“Isn’t that perfect? I don’t plan to walk for more than half an hour. I’ll be back before Andreas gets here.”
I see Eric hesitate and think. “I’ll come with you,” he says. I don’t understand what the problem is.
“I really don’t need a bodyguard to take a walk on the beach.” I laugh at his overprotectiveness, but the tension in his face doesn’t ease with my remark. “Besides, I don’t need your permission, Eric. I just wanted to let you know. I’ll see you later.” Eric curses under his breath but doesn’t stop me.
I sprint back upstairs and swap my slightly too-formal dress for shorts and a loose, airy top. I grab a bottle of water, slather on some sunscreen, and slip into my sandals. Then I quickly run back down the stairs, through the garden, and into the dunes to reach the promenade. A set of stairs leads me down to the beach. It’s wonderful—the wind in my hair, the sand between my toes, and the sun on my skin. I have only one goal: to get my feet wet in the sea. It’s still a bit of a walk, but worth it.
The water feels wonderfully refreshing on my feet. I stand still for a moment, soaking it all in, before strolling along the waterline. The seagulls are screeching loudly. I love all the sounds of the sea. Andreas sends me a message. He’s almost in Zeebrugge and can’t wait to see me. I send back a photo of the sea and the setting sun. I decide to loop back via the promenade after walking past a few beach cabins. The beach is quiet now; most day-trippers have left, though a few groups linger. The peace is lovely, and the movement feels good.
As I pass a lively group by a cabin—pizza boxes and beer bottles scattered around, reggae music spilling from a speaker—I notice him. Noah. The last time I saw him, his hands were all over me, and Andreas had barely been in time to intervene. I freeze. He spots me too, his grin vanishing as he rises to his feet. My heart races as I veer toward an opening between two cabins, hoping to lose him. The soft sand muffles any steps, leaving me completely unprepared when I’m slammed against the cabin’s wooden side. Pain radiates through my shoulder and hip as I stare into Noah’s wild, dilated eyes. The space between the cabins is tight. His hands grip my arms, his hips pinning me to the wall. Fear floods my body, my legs turning to lead. The smell of weed clings to him, and I recoil in disgust. I try to twist away, but his grip tightens. My gaze darts desperately around, searching for help but seeing none.
“Well, well, Nora, what brings you to Zeebrugge? Miss me?” He grins grotesquely.
I find a spark of defiance and spit in his face. The retaliation is immediate, a stinging slap across my cheek. His smile vanishes, replaced by a glare that sends a shiver through me. Gasping for air, I taste blood on my lip and struggle to focus through the haze of pain. Mocking me, he presses his hand to my throat, squeezing hard enough to make breathing difficult, his control suffocating.
“This time, your boyfriend isn’t here to save you, Nora, so don’t get any ideas.” I whimper, unable to say anything. “Does he fuck you, Nora? Are you as good as Isabella? Maybe I want to compare, just like Andreas. What do you think?”
His thigh presses against me, and his free hand grips my breast. Terror floods my veins. I try to shake my head, but with his hand tightening around my neck, I can barely move. Tears spill down my cheeks, my body trembling as fear battles with my thoughts. Isabella and Andreas? Were they together? Did Andreas lie about what they meant to each other? I already had a suspicion that something was going on between them, but Andreas swore to me that wasn’t the case.
“Maybe you can deliver a message since you two are so close? Tell him to leave Isabella the fuck alone!” he yells and spits in my face.
Leave Isabella alone? Are they still involved? I want to vomit. But instead, I nod, agreeing to do whatever it takes for him to let me go. Yet he doesn’t release me. His grip on my breast tightens, his arousal pressing hard against my thigh. His hand moves from my breast to the button and zipper of my shorts. I whimper and cry, but each sound earns a tighter squeeze on my throat, cutting off my air and forcing me into silence. I can’t believe this is really happening. Total panic takes hold of me. Breathing becomes almost impossible as he constricts my windpipe. The squeezing also causes excruciating pain. He has his hand on the edge of my shorts and tries to pull them down. With the last shred of strength I have, I shove at him, scratching and kicking with everything in me. But it only enrages him further. He curses, raising his hand to strike again. I shut my eyes, bracing for the blow, turning my head away as I silently beg for mercy I don’t expect to come. But the hit never lands. Instead, I hear a heavy thud, and the crushing grip on my neck is suddenly gone. My eyes fly open. The next thing I see is Eric, launching himself at Noah and taking him down. The two men roll through the sand, Eric landing blow after blow until Noah is clearly overpowered.
I collapse, shaking, my head in my hands. Pain radiates through me, and I can barely process what’s happening. But new voices draw my attention. I lift my head and see Noah’s friends approaching, their expressions full of menace. There are three of them. Eric is strong and fast, but he’s outnumbered. My relief is short-lived as fear surges through me again. Heart pounding, I rise to my feet, unsure whether to fight or flee. Before I can decide, Eric pulls a gun from his holster. The sight freezes the men in their tracks. Slowly, they back away before turning and running off into the night. Eric holsters his weapon, his expression cold and focused, then grabs Noah by the collar and hauls him to his feet.
Then, I hear it—Andreas’s voice.
“Nora!”
He’s here. Finally.
“Andreas!” I try to call out, but my voice is hoarse and barely audible.
“Nora, what happened?” he asks. Andreas looks at my face, pulls me into his arms, his eyes scanning my face, his expression darkening with every bruise he sees. He tries to stay calm, but the tension is clear in his words. “Did he… Did he…?” He can barely get the words out, but I shake my head and see the relief in his eyes, though it’s short-lived.
“Eric, how did this happen? Was this planned?”
Planned?
“No, I don’t think so. Noah was here with some friends on the beach, Nora happened to be taking a walk here.” Eric looks furious. He still has a firm grip on Noah, who isn’t putting up much of a fight anymore. “I’ll make sure Noah is punished for this. I’ll call the police and have him arrested. I’ll handle the rest here. Take Nora home. If the police need a statement, you’ll hear from me.” He looks pained and avoids Andreas’s gaze. Then he turns to me. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner, Nora,” he says, his voice thick with regret.
“You had one job, Eric, one job!” Andreas is furious.
Eric looks shaken. I try to defuse the situation.
“Thank you, Eric, I mean it. I insisted on going for a walk, and you were there when I needed you. Just in time.” My voice betrays that I wish he’d been there a little earlier, but I’m genuinely grateful for his intervention. I don’t want to think about how it might have ended otherwise.
Once inside the house, silence envelops us. Andreas holds me tightly, his grip firm, as though afraid I might slip away. The walk back here had been wordless, and now, in his arms, the weight of everything that’s happened feels unbearable. His hands move softly over my head and back in a rhythm that should soothe me, but all it does is release the flood of tears I’d been holding back. This wasn’t how I imagined our reunion. The fear, the pain, and the confusion are suffocating. I don’t know where to start or how to feel. The only thing keeping me grounded is the warmth of his hands. After minutes of silent sobbing, I step back, needing space.
“I want to take a shower, Andreas. I feel dirty and filthy.”
On top of all the sand, I still feel Noah’s hands on my body, and I want to wash them off as quickly as possible.
The anguish in his eyes deepens, but he nods. "I’ll come with you. I’ll show you where everything is."
“I already know where everything is. I’ll manage. I just need to be alone for a bit.”
“Nora, I can’t leave you alone, not now.” he pleads, his tone trembling with emotion.
