Chapter 126: Why is everyone looking at me like that Wilsmith’s head jerked up. "What?"
Everyone’s gaze shot toward the water. Anna — still in character, still walking — had gone far past the marked line.
She was supposed to stop waist-deep. The rest of the scene would have been completed with camera tricks. But she wasn’t stopping.
"What is she doing?" one of the assistants shouted.
Ethan shot up from his seat, alarm flashing across his face. "Anna!"
And then Daniel saw it — the faint tremor in her shoulders, the hesitation in her step — and his stomach dropped.
Her foot slipped.
"ANNA!" Daniel’s roar tore through the silence as he ran ignoring everything and everyone with his heart sinking into his stomach.
....
While chaos broke out on the shore, Anna kept moving forward, unaware of the panic behind her.
The waves lapped against her waist, rising higher with every step. "Why isn’t the director saying cut?" she muttered under her breath, confusion flickering briefly across her face.
But she didn’t stop. Her back was to the crew; no one could see the faint tremor in her hands.
Anna had promised herself she wouldn’t hold back. She wanted it to look real—to make the pain, the surrender, and the despair of her character, Olive, feel alive.
So she walked deeper until water reached her chest, heavy and cold, pressing against her ribs. Her breath grew uneven, her heart pounding fast. Still, she pushed forward, her body trembling but her will unbroken.
Then, suddenly—
"ANNA!"
The voice roared from behind her, startling her so hard that her foot slipped off the slick rock beneath her.
Before she could react, the current yanked her off balance. Her scream was swallowed by the sea as she plunged under, the world above her turning into rippling fragments of light.
For a moment, everything went quiet. Her limbs froze as cold water flooded her lungs. Her vision blurred, her mind drifting into that same eerie stillness she remembered from long ago—when death had once come knocking, unexpectedly.
She had lived once. Then she hadn’t.
. And then she was given another chance only to snatch it back in the same unexpected way
But now, sinking fast, that second chance felt like it was slipping through her fingers.
’I can’t swim,’ she realized too late, panic tearing through her chest.
’Then why risk your life, you idiot?’ her subconscious screamed as her lungs burned for air.
Bubbles escaped her lips, her body going limp as she sank deeper. Maybe this is it again, she thought faintly. Maybe this is how I go.
Her hand twitched weakly—then something strong and warm closed around it.
Before she could process it, she was being yanked upward, breaking through the surface in a violent splash.
"Ah!" she gasped, coughing hard, her lungs seizing as air rushed back into them.
For a fleeting moment, she thought she was dreaming — that she’d woken somewhere between life and heaven.
Until a familiar voice shattered that illusion.
"Don’t worry, Anna. I’ve got you. I won’t let anything happen to you."
Her lashes fluttered open — and there he was. Daniel. His arm wrapped firmly around her, his other hand cradling her face as he swam them both to shore with fierce determination.
"D-Daniel?" she stammered between coughs, her head spinning as she clung to him.
He didn’t respond. His focus was razor-sharp, his jaw tight, his expression carved from sheer panic and adrenaline.
As soon as they reached the shore, he lifted her effortlessly into his arms and strode past the frozen crew.
"Oh my goodness, Anna! Are you alright?" Fiona gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest as if she cared — but Daniel didn’t even spare her a glance.
"Move," he barked, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade. The crowd parted instantly.
Kevin and Betty rushed forward, both wide-eyed and pale. "Big Sis!" Betty cried, tears streaming down her cheeks as she followed Daniel.
"Get the doctor. Now!" Daniel’s tone left no room for hesitation.
Henry fumbled for his phone, already shouting into it as Daniel lowered Anna onto a nearby chair.
’Wait... why is everyone looking at me like that?’ Anna thought hazily, her mind still foggy.
Her hair clung to her face, droplets sliding down her cheeks as she blinked at Daniel, who crouched in front of her. His shirt was soaked, his breathing labored, his face ghostly pale.
"Are you okay?" he demanded, his voice trembling slightly despite his composed tone. "Do you feel dizzy? Breathless?"
Anna frowned faintly, confusion knitting her brows. He looked more shaken than she did.
Her lips parted, her voice weak. "Daniel... you— you look like the one who needs a doctor."
For a second, his stern expression broke — and relief flashed across his eyes.
Then, quietly, he muttered, "As long as you’re breathing, I’ll survive."
"..."
"Anna, are you alright?" Wilsmith’s voice broke through the tense silence as he hurried over, his expression a mix of concern and disbelief.
Anna quickly pulled her hands free from Daniel’s grip, straightening in her chair despite the lingering tremor in her fingers. Her hair clung to her face, water dripping down her chin, but she forced a faint smile.
"Yes, Director. I’m fine," she said, her tone steady even as her voice wavered at the end. "Was the shot up to your mark, Director Wilsmith?"
The question caught him completely off guard. Of all things she could have said after nearly drowning, she was asking about the scene.
Wilsmith blinked, struggling for words. "I—well... yes, it was—uh..."
But before he could finish, a sudden chill swept down his spine. He could feel the weight of a gaze burning into him.
Slowly, he turned and froze when he met Daniel Clafford’s eyes.
Cold. Sharp. Lethal.
’I didn’t do anything’ was what he wanted to say but Daniel eyes shut his mouth.
’He was there when I explained the shot’
"Anna," Daniel snapped his head around at the sound of another voice approaching.
Ethan.
He strode forward, ignoring Daniel’s glare as he crouched down in front of Anna, concern etched all over his face. "Are you okay?" he asked gently, his voice softer than Daniel’s but no less intense.
Daniel’s jaw tightened, the faintest sneer curling his lips. The sight of Ethan kneeling in front of her — so close, so comfortable — made his blood simmer beneath his calm exterior.
Anna felt it immediately. That heavy, invisible pull in the air — the one that always appeared whenever those two were in the same room.
She blinked rapidly, forcing a strained chuckle. "Hehe... Ethan, I’m okay," she said quickly, trying to defuse whatever silent battle was brewing between them.
But Ethan didn’t look convinced. His brows furrowed, eyes scanning her face as if searching for a lie. "I don’t think you—"
"Excuse me, everyone! The doctor is here!"
Henry’s voice sliced through the tension like a lifeline. He hurried over with the medic in tow, subtly positioning himself between Ethan and Anna.