Page 60

Scarlett

M y bare feet slap against the cold floor as I give chase, my body screaming in protest, but my will overrides the pain.

The corridor is dim, the heavy scent of blood and fear following us like phantoms. I can hear his shallow panting ahead of me, frantic and feral.

He doesn’t look back; he knows better.

If he looks back, he’ll see what’s chasing him; vengeance incarnate.

I burst out onto the cliffside terrace, the cold night air shocking against my overheated skin. The waves below crash against jagged rocks, louder than the thundering of my pulse.

And there he is, his silhouette outlined against the almost haunting light of the moon.

“Scarlett, stop.” His voice cracks as he turns, his hands up in mock surrender, but his eyes hold their usual poison. “You don’t want to do this. You’re not a killer.”

My laugh is guttural, raw. “You made me one.”

With a burst of reckless energy, I throw myself at him, tackling him, and we slam into the ground with a force that jolts through my battered ribs, the metal tang of blood flooding my mouth.

His grunt of pain is quickly replaced by a snarl as he thrashes beneath me, his fists hammering against my sides.

But I don’t let go.

I can’t.

Even if I die here, if it is this moment that kills me, then I will have it; I will claim it. I will ensure that my bastard of a husband dies with me.

We roll dangerously close to the cliff’s edge, the sheer drop yawning below us, filled with the merciless roar of the ocean. Alexander claws at my wrists, his nails cutting into my skin as he tries to shove me off, but I cling to him like his shadow.

Somehow, we both find our footing at the same moment, staggering to stand. His face twists with rage and something akin to disbelief.

“You stupid little bitch,” he spits, his words venomous. “You think you can stop me? After everything I’ve done?”

My jaw screams as I try to speak, every syllable slurred and thick, but the words come out anyway. “You’re not leaving here alive.”

Before he can react, I drive the heel of my palm into his nose, a wet crunch cutting through the icy air.

He howls, stumbling back but he recovers quickly, his instincts as sharp as ever. His retaliation is brutal; a punch to my temple that sends fireworks spinning behind my eyes.

I teeter back, my bare foot slipping on the cliff’s wet stone and for a moment, it feels like I’m falling.

I see him lunge for the helicopter’s railing; his desperation laid bare.

My body moves on its own, propelled by fury and adrenaline. I hurl myself forward and grab his ankles, yanking as hard as I can. He topples backward. We both go down, skidding across the uneven ground until gravity betrays us.

The cliff’s edge rushes up to meet us. For a second, I hear nothing but the wind and the violent pounding of my heartbeat.

And then we do fall.

The world turns weightless and infinite. I swear that moment lasts forever. We’re both caught up, both twisting and flailing as we pivot over those deadly rocks, as we dance around one another, as we fall further into that abyss.

I want to hurl more insults. I want to fight, to lash out, to hurt him. But I’m as helpless as he is, I’m as mute as him too.

The icy slap of sea water breaks our descent, the cold slicing through me like shards of glass.

The current pulls us under, a chaotic tangle of limbs and choking saltwater. It fills my mouth, fills my lungs. I gasp for breath. Panic claws at my throat as Alexander’s grip finds me below the surface, his hands a vice on my arm.

He’s not just dragging me down; he’s trying to drown me.

I kick wildly, twisting and thrashing as the ocean swirls around us, black and endless.

His grip tightens, his nails biting into my flesh, and for a moment, fear threatens to overwhelm my fury.

But then I see his face, contorted and monstrous under the water’s refracted light, and my fear evaporates, replaced by something primal.

I reach for his face, my fingers finding his eyes, and I jab as hard as I can.

His scream is muted by the water, but it’s unmistakable all the same. He jerks away, his grip slackening just enough for me to shove free.

My lungs burn as I struggle to reach the surface, the night air just barely within my grasp.

We break the surface together, gasping and spluttering, the freezing wind cutting into my wet skin. He’s still there, still reaching for me, his strength fuelled by sheer malice.

I claw at the jagged rocks, hauling myself onto a narrow outcrop where the waves still crash against my legs.

