“And what’s Hunter saying about all this?”
“H-he… He’s denying it.”Shoulders shaking, Issy wept into her hands.Dan hugged her until she was able to speak again.“He’s not divorcing Alicia.He’s not leaving her.He lied to me about that.He let me believe…”
She burst into tears again.
“Oh, Issy.”
“Paparazzi were gathering everywhere I went.At first, I thought it was because of the song, but they didn’t give a shit about that.They just sneered at me about Xav.So I did what you did, Dan.I ran away.”Shaking now, Isabella took gulps of air.“I-I flew back to LA as expected, told my driver to head to the hotel without me, and then I waited in a toilet cubicle until I could get a flight to Sydney.I asked my friends Nadine and Ashley to post stuff hinting that I was missing you and that we…we…we’re hoping to get back together.”
“Wha—”
“I know, I know.I’m sorry.I didn’t know what to do.I should’ve asked you first, but you never replied to my messages.You never called me back.”She sat on the edge of the bed, hugging her knees, and despite the heat, she was shivering.“Not that I blame you, Dan.I know you must hate me too, but I didn’t know who else to turn to.Even my mother thinks I’m the one who fucked things up with Xav.She said it was my fault he went back to his wife.”
“Your mother is—” With gritted teeth, Dan swallowed back the words he’d been about to mutter.They wouldn’t help now, and he had more important things to deal with.“Libby and I have been at the beach all morning.We’ve not checked social media.”He rubbed his forehead, hoping to god Libby hadn’t read anything online about his and Isabella’s fake reunion.“I have to speak to her.”
“I… I’ve looked Libby up,” Isabella was saying, her teeth chattering as she hugged herself.“I read some of her travel articles.Was that her behind you just now?”
“Yeah.”
“And her son?”
“Yes.”Dan studied her.A shipwreck victim dragged out of the waves, Isabella didn’t look well at all.“Put this over you.”He draped a sheet from the bed over her shoulders, never having seen her this distraught before.
She stared at the floor by her feet.“Xav threw me under the bus.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s what I deserve.I shouldn’t have slept with him.He’s married.Married men never leave their wives, do they?”She sucked in a shaky breath.“Apart from my dad.He was married and didn’t blink twice about leaving Mum and me.But that served me right, too, because I was such a brat.I—”
“You weren’t a brat,” Dan said sternly.“And Hunter is nothing like your dad.”
And this broken woman in front of him was nothing like the Isabella that Dan knew.
She was a gibbering, insecure, vulnerable wreck.If only Libby were here!She’d know exactly what to say and do.Was she still outside?He went to the door.
“No, don’t open it!I was followed here.”
Dan halted.“Is that why you were calling me babe?Because you think someone’s watching?”
“I’m sorry.I had to pretend I’d come to see my fiancé.”
At least Isabella’s behavior outside made sense now, but then the blood drained from Dan’s body.If Serita had seen Isabella’s fake excitement, Libby must’ve too.
“I have to call Libby.”He stood, patted his pocket for his phone, and then realized it was still in Libby’s bag.Shit.“Can I borrow your phone?I need to get a message to Libby.”
“Mine died somewhere over Australia.I… I didn’t bring anything to charge it with.I wasn’t thinking straight when I packed.”
Dan scrubbed his face.
Surely Libby would know all the marriage stuff was fake, wouldn’t she?Then again, was that why she and Karim hadn’t come inside?Libby was always so inquisitive.She never shied away from meeting people.
Had they gone back to the hut?
Then Isabella’s other words about being followed slowly seeped in.The last thing any of them needed right now was paparazzi hanging around the island.
“Who do you think followed you?”he asked.
Behind every long lens, there was always a familiar, sneering face.
