Sixty Five

Isabella

"Breathe," I hear someone saying, as if through a wall. "Breathe, Isabella. Can you hear me?" The voice is growing clearer by the moment.

I feel my stomach cramping and I throw up, coughing and spitting out something salty.

"Thank God! Can you hear me, bella?" Dante asks, stroking my hair.

I manage to open my eyes and see him, hovering above me, soaking wet. He has his clothes on but had lost the shoes. I watch him, unable to say anything. There is a roar in my head and the sun is blinding me. Fausto passes us a towel and Dante wraps me in it and takes me in his arms. He carries me across the yacht, through all the decks, until we reach a bedroom, where he puts me down. I am still in shock, utterly clueless about what has happened. Dante is drying my hair, looking at me with eyes filled with worry and anger in equal measure.

"What happened?" I croak.