Christian's POV
There were voices…voices calling out…voices asking if there was anyone out there…I knew I should answer, but I couldn't find my voice, couldn't locate any part of my body. All was dark and all was empty. I was floating in a void, unable to find a way out.
Satine’s POV
We had come too late. Almost everyone in the water was dead, their glassy eyes glaring at us accusingly. I held back a shudder and pressed Ethan to my side, shielding him. I searched the bodies, looking for Christian, Jack, and Rose.
A flash of red caught my eye and I pointed. "There! That girl there! She's still alive! And the boy by her side—he is, too!" I scanned the water hopefully, hoping Christian would be near them, but I didn't see him.
*****
"And Christian? Was he still alive?" I asked Jack a few minutes later when they were pulled onboard. Jack met my eyes, no emotion betraying his knowledge.
"He was on a door next to us. It drifted away. Satine…I…I don't think he was alive." His voice grew softer, laced with pain. I bit back a sob, my heart breaking, a jagged wound that pierced my chest like broken glass.
"Christian…" I murmured, rocking back and forth. "Christian…" I didn't notice Rose wrapping her arms around me, or Ethan handing my kitten to me, claiming I needed her more than he needed her. I was numb to everyone, shocked that I could lose Christian like this. It wasn't possible; it was all a lie.
Rose’s POV
I felt helpless. How did one help a friend deal with a broken heart? Satine was rocking back and forth, a glassy expression in her green eyes and both hands pressed against her stomach. A little boy was trying to get her attention, a kitten in his hands. Jack was staring blankly at the water, and I was whispering comforting words to Satine, unsure if she could even hear me.
"Satine! Please, talk to me!" I said, my voice desperate. "Christian wouldn't want you to do this. You have to find the will to live." The words hit her like a slap and she recoiled from me.
"How does one live with no heart?" Satine asked softly.
"You have his unborn child and this little boy to live for. They need you," I reminded her softly. She swallowed, glanced down at her flat stomach and at the little boy, and then nodded.
"All right…I'll…I'll try." She hesitated. "He's not dead. He can't be. He wouldn't give up on life like that." Her eyes were bright, unusually so.
Shock. The shock was making her believe Christian was alive and waiting for her. She hadn't gone mad, not her.
"No, Satine. He's dead. He's not waiting for you. I'm so sorry."
She shook her head defiantly. "No. He's alive. I know it." She turned away, looking over the edge of the boat at the lifeless bodies we were passing.
I had opened my mouth to try to convince her further when she screamed, a blood-curdling scream of absolute shock and horror.