Drown

Mia is sitting on the beach alone. She is feeling lonely and lost. It's not because of lack of company, but the recent incidents disturbed her deeply and she couldn't seem to concentrate on anything or anyone. It's been a week since Reed dropped her off on the island. She tried to forget or at least divert her concentration from that basement, but everything failed. At the end of the day, she is depending on alcohol to numb her mind and body.

Today Nero and Chloe finally brought their baby home, who was in the hospital incubator because the baby is born prematurely. Mia was so excited to see the tiny little thing, that she wanted to kiss her soft cheeks. But when she raised her hand to touch the baby, she saw that her hands are bloody, exactly like when she killed those men in that basement. Mia recoiled with shock and ran away from there, leaving a worried Chloe and Nero behind. 

Mia lay down on the beach on her back. The waves are crashing near her feet. After she ran away from Nero's home, she drank alcohol to forget what happened. Everything is messing with her head and she is feeling like she is going insane. 

Her mother Emma is recovering from the bullet wound, and her father is looking after her. Mia envies them. She knows she will never get a life partner who would love her more than he loves himself. She closed her eyes, as the waves sang a lullaby of their own and the effects of alcohol began to numb her body.

After a couple of hours when it began to get dark, Nero and Luca are searching for Mia. After she ran away from Nero's home, he thought she would have gone back to the mansion. So he called his father after an hour to inquire about how she is doing. He found out that she didn't come home. That's when they began to get worried. She is not answering her mobile and no one knows where she is.

"Dad, where could she be?" Nero asked Luca with concern over his sister.

Luca is tensed and worried for his daughter. 

"I don't know son. I shouldn't have left her alone. I thought i am giving her some space to breathe. She is not Mia before the kidnapping. She is not smiling as often as she used to and she barely speaks. She is not eating properly and even if i force-feed her, she is puking everything. The doctor told me that it must be the trauma and she should get out of it on her own. So i took a step back and gave her some space." Luca confessed with concern.

Nero too noticed how withdrawn Mia is. She is not speaking with Chloe like she used to.

"Don't worry dad, she will be fine" he assured Luca, but Nero is worried too.

On the other hand, as the moon is raising high in the sky, the ocean began to move forward, and the intensity of the waves increases. Mia, who is under the effects of the alcohol didn't notice that the waves are coming fiercely and in no time she will be pulled into the ocean along with them.

Nero and Luca are still searching for her madly. Their men are searching for her as well. But how would they know that she is in the less frequently used part of the beach and she will be drowning soon?

On the other hand, Reed who was invited by Luca to talk about the bikers who kidnapped Mia was in the air over the island when he saw Mia on the beach. His plane was about to land when his gaze caught something unusual. Upon close inspection, he saw it is Mia who is lying on the beach motionlessly. She will drown soon, and no one can bring her back once the ocean takes her under.

"Damn it" he cursed.

He jumped from his seat while moving towards the cockpit.

"Land the plane here now" he demanded.

The pilots looked at each other with confusion and worry.

"Boss, if we land the plane here, then the plane would be damaged and it would be....." the pilot tried to explain that the plane would be damaged if they land in the sand. But Reed caught the Pilot by his neck which stopped his sentence mid-way.

"I said, land the plane now" he snapped.

Both the pilots flinched and immediately the plane descended and crash-landed on the beach, making a huge sound. 

Mia is startled awake by the sound. Her mind is still hazy and she saw that something is burning nearby. She is still lying on her back and is trying to remember where she is and what she is doing here. She saw a man jumping down from the burning plane followed by several others. But the others are not as agile as the first man. They were clumsy. She saw the man running closer. She couldn't see who he is in the dark. The fire behind him increased in intensity, and Mia could not identify the man until he came closer.

"Reed?" she whispered just before a huge wave came and crashed over her. She gasped as the water got into her mouth and nose. She tried to sit up, but the water began to pull her into the ocean along with them.

Reed ran as fast as he could. When he saw an angry wave crashing over Mia and began to drag her under, he jumped the last few feet and caught Mia's hand to stop her. Quickly he pulled her out of the water. When the stench of alcohol wafted from her, he became furious.

"Slap"

He slapped Mia hard across her cheek in anger.

Mia stumbled a little and looked at him with shock.

"How dare you? Did you raise your hand at me? You as*hole" she cursed him angrily and raised her hand to slap him back. But he caught her palm midair and twisted it behind her back painfully.

"You should be thankful that i saved your ass again princess. You should not be mean" he sneered.

He is angry that she is drunk and carelessly lying on the beach without caring about her life. If he was a minute late, then she would have drowned by now. He is angry over carelessness. She was never this careless. He knows she drinks occasionally with her friends, but never like this. He knows why she started to get drunk like this.

Mia on the other hand is yet to realize how dangerous her situation was. She is angry that he slapped her.