The villa was asleep. She would still have to be careful. She knew the family had added additional security—especially after what had happened to her.
Outside, the sky was still cloaked in deep navy, stars twinklingoverhead. The smell of saltwater filled her lungs as she crept across the stone terrace, staying in the shadows and out of range of the security cameras. She followed the gravel path to the boathouse.
She glanced back only once.
The villa stood proudly against the hills, bathed in shadow and moonlight. Somewhere inside, Alexandros was still sleeping. Safe. Beautiful. Unaware.
Her heart cracked.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered again, then turned away.
Inside the boathouse, the air was cool and damp. The little aluminum dinghy was tied loosely to the dock. She untied the rope with numb fingers, shoving the small boat into the dark water with a quiet desperation that felt almost like a prayer. It bobbed in the surf like it too was unsure of her decision.
She slipped into it quietly and grabbed the oars.
Each stroke was slow and steady, the dip and pull of the paddles slicing through the water with soft splashes that seemed far too loud in the silence.
It took longer than she expected to reachThe Gentle Breeze, anchored just offshore. The sea rocked the dinghy as she tied it off and climbed the ladder to the deck, her limbs trembling with each step. The moment her boots hit the wood, her knees buckled.
This was it.
No turning back.
She pushed up, holding onto the side before she walked on numb legs to the wheelhouse, blinking furiously to clear her tears. With practiced movements, she pulled the bow and stern anchors. The trawler shifted, weightless again.
Her gaze turned toward the villa. She could still see it there, nestled on the slope, lights twinkling like fireflies in the dark. The bedroom windows were dark.
Goodbye.
She bit her lip, trying to keep the sobs from carrying over the water. There would be time for tears later. She would let them wash the pain away—she hoped.
Turning away, she powered on the engines. They purred to life—betraying her with their obedience, when all she wanted was a reason to stay.
By the time the horizon began to soften with the first kiss of dawn,The Gentle Breezecruised silently through the inter-coastal waterway. Dani gripped the wheel with trembling hands, steering away from the only man she knew she would ever love.
Her chest ached, every heartbeat cracking something deeper.
She was doing the right thing.
Aren’t I?
Better to leave before love turned to ashes.
Better to run than risk breaking the way her mother had.
Better to drift into the unknown alone than be wrecked on the shores of grief again.
But even as she told herself that… the tears wouldn’t stop falling.
And neither would the whisper in her soul begging her to turn around.
Alexandros prowled the floor of his office. His assistant was talking about corporate acquisitions—deals, expansions, numbers. None of it mattered. Not since the morning he woke up and found Dani gone.
He didn’t care about acquisitions. He cared only about one thing—the woman who vanished from his bed three weeks ago. The one who haunted his every waking thought.
He turned when the door to his office suddenly opened. Theo entered first, his expression grim but laced with a glint of triumph. Demetrius followed, silent, a plain manila folder in his hand. He held it out without a word.
Alexandros’s jaw tightened, and he dismissed Julius with a sharp nod.
