Chapter 37

Theo's POV The sound of the splash cut through the ballroom chatter like a blade through silk. I turned toward the commotion by the pool area, and my heart stopped completely when I saw Claire's emerald dress disappearing beneath the dark water. Time seemed to fracture. One moment I was standing beside Rebecca, nodding politely at her endless chatter about garden parties, and the next I was watching the woman who had consumed my thoughts for weeks struggling helplessly in the deep end of the pool. I didn't think. I couldn't think. Every rational thought vanished, replaced by a single, overwhelming imperative: get to her. Now. My jacket hit the marble floor before I was fully conscious of removing it. My shoes followed, kicked off as I ran toward the pool's edge. The voices around me became a distant roar—gasps of shock, excited whispers, someone calling for help—but none of it registered. Only one thought consumed me completely: if anything happened to her, I would lose my mind. The wa