The Astor estate loomed over the cliffside like something out of a fever dream. Ivory walls, opulent balconies, shadows that whispered in languages older than time. Inside, we were led to a suite soaked in obscene luxury. Marble floors. Liquor older than either of us. A view of the ocean so sharp it could cut.
Something was wrong. Sin stood at the window, fists clenched at his sides, jaw carved from granite. The silence stretched between us like a live wire.
Eventually, he said, “Why are we really here, Theo?”
I moved to the bar, my movements slow, deliberate. Poured two fingers of whiskey.
“You know why.”
“I know what youtoldme,” he snapped, “That doesn’t mean it’s the truth.”
I turned, handed him the glass. “There’s a meeting. Tomorrow. One of my father’s people.”
His voice dropped. “What kind of people?”
I met his gaze. “The kind who don’t show up inForbes.”
He barked out a laugh. Bitter. Hollow. “And I’m supposed to sit there and play lapdog while you dance on a fucking landmine?”
“No,” I said, closing the distance, placing the glass in his hand and keeping my fingers there, wrapped around his. “You’re going to stay here. I won’t be long. I promise.”
He didn’t respond. Not at first. We both knew my promises were easily broken and weren’t worth the weight of the air I breathed.
His jaw twitched. His throat worked around words he didn’t speak. He studied me like he was trying to figure out whether I was real or just a drunken hallucination.
Then, quietly, like a knife sliding in between ribs, he murmured, “If I’m your conscience, Theo… we’re already fucked.”
I leaned in, lips brushing the shell of his ear. “Good. Maybe now we’re finally starting to understand each other.”
He didn’t reply. He didn’t have to.
CHAPTER 16
SIN
The sea was like glass this morning. It mirrored the pale blush of dawn, broken only by the trail my footprints left behind in the sand. The estate loomed behind me—marble and money and control—but out here, with the wind threading through my hair and the tide licking at my ankles, I could almost pretend the world beyond this island didn’t exist.
Theo was already gone, off to some meeting I wasn’t allowed to ask about. I didn’t push. I knew he’d find his way back to me when everything was done. He’d been different since the moment he appeared at the apartment yesterday. I was under no illusion this version of him was here to stay, but I was happy living in denial for the next couple of days.
Maybe that would have to be enough.
The water beckoned like a lullaby, and I waded in until it swallowed my knees, hips, and ribs. The ocean wrapped around me like a balm, warm and salty and still. Out here, there were no relentless whispers of failure and disappointment, no threats of futures built in someone else’s image. Just this—sunlight breaking through cloud cover, the sound of waves against the shore, and the sting of salt on my lips.
When I dove under, the world went silent.
For a moment, I let it all fall away. The lies. The pain. The need that wrapped itself around my ribs like barbed wire. Underwater, there was only weightlessness. Peace.
I surfaced, dragging my hair back from my eyes, gasping, heart pounding, lungs burning, wishing I could stay down there forever. Wishing I could drown in this illusion we’d built together—this fragile dream strung together with glances and stolen touches and the lies we told ourselves to survive.
By the time the sun was high in the cloudless blue sky, I was dry and sun-warmed, lounging in the sand, eyes half-closed, letting the breeze tug through my hair. A sigh slipped past my lips at the thought of moving. I’d have to walk back up to the estate soon because I’d been here for hours, but before I did that, I needed to cool off.
The golden sand scorched the soles of my feet as I sprinted across it, laughing softly as I slipped into the sea’s cool embrace. I dove beneath the surface, letting the saltwater wash over me, loosening the tension in my muscles as I swam further from the shore.
Flipping onto my back, I floated, rising and falling with the rhythm of the waves, the current cradling me like a lullaby. The water’s steady cadence soothed the frayed edges of my mind. I smiled up at the sky for the first time in what felt like months. I breathed easily.
Eventually, I dove deep again, slicing through the endless blue, steeling myself to head back in for a quick shower. I hoped Theo would be back soon—I was itching to explore the island.
When I finally broke the surface, blinking salt from my eyes, I saw him.
