Three.
My stomach tightens. A hollow weight settles under my ribs.
This isn’t random.
Miranda’s expression is too pleased. Too expectant. Like she’s watching dominoes fall exactly the way she set them up.
“Our next arrival is here!”
A man climbs the stairs—handsome in a safe, guy-next-door way. He reaches the terrace smiling like he’s ready to be introduced.
Then he sees Jessa, and the smile collapses.
Jessa inhales sharply beside me. Her fingers curl into her palm like she’s holding herself in place.
“Nick,” she says, and her voice is pure disdain.
He stops. His gaze sharpens. “You’re here. How have you been?” he asks, like this is normal.
Jessa lets out a humorless laugh. “Fine. Not that you ever gave a shit.”
Four.
The sunlight feels too bright now. The ocean too loud. The terrace too small.
By the time Miranda announces the next arrival, no one reacts. We’re all braced.
A woman comes up the stairs fast, heels snapping against stone, anger practically radiating off her. She doesn’t scan the terrace—She zeroes in.
Her eyes lock on Zayne. A smile curls on her lips like a weapon.
Zayne stiffens. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”
She squeals like she’s delighted. “Zany bear! I’ve missed you so much!”
“Kylie,” he says, voice dragging with dread.
Five.
I don’t have to count anymore to know what that means.
Six women, including me. Five exes have already appeared.
There’s one left.
My breath goes shallow. I take a sip of my drink, and it tastes like nothing. My pulse thuds at the base of my throat.
I don’t look at Miranda. I don’t need her confirmation to know the next person up those stairs is mine.
The only question is which ghost they dug up.
I tell myself it won’t be Scott. It can’t be. I’ve spent ten years building a life where he doesn’t exist. Spent that time making sure he couldn’t undo me with a look. I’ve spent?—
A man appears at the base of the stairs.
Broad shoulders under a dress shirt. Sleeves rolled to the forearms. The kind of build that isn’t just from a gym—discipline, repetition, something earned the hard way.
His stride is long and deliberate, every step purposeful.
