Caesar held Adeline as he swam out of the water and crawled onto land. He was drenched and coughing frantically.
"Adeline?"
He laid her on the ground and checked her over, panicking like he'd never done before., His chest was pounding, beating in his eyes.
He'd tried, done everything he could to get her out of that water. His arms were aching, but that couldn't stop him. She couldn't die—couldn't leave him. Not now.
"Adeline, wake up. Come on, open your eyes, look at me. Don't do this to me, please."
He grasped at his chest, finding it hard to breathe. It felt as if it was burning. Even his vision was gradually growing blurry, and he knew he was going to lose consciousness if he continued like this.
The man pressed his palm against her forehead. She was warm, and her pulse was still beating.
She wasn't dead. Not yet.
