Chapter 140 Drowning, Darian Chose to Save Ophelia Over Cecily
Darian came out to the sight before him, his expression turning to ice as he noticed only Ophelia's desperate floundering on the surface of the water – Cecily was nowhere to be seen.
His heart tightened with urgency, not even pausing to shed his coat before diving headfirst into the pool.
As he prepared to search for Cecily, the frightened cries of Ophelia reached him, "Darian, save me, please... Help... I need help..."
Ophelia's pleas came out as a string of bubbles, gurgling from her mouth as if she were genuinely experiencing a drowning.
"Save me."
At that moment, Cecily's head bobbed above the water.
Darian swam quickly towards her, ready to save her when a realization struck him – Cecily was an excellent swimmer. It had been her who had playfully outswam him in the ocean before, saving Aurelie to the shore.
She didn't need his help; she had impressive aquatic skills.
On the other hand, Ophelia's voice was growing weaker; it was clear she was the one in need of rescue.
Hesitating for only a second, Darian turned and reached out to grab the flailing Ophelia, hoisting her out of the water.
Ophelia clung tightly to Darian's arm, coughing and gasping for breath in a pitiable yet undignified state, so realistic in her plight that no one could suspect her ordeal was a farce.
"Darian... Cough, cough, cough..."
Darian pulled Ophelia to safety, back onto dry land.
Meanwhile, Cecily, who had just managed to surface for air, was feeling a cramp running sharply down her leg, and the stiffness showed no signs of abating
She quickly sank back down, and just as she saw Darian swimming toward her, her instinct to survive made her reach out her hand. To her shock, Darian pulled back and turned to leave.
Cecily grabbed at thin air, her body losing balance and plunging forward, choking on a mouthful of water as it rushed into her lungs.
The chill of the late autumn water was bone-piercing, and a suffocating feeling gradually enveloped her.
Ophelia was pulled to the shore by Darian. She coughed violently, her complexion pale, looking utterly terrified. She threw herself into Darian's arms, shaking slightly and began to cry uncontrollably. "Darian... I thought I was going to die. I was so scared, I was really so scared..."
Darian's brow furrowed deeply. His mind wasn't on Ophelia; he turned to look and didn't see Cecily on shore.
Just as Darian was about to check, Ophelia, seeing his intention, clung to him tightly. "Darian, I'm scared. Don't leave me."
Her voice was laced with sobs, urgent with fear, and no one could have guessed her act.
"Does that other girl know how to swim? She hasn't come up yet. Someone dive back in and check, nothing bad should happen!"
Suddenly, a worried shout came from the crowd.
"I can't swim. Is there any man who can swim well? Please dive in and save her!"
Darian's heart clenched.
Cecily hadn't come up yet?
That was impossible; she was an excellent swimmer.
What was she doing?
Darian pushed Ophelia away and stood up, diving straight back into the water.
"Darrian!" Ophelia cried out.
She watched helplessly as Darian dove into the water again, swimming toward Cecily.
Another splash sounded as someone else dove in.
Two men quickly went under, searching for the person in the pool's deep end.
Cecily didn't know how many mouthfuls of water she had choked on. She just felt her body continuously sinking, strength leaving her.
Suddenly, an arm grabbed her hand and pulled her into an embrace, wrapping around her waist and guiding her upwards toward the surface.
Cecily's consciousness was dim, unable to discern her savior through the haze clouding her vision.
"Don't touch her," Blaise commanded, his voice laced with a raging fire that seemed on the brink of destroying everything in its path. Articulating these three words was a testament to his last shred of sanity.
Darian appeared deaf to Blaise’s warning, cradling the lifeless body of Cecily in his arms and carrying her ashore.
Blaise didn't attempt to wrestle for her.
Cecily was on death's doorstep; he'd be insane to battle with Darian in the water over her.
The black depths of Darian's eyes were hollow as he gazed at the woman with eyes shut tight and her breathing faint. Fear filled his gaze.
How could this happen?
How did things turn out this way?
Cecily was a proficient swimmer, effortlessly reaching the shore in the ocean; how could a pool pose such a problem?
"Cecily? Cecily! Don't you dare play dead."
Darian laid her on the ground and checked her breathing, fear escalating across his face.
Soaked and disheveled in his custom-made suit worth hundreds of thousands, the usually aloof and dignified Darian had an air of disarray and was visibly tense—an unusual display for him.
Everyone watched Darian and Cecily, hardly believing that Darian could one day be so anxious over a woman's life and death.
One thought consumed Darian—the desperate hope for Cecily to awaken.
He initiated CPR and, when he pressed his lips to Cecily's cold ones for rescue breaths, he shook violently.
He never anticipated it coming to this.
He had reckoned Cecily would be able to swim to safety, considering her aquatic skills, while Ophelia was closer to drowning and needed his immediate assistance.
Time seemed to stretch on indefinitely...
Then, suddenly, a series of harsh coughs erupted from Cecily. Spitting out water in great heaves, she felt frail and overwhelmed by discomfort.
The sensation of choking on water was truly horrific, especially coupled with the brush with death.
Slowly she opened her eyes, squinting through the burning and blurriness, unable to focus on the figure before her.
"Cecily?"
Cecily strained her eyes, and as the blur before her gradually cleared, she could finally make out the man in front of her.
Relief surged in Darian's eyes as he saw her lips move slightly. Her frail voice was indiscernible, so he quickly asked, "What did you say?"
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