♥
Four hours later, when the ship had grown quiet and even the sea seemed to breathe in its sleep, Caleb led Desi up to the deck.Only the faint slap of waves against the hull and the creak of rigging disturbed the hush.Lanterns along the quarterdeck swayed in the soft wind, their glow gilding the edges of his hair, his coat, his steady hands.
They paused by the starboard rail.Desi’s chest tightened, her breath catching on the salt-laden air.The night wrapped around them like velvet, dark and endless.Moonlight painted silver filigree across the inky waves, each crest gleaming before folding into shadow.She drew in the scent of brine, tar, soaked timbers, and the faint spice that was purely Caleb.It steadied her trembling resolve.
The Ring must meet its fate.She knew it as surely as she knew her own heartbeat.Yet its destruction would seal away her sister, her home, her century—all she’d ever known.A door shut forever.
She whispered a final plea.Am I doing the right thing, Lord?
The answer came in the tender glow of a quarter moon and a whisper of wind brushing her cheek, as though heaven itself breathed peace upon her.
Moonlight caught on the silver cross resting against Caleb’s chest.Desi reached out, her voice soft.“Take good care of that cross.One of your descendants wears it in my time.”
“Indeed?”He touched it, wonder threading through his tone.“I cannot wait to hear of him.”
“He’s a good man.A friend of mine.You’d be proud of him.”
Caleb’s eyes glimmered, the sea’s reflection dancing within them.“Then you should be as well.For if he’s my descendant, he is yours also.”
Her breath faltered, the truth settling over her like a gentle wave.Of course.That was why her love for Ethan had always been something higher—sacred, untouchable.“God works in mysterious ways.”
“That He does,” he murmured, lifting the Ring into the moonlight, the gem pulsing with a fierce, red light—alive, defiant, as if the artifact sensed its doom.Caleb’s grip tightened.“Are you ready?Once it’s gone, you can never return home.”
The air thrummed with power—time itself stretching thin between them.The smell of the sea deepened, and Desi felt her spirit align with his, with eternity.
She slipped her arm through his, pressing close.“Iamhome.”
Caleb nodded once, solemn and sure, and opened his hand.
The Ring fell.It caught one last glint of moonlight before vanishing beneath the waves.A faint hiss, a ripple, and then the ocean swallowed its crimson glow—dimming… fading… gone.
Silence reigned.
Far below, in the quiet deep where light seldom reached, a Nassau grouper drifted across a coral shelf.A tiny spark winked in the gloom.Curious, the fish turned, its great jaws opening to claim a morsel of light that had once commanded empires and hearts.
The sea kept its secret.
The End
Epilogue
One Month Later…
Desi started down the wide dirt path leading to the Hyde estate.Though Caleb’s grip on her hand was firm and reassuring, a tremor coursed through her, setting her knees to quivering, despite her best effort to steady them.
A salty Caribbean breeze lifted loose strands of her hair and swept across the open field before them, rippling the tall grass like the surface of the sea.Ahead stood a plantation-style home perched upon a rocky cliff, its wide verandas gazing out over turquoise waters that stretched to the horizon.Though sizable, the house bore none of the ostentatious pretense of Montverre’s estate.Instead, it radiated a quiet strength—weathered stone, sun-bleached shutters, and broad windows flung open to light and air.Palms and flowering cassia trees offered shade, while wild orchids, hibiscus, and begonias splashed vibrant color against the earth.
It should have calmed her.
Instead, her pulse skidded.
“What if they don’t like me?”she asked at last.
“Impossible,” Caleb replied without hesitation.
“But…?”Her voice betrayed her.
He stopped and turned to face her fully.Taking both her hands, he lifted them and pressed a reverent kiss to her knuckles.“They will love you as I do.I promise.”
