"Ahh..." Nicole cried out in distress, While Esme was overwhelmed with fear to even make a sound.
Esme has a deep-rooted fear of water. She saw her mother drowning in a lake when she was young. Since then, she has been scared of water. She could feel the chlorine water filling her mouth and nose, making it hard for her to breathe. She fluttered her hands and legs to stay afloat. But with her jerky movements, it's impossible not to drown.
"Nicole!" Noah jumped into the pool when he saw Esme pulling Nicole into the pool.
When Esme noticed Noah, she thought he was coming to save her. Everyone gathered near the pool in shock.
"Noah!!" Esme called out for Noah, but he ignored her and saved Nicole instead.
Esme is drowning when Noah exited the pool holding Nicole in his arms. Esme felt her head growing heavy as her lungs started to fill up with water she was inhaling. Her body is going down inside the water. But Noah didn't care. He rushed away holding Nicole in his hands, ignoring his drowning fiancée.
Esme could have laughed at the absurdity of this all. Nicole could swim, but still Noah rescued her. While Esme couldn't, but he didn't care. The love, affection, and everything Esme held for Noah shattered at that moment. She thought she is going to die. She is worried about who would take care of her father.
At that moment, when she was so helpless and desperate, another splash sounded, and two strong arms pulled her out of the water just before she lost consciousness.
"Esme, Esme, wake up." Leo Ashford, the legendary President of the Ashford group of companies, is patting Esme on her cheeks.
He pressed both his palms against her chest, trying to remove the water she had ingested. He did a CPR, when it didn't work, he gave her mouth-to-mouth.
That's when Esme came back to consciousness, when Leo's lips were on hers.
"Ahh.." she gasped, breathing in rapidly.
She looked around the backyard and noticed that the party died down and almost everyone left, leaving her to die.
And the person whom she had only met a few times, and that too briefly, is the person who came to her rescue.
Leo Ashford, Noah's elder brother, who is seven years older than Noah and was already a teenager when Esme met Noah.
Later, Leo went to serve in the army and then made a name for himself by establishing the Ashford group. He is a legend and his name is taken with high regard. He is aloof, cold and said to be ruthless. His mind is sharp and nothing misses past this man. Esme heard a lot about him from others, and never spoke with the man beyond a hello or a hi. He barely ever responded, not even a nod. Esme used to believe that he hated her. And Noah used to joke about it, too.
So to see him saving her life is a shock to Esme. This is as shocking as Noah abandoning her to die.
"Thank you, Mr. Ashford," She thanked him softly. Her voicewas hoarse from her near-drowning incident.
He gave her a curt nod and draped his jacket around her wet body.
"I will tell my driver to drop you home," he informed her. She opened her mouth to refuse, but he was already leaving.
Esme looked around, searching for her mobile. She found something black in the pool. It's her mobile. She is too scared to rescue her mobile, even though she doesn't have enough money to buy a new.
Ashford's would help her if she asked them, but her self-respect never allowed her to ask anyone for money.
She went back to the hospital, ignoring her wet clothes. Something in her heart felt tight and uncomfortable. It's as if her subconscious is warning her that something is not right. The feeling of dread washed over her.
She all but ran inside her father's room, feeling as if something was not right. But when she found the room empty, she started to panic.
"Nurse, where is my father? He was in room 106," she asked the nurse.
The pitiful look the nurse gave her made Esme's legs nearly buckle underneath her.
"He is fine, right?" Esme asked. Her voice was a mere whisper.
"I am sorry, my dear, he passed away an hour ago. His vitals started to fall. We tried to save him, but failed. His body is sent to the morgue. We tried calling you, but we couldn't reach you. You can see him if you want in the morgue," the nurse offered.
Esme's legs gave away this time. She collapsed on the floor as tears started streaming down her cheeks in silent sobs. Her life shattered completely when she was struggling to piece together the broken parts. The loss of her father, whom she always loved and respecte,d is a huge blow to her.
Everything was a blur after that. It was Leo Ashford who carried her away from the hospital in his arms, when she was breaking apart on the hospital floor. She didn't refuse or even react. She felt too tired to do anything at her lowest point in her life. It felt like she hit her rock bottom.
Two days later, the Ashford's arranged her father's funeral.
It was Sebastian Ashford and Leo Ashford who stood by her side when her father's coffin was descended to the ground. To say that Noah didn't even bother to show up was another blow after he abandoned her in the pool.
"Where is Noah?" Sebastian demanded the Ashford butler angrily.
"Sir, the young master is in the hospital with Miss Nicole Sterling," the butler replied.
"Then tell him to get his ass here. Esme needs him the most now" Sebastian instructed the butler.
The old Butler hesitated a little before replying.
"Young master said that he doesn't want to do anything for Miss Esme. He said Miss Nicole is not well and she needs him. He switched off his mobile phone," the butler replied.
A bitter laugh escaped from Esme's lips. Their years of happiness and fond memories died a horrible death at that moment.
"Esme," Sebastian Ashford said with concern.
Esme shook her head.
"Don't worry, Uncle Ashford, I am fin,e" she lied.
If dying inside is called fine, then she is definitely fine.
- End of Chapter -
