Page 120 of The Contract Marriage

“Oh fuuuuuuck!” Joey screams. “That’s it! Everyone out! We gotta drain the pool!”

Chapter Fifty

Olivia

I shiver in the cold. My body half floats, chilly bubbles wrapping around me. My throat burns as I scream silently for someone to save my baby. It’s the only thing I have left of Liam.

Olivia.

I tremble, reaching out.

Hang on.

Liam. I’m here.

The light around me grows fainter. I stretch my hand out. If I can just touch it, I know I’ll be okay, but the light is pulling away too fast. No matter how I struggle, I’m just a hair’s breadth away from it, its warmth barely grazing my fingertips.

Please! Don’t go.

I scream, but the words get stuck. And I can’t—

“Olivia, are you all right?”

I blink, then squint at the overwhelming white around me. The pungent scent of antiseptic stings my nose.

The harsh fluorescent light over my head. The beeping of machines, and the tubes…

“Olivia, do you know where you are?”

I stare at the familiar figure. “Simon?” I whisper.

“Yeah. I’m here.”

I blink. “What… How…?”

He shifts. “I, uh, heard about what happened, and—”

“Why did they contact you? Why not Liam?” I swear I thought I heard him.

Something flickers in Simon’s eyes. He looks down. “Probably because I’m listed as your emergency contact.”

I frown, but that may be possible. I didn’t update my info after marrying Liam because I foolishly didn’t plan on making our marriage last. “And Liam?” I prompt again.

“He isn’t here.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense. Wasn’t he near the pool?” Didn’t he hear me fall into the water? Or at least, even if he didn’t notice, wouldn’t he hear about it from somebody? I know I didn’t crawl out of the pool on my own.

Simon shrugs. “I wasn’t at the party…”

I push myself up and gasp as pain shoots through my chest. He places a hand on my back to support me. “Careful. CPR probably left bruises.”

I look around. Sure enough, it’s just Simon and me in the room. My gut says something isn’t right. There’s no way Liam wouldn’t have come to make sure the baby and I were okay. “Where did Liam go? Was he here before?”

Simon hesitates.

“Tell me the truth.”

He clears his throat. “He wasn’t here when I got here.”