Zoe's POV
"Chloe."
The sound reached me faintly, distorted, as if it were being carried through water.
"Chloe."
I tried to answer, but my mouth filled with liquid instead. Cold rushed into my lungs, sharp and unforgiving. I was underwater—deep, sinking fast. My limbs felt heavy, unresponsive, like they didn't belong to me anymore.
Panic flared.
I kicked, thrashed, clawed at the dark around me, but the water pressed in from every side.
It muffled everything—sound, thought, identity. Above me, light shimmered and fractured, unreachable.
A hand broke through the surface.
I grabbed it without thinking.
My fingers locked around it with desperate strength, as if letting go meant death. The hand tightened around mine and yanked me upward. I burst through the surface, coughing violently, water streaming down my face.
I wiped my eyes.
Seth stood in front of me.
Relief crashed through my body so hard my knees nearly buckled. "Seth?" I gasped.
He smiled.
