Chapter 178 Pulled From the Depths
Chapter 178 Pulled From the Depths
It was Jonathan.
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The moment Anneliese recognized him, her lashes fluttered faintly. His broad hand had already wrapped around her, drawing her securely into his arms. He brushed her floating hair aside and pressed his palm against the back of her neck before lowering his head to seal her cold lips with his own.
Her eyes flew wide, but Jonathan’s thumb stroked gently behind her ear in a soothing motion. At the same time, Anneliese felt a breath of air forced between their joined lips, spreading into her chest and easing the suffocating tightness there.
In the midst of the icy cold, that breath was the only warmth, and she instinctively closed her eyes, chasing after it, desperate to take in more.
Jonathan started to pull back, but her lips clung to his, her tongue darting forward to tangle with his, bold and needy. His stroke toward the surface faltered. Then he captured her chilled lips again, gave her another breath, and teasingly pinched her ear with the hand at her nape, half reminder, half provocation.
Anneliese’s eyes opened, confusion flickering through the blur of water. She coughed in panic, choking on another mouthful. Jonathan frowned, tightened his arm firmly around her waist, and, with strong kicks, drove them both swiftly upward.
Meanwhile, at the poolside…
“Zach, please, don’t leave me. I’m scared. Please, I’m begging you.”
Zachary had already dragged Selina to the edge, but she clung to his neck, her legs wrapped around him, refusing to let go.
“Let go, Selina!” he barked, his wet face grim and urgent. Anneliese was still in the water.
He had dived in to look for Anneliese, swimming toward the flurry of red fabric thrashing on the surface. But when he grabbed hold, he realized it was Selina. He had forgotten she was wearing a red dress too.
He had wanted to push her off, but she had latched onto him like driftwood, claiming she couldn’t swim. He decided to haul her up first before throwing himself into saving Anneliese. But even on land, Selina refused to release him, still sobbing and shivering as though death was clutching her.
“Help me… It’s so cold…” she whimpered, tightening her grip on his neck.
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9:41 Thu, Sep 11
Chapter 178 Pulled From the Depths
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At that moment, another figure stormed up. She bent down, grabbed Selina’s hair, and yanked it back hard.
“You little crybaby! Always clinging to men and whimpering! Fine, I’ll give you something to whimper about!”
It was Jessica. She had been watching from the shadows all along, keeping an eye on Anneliese.
Seeing Zacharias save Selina and ignore Anneliese, Jessica’s rage flared so hot that she nearly stabbed the pair of them herself.
The only reason she hadn’t jumped in earlier was that she had seen Jonathan dive from the far side of the pool to rescue Anneliese. So, she used her strength elsewhere–dragging Selina out of the water by her hair and slapping her twice across the face.
Selina screamed as if her scalp had been torn off, the heavy slaps leaving her reeling. She shrieked louder and louder until the guests inside rushed out in alarm.
“Stop! Jessica, are you insane?”
Zacharias froze for a moment at the sight of Selina being beaten senseless. He barked out the words, instinctively hauling himself onto the edge to stop Jessica. But Jessica let go of Selina and turned, planting a fierce kick into Zacharias‘ shoulder.
With a splash, he toppled back into the pool.
He surfaced with a furious glare, wiping water from his face. “Jessica Sweeting!”
Jessica met his anger without a flicker of fear. Her eyes burned with icy fire as she snapped, “Why are you shouting at me? If anything happens to Annie, I’ll smash your d*mn head in myself!”
Anne! Zacharias‘ mind roared. Yes, Anne is still in the water.
His face drained of color as panic gripped him. He scanned the pool wildly, but she was nowhere in sight.
Just as he prepared to dive down again, movement caught his eye. From the deep end of the pool, a man surfaced with a red figure in his arms.
“Anne!” Zacharias cried, joy flashing in his eyes as he struck out toward them. But he had barely swum a few feet when the man holding Anneliese turned back to face him.
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