As Raegan tried to get out of the car, her legs wouldnât hold her, and she fell.
âMadamâ¦â Matteo rushed over to help Raegan stand.
But Raegan pushed his hand away and made her way toward the dark smoke coming from the sea.
Matteo stayed close behind, watching her walk into the water, before stepping in to stop her.
âMadam, donât go any furtherâ¦â
With a voice made rough as though burned by smoke, Raegan demanded, âWhy? Why?â
Matteo was visibly shaking, trying to hold back his emotions as he barely got the words out.
âThe SUV was set to blow up the moment you got out of the driverâs seat.
The safety team did everything they could, but the only way to stop it involved putting something heavy in the driverâs seat within the last five minutes, and we couldnât do that without the right tools.
â
Overcome with emotion, Matteo wept.
ir.
Dixon decided to stop the countdown himself to take your placeâ¦
Mitchel had sacrificed his own life to save Raeganâs.
Raegan stared at the section of the sea darkened by the explosion, frozen in place.
She whispered to herself, âCould he still be out there in the water?â
Trying to swim toward that area, her movements were frantic, but Matteo grabbed her, holding her firmly in place.
âMadam, you canât do this! Youâd be disregarding Mr.
Dixonâs effort to protect you.
â
âMatteo, heâs alive.
He had promised he wouldnât leave me alone.
Why isnât anyone trying to rescue him? Please, we need to get him out⦠The waterâs freezingâ¦â
Tears welled up again, large and heavy, falling into the icy sea.
Raegan kept saying under her breath, âI canât bear the thought of him cold and alone in the water⦠He shouldnât be thereâ¦â
Matteo cried, unable to keep his eyes open.
How could there be anything left to find? The explosion was massive.
Yet, driven by her desperation, Raegan moved deeper into the water, sobbing.
âMitchel, letâs go back homeâ¦â
Suddenly, she dived into the cold sea without a second thought.
âMadam!â Matteo shouted, panic-stricken, and without hesitation, he jumped in after her.
Holding Raegan close, Matteo swam back to shore.
Once they were back in the car, Raegan was shivering, her body ice-cold from the seawater.
Half-conscious, Raegan clutched Mitchelâs coat left in the car, whispering faintly, âMitchel, please come backâ¦â
Raegan drifted in and out of sleep for what seemed like ages.
She dreamed of wandering aimlessly through an endless, dark ocean, searching for Mitchel.
The sea was pitch-black, icy, and devoid of light.
Raegan swam until she could no longer, feeling lost and desperate.
Just as Raegan was about to give up, she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.
âRaeganâ¦â