CHAPTER 327: EVERYTHING DISAPPEARED (3)

Nick’s POV

The moment the boat docked, I tore away from Liam and Vicky’s grasp and sprinted toward the edge of the pier. My heart hammered against my ribs, my vision tunneling until all I could see was the white hull bumping softly against the dock.

"Nick, wait!" Liam shouted, but I didn’t listen.

I jumped down onto the deck, the impact shooting pain up my legs, but I didn’t care. "Where is she?!" I shouted at the coast guards. My voice was raw, cracking from hours of screaming her name into the sea.

One of them, an older man with a weathered face, lifted his hands, trying to calm me. "Sir, please—"

"Where is she?!" I barked again, stumbling toward the two black bags lying at the center of the deck. "Tell me this isn’t her. Tell me!"

The salty scent of seawater and death hit me as I knelt beside the first bag. My fingers trembled violently as I reached for the zipper.

"Nick..." Liam’s voice was low, almost pleading. "Don’t—"

But it was too late. I pulled it open.

A man’s face. Bloated from the sea, eyes half open, unrecognizable, until the coast guard spoke.

"That one’s Jay Gambino," he said solemnly. "Their boss. According to the men we arrested, he runs a loan company as a front. Behind it, an underground casino, smuggling, trafficking... all kinds of dirty business."

My breath came in short, sharp bursts. Jay. The bastard who was carrying her earlier, and also the one who shot Georgia.

"And the other?" I rasped, already unzipping the second bag with trembling hands.

"His right-hand man," the officer continued. "Jumped in after Jay, tried to save him. Both of them drowned. The current in that area was too strong for regular people like them."

The man’s swollen face confirmed it, it wasn’t her.

Not Georgia.

My arms gave way. I collapsed, the deck slamming hard against my knees. A sob tore from my chest, raw and animalistic, echoing across the dock. I pressed my hands against my face, gasping for air that wouldn’t come.

"She’s not here..." I whispered, shaking my head. "It’s not her... Where is Georgia? Where is my wife?!!!"

"Sir, we are still looking for her. Our team is still out there searching the sea. The helicopters are also not stopping their search," one of the Coast Guards said.

I didn’t know whether to thank the heavens or curse them. Relief and agony twisted together inside me until I couldn’t tell which one hurt more.

Liam and Steven climbed down onto the boat, each taking one of my arms. I didn’t resist when they lifted me up, my legs barely holding my weight.

"Come on, Nick," Steven said softly. "Let’s get you off this boat."

As they guided me away, my eyes lingered on the sea, huge, endless, merciless.

She’s still out there.

Somewhere beneath that cruel water... or fighting her way back to me.

And I swear to God, until I find her, I won’t stop. Not until I bring Georgia home.

I barely noticed when Dad came up beside me. His voice cut through the fog in my head, steady but heavy with concern.

"Nick," he said, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. "Go to the port office. Wash up and change. You’re freezing, son. Let’s go together and search for Georgia once you get a proper rest."

I looked at him but couldn’t form words. My throat burned, my lips trembled.

"We’ll wait for you before we start the debriefing," my father added, his tone softening. "You did what you could out there. Now let us do our part."

I nodded faintly, my body running on instinct more than will. Liam and Steven helped me toward the building at the end of the dock, the one with the Knight Port Holdings emblem gleaming faintly under the dull morning light.

The familiar sight felt foreign now. I used to find comfort in that name whenever my ship docked, but right now, it only reminded me of what I’d lost.

Inside, the port office was quiet. The silence was deafening as I walked down the hallway toward the locker room. I locked the whole place. I put the clean clothes and the towel that Vicky had handed me on a bench. I peeled off my wet shirt, my fingers stiff from the cold.

The moment the water hit my skin, everything I’d been holding back broke loose.

My hands braced against the tiled wall as I bowed my head under the stream, water mixing with the salt still clinging to my face. A sound escaped me, half a sob, half a growl. The image of Georgia falling, her body disappearing beneath the waves, replayed in my head like a curse I couldn’t silence.

"Damn it, Georgia..." I whispered, slamming my fist against the wall. "Where are you?"

My chest heaved, my breath coming out ragged. I stayed there for what felt like forever, until the water turned lukewarm, until my legs started trembling. And then, slowly, I straightened.

I wasn’t done. Not yet.

She was still out there. I could feel it in my bones, the same way I could always sense her before she entered a room. I wasn’t going to stop until I found her. Dead or alive, I’d bring her home.

After washing up, I changed into the dry clothes Vicky had arranged. For a fleeting second, I imagined Georgia smiling at me like she always did. The thought both gave me determination and shattered me.

When I finally stepped into the main conference room, the tension was thick. They were preparing for the debriefing, but everyone turned as I entered. Dad, Oliver, Liam, Vicky, Steven, the coast guard captain, and the police chief were all there. A large map of the coastline was spread out on the table, dotted with red and yellow markers.

"Nick," Dad said, motioning to an empty seat beside him. "Sit. We were just reviewing the coordinates of the drift zone."

I took the seat but didn’t speak. My gaze went to the markers, each one representing a search team, a possible trace of her.

"This area here," the coast guard captain said, pointing to a section north of the current. "We’ll expand the perimeter by another five nautical miles."

"And the divers?" I asked, my voice hoarse but steady.

"They are still searching," the captain replied. "But, Mr. Knight—"

"I’ll join them," I cut him off. "Once this meeting is done."

Dad started to protest, but one look from me stopped him. "I’m not asking for permission," I said quietly. "She’s my wife. And even if you tell me to rest, even if I want to, I can’t until I find her."

The room fell silent. No one argued.

I leaned forward, my hands gripping the edge of the table, eyes locked on that vast expanse of ocean drawn across the map.

"Mark every coordinate. I want more boats, more helicopters, more drones to search for her. Alert all the ships not only in that area but in that whole ocean and all the ports. Inform them that we are looking for her. I will give a huge reward to whoever finds her," I said. "We’re not leaving until we bring her home."

*******

Thank you for the Golden Tickets!

KATHLEEN_COLL

Noni_Byz