I'm an actress, baby

Hitting the water felt like a cold punch. 

The icy temperature knocked whatever breath she had left in her lungs clean out of her. 

She tried to remember the meager swimming lessons she had had. 

But every movement of her legs, every stroke of her arms seemed to only make her sink even more. 

She was drowning. 

Panic seeped in but Emmaline refused to give in to it. 

Conserving what little oxygen she had left, she held still and waited. 

That was the best thing she could do. 

When Ashton saw Emmaline go over the side of the boat, an awful kind of terror seized him. 

He knew he was strong. 

But the way he practically threw Donovan to the side and tossed Fiona out of his path was almost as if he had superhuman strength. 

"Emmaline!" He roared, sprinting to the side she had just been and plunging into the black water after her with no hesitation.