“Scarlett” he roars, hoarse and deranged as he grabs my ankle, yanking me back down.

My head slams against the rock, the pain momentarily blinding me, but I bite down on the scream that rises up my throat. Struggling against his weight, I twist my body, kicking out with every ounce of strength I have left.

My heel connects with his jaw, the impact reverberating through me. He reels backward, but doesn’t let go.

The ocean surges again, a wave cresting over us and dragging us further out.

My world narrows to two things; survival and ending him.

There’s no logic, no strategy. Just an all-consuming need to finish this.

He drags me back under, holds me there and I swallow so much water as I fight, as I try to survive.

And then another wave comes, a bigger one. It sends us both scattering into the deep.

As I come back up for air, I’m gasping, scrambling, my hands frantically splashing as I try to make contact with something other than just water.

And I do, I touch something solid, something hard. Something human.

Alexander latches onto me, shoving me once more under the surface. “Drown, bitch, why won’t you fucking drown?”

The darkness envelops me, salty water fills my mouth, my nose, it scratches at my eyeballs, and I land one weak punch that I know will have no effect.

I can hear it, his laughter, his taunting laughter in this moment, when he thinks he’s beaten me, when he thinks he’s won.

I reach down, going for the only thing I have left, the only option. My hand wraps around his dick, claws at it and he doubles over.

As he releases his grip around me I launch myself at him, using my own weight to pull him down, to drag him down. I don’t care what it takes, I don’t care what I have to sacrifice to do it. This man will die here, right now.

He kicks out, he drags his nails into the flesh of my back, as though he’s trying to rip out my spine.”Die,” I scream, “Fucking die already!”

He kicks out, he shakes his body, trying to throw me off but I’m not going anywhere, not this time.

I cling on, I cling to him and second by second I can feel it, I can feel him weakening, I can feel his grip on me easing.

The bastard is dying, he’s drowning.

I feel the minute his life leaves him. I feel the moment his hands drop, and his body goes limp, but I stay where I am, holding him down, holding him under, just in case this is some sort of ruse.

When I finally do let him go, his body sinks down, disappearing into the darkness like he’s returning back to the pits of hell.

He’s dead. He’s finally fucking dead.

I feel the joy in my heart for only a fleeting second because I realise suddenly how very far I am from the shore. No wonder I couldn’t feel the rocks, I must be hundreds of metres away, carried by the current.

But Rafe is there, Rafe is on that island.

I force my arms to move, to raise, and I swim haphazardly.

The island looks even more like a mirage now than it ever did. I swim, and I swim but it feels like I’m not closer.

And all the while the waves are lapping relentlessly at me, at my face, pulling me under, forcing me to work harder, to swim harder.

I can’t make it.

My heart sinks with defeat at that knowledge.

I know I can’t make it. The current is too strong. The water is too cold and my body is far too fucking broken for me to stand a chance.

I blink, trying to force myself to do it, to force myself on, but it’s no good. I don’t have the strength to fight.

The water comes up to meet me. It’s freezing temperature feels almost soothing now.

I blink, trying to take in a gasp of air and I realise now that I was never meant to leave this island. That none of us were. Death was stalking me from the minute I arrived – did I really think I could outrun it? Did I really think I could take such risks and not face the consequences?

Another wave overcomes me.

Another wave engulfs me and I fight as hard as I can just to reach the surface.

It’s like everything slows. I can see myself. I can see Rafe too. Both of us, before, in this moment, when I was trying to escape, trying to flee the island and he dragged me back.

He saved me.

But he’s not here now.

I’m suddenly far below the depths, fighting with everything I have to get to the surface.

But it’s so far above me and the darkness that surrounds me almost feels like home.

I flail in that pitch black abyss for a moment before a calmness seems to take me.

I imagine him here, imagine Rafe, that we’re swimming, not drowning. That he’s here, holding my hand, smiling at me.

And as the darkness overwhelms me entirely, I gasp out his name, wishing he was holding me, comforting me, reminding me one final time that he’s here.

And that he loves me.