There was an overwhelming sadness in leaving a place of strong love, where fond memories grew as fast as the ocean breeze came and went. I would savor each memory I made with everyone, but especially with Mags. Leaving didn’t mean that I didn’t love her. I was leaving because I loved her. She couldn’t get stuck to someone like me.
I turned my back to the resort where I knew she was in, and boarded the boat.
My brain reminded me I couldn’t put her through the pain I could eventually cause her, but another feeling in my heart told me our love was worth fighting for. We had discovered true love and lost it violently last night. But it was my fault. I should have never given in to my own selfish desires in the first place. What beat in my chest was a mass of angry muscle that would never function without her.
“You okay, son?” Tom, the captain, asked. His eyes were filled with worry.
I shook my head. “Not really, but I have to be.”
“Where’s that girl you’re always with?”
I looked back at the resort. “She’s not coming with me this time.”
“Too bad. I know love when I see it. You two have it.” He whistled before walking away and leaving me in my turmoil of thoughts.
I grabbed my phone and my thumb hovered over her name. I could call her and apologize, but at what cost? I couldn’t be a selfish bastard like my father. I shut the phone off and slipped it into my pocket.
Without her, the sun wouldn’t shine as bright as it once did. The heartache would serve as a reminder to not fall in love again, and to stay away from Mags so she actually could have a shot at happiness—even if it killed me.
Day Seven
10 AM - 11 AM - Breakfast
I closed my hand around the cup, feeling the warmth, taking in deep drags of the espresso fumes. I couldn’t sleep a wink last night. Luca’s words kept running through my mind.
Coward.
I told him how I felt, but he couldn’t see through his fear to give us a chance. I had thought we were past that, but apparently I was wrong.
“You okay, Mags?” Eve sat beside me with her coffee on the balcony in her room. I couldn’t be alone after last night.
My shoulders shrugged. “As okay as I can be right now.”
Taking a sip of her coffee she said, “He’ll probably come around. If not, you’ll find someone better. It was a shitty thing for him to leave without telling you.”
I stared down at the cream-colored coffee and blew into it, the liquid rippling within the confines of the mug. I didn’t want someone better. I wanted Luca, but when was enough... enough?
The most alluring of memories were the worst, cutting my heart up as if they were shards of glass. This island had been a refuge, a place of guaranteed warmth even on the coldest of days.
I glanced out at the ocean. The deep royal blue surface rose and fell with rhythmic ease. Just being here filled me with a sadness I wasn’t sure I could shake without him. “It wasn’t meant to end like this.”
She reached over and patted my leg. “I know. But by tonight we’ll be back in Violet Ridge.”
I brought the mug to my lips and swallowed the warm liquid. I really missed him, and he was never really mine to miss.
“I got a call from the police department this morning.”
My head whipped toward her. “What? What did they say? About Gerald?”
She wrung her hands together. “Well, the restraining order went through. They told me it’s valid for two years, but I can get it renewed.”
“That’s good.” I nodded. “What happens to him now?”
“They said he’s looking at serving a year in jail and a fine of two hundred dollars.” She released a shaky breath.
My brows raised. “That’s it? He could’ve killed you.”
“I know, but apparently that’s just how the law works.”
