Page 36 of Broken Bonds

“How… how could you let him drown?” my mother whispered. “You were meant to protect him. You were hishero.”

The words sliced through me. I couldn’t look at her, my eyes firmly focused on the small coffin. A coffin much too small.

“It’s your fault he isn’t with us. It’s your fucking fault my son is dead!” she yelled, looking at me. I couldn’t see her eyes through her sunglasses, but I felt the hatred pouring from them.

Everyone looked at us, and someone gasped loudly, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the place Jack was lying. Minutes passed, and not another word was said. The ceremony paused, every person I loved staring at my back.

I looked at the priest, urging him to continue, and finally, he did. When he was finished, I dropped my white rose on the coffin first. “I will always love you,” I whispered so softly that only Jack could hear, and I walked out, ignoring the hatred from every single person in the room.

I couldn’t be the reason another person drowned.

chapter fifteen

CELINE

I couldn’t breathe. My mouth was open, gasping for a much-needed gulp of air, but every time I tried to breathe, water rushed into my mouth. My back hit the ground first, then my head, followed by my arms and legs. The wind escaped my parted lips in one long exhale.Whoosh.

My body was screaming in agony. Gravel from the road beneath me pricked at my exposed skin.

Where was Ace?

My eyes burned when I tried to open them. I couldn’t do it. I knew I needed to get up. To move. To get out of reach of the waves, but I was sotired. I couldn’t get my limbs to work.

Was Ace dead? Did he drown? The thought filled me with fear and sadness and made me want to throw up. I couldn’t lose him, too. He was here because of me.

Rain continued to fall, the droplets hitting my skin softly at first, then they splattered harshly, stinging my face. Fear crawled into the pit of my stomach when I heard the roar of a wave coming closer.

Not again. God, please have mercy on me. I was alone. Ace was gone, and I was alone again. Wasn’t that enough to deal with? Did I have to drown, too?

Before I could open my eyes, the wave crashed through me, and I was floating again. My body was thrown around from side to side. I struggled to reach the surface for a breath of air, but the water was stronger than me, and my limbs still weren’t working right.

I was tired of going against the current, so I let the water take control. I didn’t fight it anymore. What was done, was done.

Another wave crashed into me, slamming my body to the ground again. Pain rippled through my head as my mouth opened and water rushed in. Choking, I reached for the surface. I didn’t know how much more I could handle. Why did fate have to be so cruel?

My head emerged from the water, and I sucked in a sharp breath of fresh air. Squinting my burning eyes against the splashing water, I saw Ace lying on the ground, unmoving. Fear damn near choked me more than the water ever could. I opened my mouth to scream for Ace one last time, but salty water rushed in, burning its way down my throat and into my lungs. I choked and gasped for breath.

I couldn’t open my burning eyes against the harsh waves. I couldn’t see if Ace was alive. I was struggling to breathe. I was so tired. I couldn’t get back to the surface. I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t breathe.

God, please save me. Send Aidan to save me.Someone. Anyone.Please.

My ears were ringing, my throat was burning, and IknewI was going to die. My family was never going to find my body. They would never know what happened.

I closed my eyes as my lungs begged for air and my mindhurt. And then, I felt it—God sent me Aidan… except, it wasn’t him.

Big hands wrapped around my body just as I was about to let go of my last hope for survival. I opened my eyes, and saw Ace’sbig, blue, concerned eyes meet mine. He was holding us above the water, and his lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. My head hurt. My lungs ached. My body was so sore.

And I was so, so tired.

“Breathe, princess. Open your fucking mouth and breathe. I can’t lose you, too.” I opened my mouth, and oxygen rushed through my parted lips. I gasped, coughing and spluttering, then I closed my burning eyes again.

“Open those eyes, princess. I need to see them,” Ace begged. Pleaded so brokenly, I had to open them again just to look at him. His blue eyes were wide with panic.

He was going to save us. I knew he would. He wasn’t Aidan. Ace wasselfless.

We were falling as the water slipped away, but he held me to his chest as we hit the ground.

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