The sounds of splintering wood cut through the howling wind. One moment, Nathan was pulling me toward the safety of the house ... and the next, I was shoving him forward with all my strength as the pergola groaned and gave way above us.
A scream tore from my throat as the wooden beams crashed down, barely missing Nathan as it sent a spray of debris between us. Rain lashed at my skin, stinging like needles, and the wind roared in my ears, drowning out everything but the frantic hammering of my heart.
"Vanessa!" Nathan's voice was raw, barely audible over the storm.
I stumbled back, my bare feet slipping on the rain-slick deck. The storm had transformed our paradise into chaos. The infinity pool was a churning beast, the ocean beyond it a frothing, blackened maw. Lightning split the sky again, illuminating Nathan's face, his eyes wide with terror. Not for himself.
For me.
