Dimitri's POV 

I knelt there in the sand, holding her lifeless body against my chest.

The waves crashed behind me. The wind howled. But I heard nothing except the silence of her heart.

She was not breathing.

Irina was gone.

"Irina," I whispered. "Please. Please wake up. Please do not leave me. I came for you. I am here now. I am here."

But she did not respond. Her body was cold and stiff. Her lips were blue.

"Dimitri," Mikhail said softly. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "We need to go. We need to…"

"No," I said. My voice was barely audible. "I am not leaving her."

"She...