Page 147 of Fallen Princess: Shadow Stalker

“Quite possibly so.”

I snuggle into his chest and stare into the ocean’s horizon.

There are a lot of things for me to consider now that I also want to make my relationship with them officially permanent.

A warm salty breeze tousles through my hair, and I can hear laughter and chatter somewhere in the distance, probably from the film crew having drinks by the bar area. I remain with Ash, just vegging as we watch the beautiful ocean scene in front of us. The sun’s hanging low in the sky, casting a golden glow over the yacht as it cruises along the horizon back to land.

My eyes suddenly fix on Callum making his way to the edge of the yacht. His movement is erratic and unsettling. Sitting up and away from Asher, I watch him teeter dangerously close to the edge.

“Hey, Callum!” I call out.

A sense of foreboding grips me as I notice the vacant look in his eyes.

“Is he alright?” Ash asks quietly. One can never tell with Callum’s moods.

I call out to him again, my voice lost in the wind. He seems entranced, his gaze fixed on the water below.

Panic sets in as I watch him leap off the edge, disappearing into the deep blue ocean.

Time seems to stand still as my mind races, my instincts kicking into overdrive. Fear surges through me, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Ignoring the shocked gasps of people now surrounding me and Ash to witness the event. I throw off the blanket, and without any hesitation, I sprint to the edge of the yacht, my heart pounding in my chest. Desperately calling out his name in dismay, I search for him to come to the surface. With a deep breath, I plunge into the water, breaking the surface with a splash.

The ocean pulls me under, and I fight it, swimming up toward the surface with a fixed determination. My heart is pounding in my chest. I reach the top and suck air into my lungs as the saltwater chills against my skin and dive back in. With a surge of relief, I spot Callum.

He’s sinking deeper into the depth, and I kick towards him, my arms slicing through the water, reaching him just in time, grabbing hold, and struggling to bring him back towards the surface. The weight of his limp form keeps dragging me down, but there’s no fucking way I’m letting go of him. My strength fueled by a fierce determination to bring my boyfriend back to safety.

As I emerge my head from the water, gasping for breath, I can see more people diving in to help. The sense of urgency and solidarity is etched on the concerned faces.

Asher is the first to arrive, followed by Haze and Jagger. The latter two take Callum and bring him back to the yacht. Asher accompanies me and helps me climb up as another crew member pulls me up onto the deck.

Still gasping for breath, my mind races with concern for Callum. As soon as they hoist him onto the deck and lay him down, the yacht’s crew springs into action, providing first aid and calling for medical assistance.

Ash and Jagger stand on either side of me as we watch with dread the crew performing CPR on Callum. Tears mixed with seawater fill my face. Someone hands me a towel, but my eyes are fixed on my boyfriend as they fight for his life.

Soon, I watch his chest rise, and he jerks up as a surge of water is thrown out of his lungs. I rush towards his side and wrap my arms around him.

“You crazy bastard, I don’t care about the why, just that you’re alive.” I cry into his neck, and he wraps his arm around me.

When I pull away, he looks perplexed.

“What happened, mate?” Asher crouches down to us. I look around us and see Haze and Jagger pushing everyone to go back on their way, telling them the show’s over.

A crew member checks Callum’s vitals and gets up. I hear him telling Jagger he’ll have to log in an incident report.

“I don’t know,” Callum says, seemingly confused and lost. “An overwhelming sense of depression seized me, and I couldn’t control it.”

“Was it because of what I told you earlier?”

He looks at me, his eyes empty and lost. Instead of replying, he nods his head, and guilt spreads through me.

I caused this.

“Don’t blame her for this,” Haze mutters angrily. “What are you on?”

What?I stare at Haze, stunned and confused by such an unexpected question.

“What the fuck have you been taking, you bastard,” he repeats crossly, and Jagger pushes him away.

“I haven’t,” Callum looks at all of us confused. “I promise you I haven’t taken anything. I’m clean.”

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