Chapter 70

• The days that followed blurred into a relentless cycle of desperate searching and crushing disappointment for William. He refused to believe it.
• Claire, gone? Swept away?
• It was impossible. His mind, shattered by grief, clung to the faintest sliver of hope. He tipped local fishermen, joined rescue teams in their increasingly futile efforts, and scoured every inch of the natives of coastline, his eyes burning from the sun and lack of sleep. He interviewed every resort guest who had survived, clinging to any rumor, any whisper of a sighting.