Page 87 of The Carver

I got out of the SUV so fast I nearly tripped. I sprinted forward, spotting the fresh grave immediately, a pool of water sitting on top of it. “No.” I grabbed one of the shovels Oscar’s men had left behind and speared it into the mud. I worked fast, throwingmounds of dirt aside, moving quicker than I did with my sets with the bar and weights.

Adrien grabbed a shovel and joined me, and then the driver did the same.

“Fleur, I’m here!” I threw the dirt aside, coated in mud and sweat in the pouring rain, all of us working and panting to get the dirt off as quickly as possible. But the deeper we dug, the more the water pooled, and I realized her coffin was already fully submerged. “Fuck!” My fingers found the locked hinges, and I snapped them free with my bare hands before I pulled off the lid.

She was fully underwater, her body floating.

For the first time since I’d found out what happened, I let the fear hit me.

I was too late.

“No…” I scooped her from the water, her limp body ice-cold to the touch.

Adrien froze at the sight of her, in so much shock, he fell to his knees.

I laid her down on the earth and immediately started chest compressions, tears pooling in my eyes. “Sweetheart, come on.” I pushed hard on her chest and didn’t care if I broke her ribs. I pushed and pushed then sealed my mouth over hers to force the air into her lungs before I pushed on her chest again. “Fleur, come on. Please…fucking come on.”

Adrien sobbed just like he had at the house. Fucking useless.

She suddenly jerked to life, gasping for breath as her eyes snapped open. Then she coughed, expelling water from her lungs.

I immediately rolled her over so she could get it out and not swallow it again. I held her there, her face away from mine, and that was when I felt the tears burn my eyes and break free. I listened to her cough and gasp, coming back from the dead because I’d fucking begged God to let her stay.

When her coughing subsided, she rolled onto her back and looked at the sky, feeling the rain pour down on her face. She turned her head to lock her eyes with mine, and she released a shaky breath, her eyes watering at the sight of me.

I scooped her into my arms and pulled her close, feeling the pulse in her neck against my thumb. I held her in the pouring rain, my chest aching from the way I breathed so hard, and I forced my tears to stop.

“I knew you would come for me.”

We pulled up to my estate, Adrien still in the car with us.

Fleur said she didn’t need to go to the hospital. She just wanted to go home, and by home, I assumed she meant mine.

Adrien stayed in the car, and I helped her to my bedroom. She was covered in mud, and so was I. Whatever clothing she wore before was impossible to decipher now because it was thoroughly destroyed.

She headed to the bathroom first and started to drop the muddy clothes on the floor.

I stayed by the door. “I’ll be back.”

She turned her head so fast. “You’re—you’re leaving?” Her tone was packed with ice-cold fear.

“I’ll be back in an hour.”

“But I want you to stay. I need you to stay…”

I couldn’t stay even if I wanted to, not when I was so angry I could tear down his house with my bare hands. “I have to, sweetheart.”

“I almost died?—”

“And I’m going to kill the assholes who are responsible for that.”

She finally understood and didn’t ask again.

“Turn on the news when you’re done in the shower.”

“Why?”

“Because I want you to see what I did to them.”

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