Chapter 55
Chapter Fifty-Five
Charlotte gasped as they hit the water. Darkness overcame her senses as she was fully submerged in the breathtakingly cold river.
Water rushed in her ears, the deafening silence beneath the surface of the water surrounding her.
The shock of the impact loosened Newbridge’s grip slightly, giving Charlotte the chance to kick her legs against his body and break free.
Her legs moved as though through molasses, tangled in her skirts, weighed down by the soaked fabric.
There was no time to panic, though she cursed her inability to swim. She needed to fight.
Fight for love.
Fight for her daughter and the taste of happiness they had only just found with Perry.
Fight for the future they could have together as a family.
Newbridge’s grip found her again, squeezing her arm tightly.
She kicked him, struggling to put more distance between them.
Arms heavy and tired from being restrained, she opened her eyes beneath the muddy brown waves.
Though hard to see, she could barely make out the details of where she was and where she needed to move. If she was to survive.
Newbridge drifted further away, his grip loosening as though he had given up the fight. Streaks of blood painted the water, flowing from his wound. Using her energy reserves, she used all her strength to move as far away from him as she could. They only had minutes until they would both succumb.
Dragging her slow gaze above her, she perceived how close she was to the surface of the water, the light dancing on the waves. Despite her struggle, she sank deeper. Her lungs screamed for breath. The fire burned within her, desperate for one more precious lungful of air.
Moving her legs to propel herself toward the surface, her skirts dragged her down faster than she could progress forward.
Closing her eyes, she focused on the reasons she had to fight, to find that precious air.
Sending a silent prayer that Perry would find her, she moved furiously toward the light.
Her thoughts drifted to Perry and Aurelia.
Why was she moving so slowly? How could her treacherous body betray her when she had at last found the love of her life?
Closing her eyes, she surrendered to the stillness.
The rush of water turned to silence. A soft ticking off in the distance was the only sound that drifted into her mind as she watched the surface of the water, shimmering under the rays of the sun, dim to black.