Only two hundred meters remained. Elias, unable to maintain his pace, was caught up and overtaken.
"Looks like the ex-boyfriend's going to win her heart," someone remarked with a smirk.
"Did the current boyfriend cramp up or something?" another person laughed.
"No surprise, he's about to lose," someone else added, their voice dripping with amusement.
The young man surged ahead, now several meters in front of Elias, and Mira stood there, frozen.
At that moment, Vera’s voice rang out over the crowd, clear and desperate: “Elias, I just want you to be my groom, come on, I love you—”
As if her words were a lifeline, Elias, who had been struggling in the water, suddenly surged forward. His movements became more purposeful, more powerful. The reassurance her voice gave him seemed to fuel his every stroke.
In the final stretch, only fifty meters to go, Elias' speed increased dramatically. The water around him splashed in great arcs as he pushed himself to the limit.
"Elias, come on, come on—" Vera’s voice cracked with emotion, her calls now tinged with tears.