned unstable. The paramedics had been already waiting to transport him to his private clinic. I was supposed to go with Aren in the ambulance while Jack and Chris had to stay to take care of all the legal issues and testimonies. “What about that other guy? Asian, black, very short hair, not too tall?” Chris asked when another group of guards came back. They shook their heads, and one of them stepped forward. “The guy is most likely dead. The currents could have taken his body, and we’ll most likely never find him.”