The freezing water swallowed me whole.
Enormous waves crashed over me and dragged my body rapidly downward.
Behind me, the cruise ship erupted in screams of panic.
The instant I jumped, something shattered in Gavin's eyes.
Terror and despair stripped away the last of his reason.
He forgot the confrontation, his eyes bloodshot as he screamed my name like a madman. "Elise! Elise!"
He charged toward the railing and leaned forward, ready to dive into the sea after me without a second thought.
Brielle's expression changed. She threw herself at him, wrapped both arms around his waist, and used all her strength to drag him back.
Her hair was disheveled. Her voice was shrill beneath its deliberately calm veneer, while a secret flash of crazed triumph hid in her eyes. "She's already jumped.
