"Did you ever tell him back then?" Her voice was stronger, emboldened by my admission. “How you felt?”
"No." A heavy word laden with sadness. "And that's my biggest regret."
"Because you were scared?"
"Because I let fear dictate my life." I held her gaze, steady as the ground beneath us. "Don't make my mistakes, Olivia. Don't live with 'what ifs.'"
Her breath caught, and the flicker in her eyes ignited a spark of understanding. The connection was tenuous, a thread strung between us, but it was there.
"Mom, I—" she started, then stopped, the words catching in her throat.
"Whatever it is," I encouraged, "you can tell me."
Olivia's fingers twitched, the only tell of her inner chaos. "I just… I don't know where to start or how to explain it.
"Start anywhere," I replied, my voice low. "Start with one thing."
She bit her lip, the quiet stretching taut between us.
"Mark and I—we…" she faltered, and her eyes darted away.
"Olivia." My tone sharpened, not with reprimand, but with urgency. "Trust me."
Her gaze snapped back, meeting mine. "We walked the beach every night. We talked and goofed around like old times. I promise that’s all it was—us being like we used to be together. And then?—"
"Then what?" I pressed, leaning closer.
"Someone saw us!" The words spilled out, frantic. "They threatened Mark."
"Who?" My mind raced, wheels turning, piecing together shadows of the threat. “Why would they threaten him?”
"I don't know!" Her distress was palpable, her voice rising, thin and strained. “He wouldn’t tell me who it was or why. But it made him really worried for some reason.”
"Shh." I reached out, stilling her trembling hands with my own. The contact grounded us both. "We'll find out."
"But it's all messed up now!" Tears brimmed in her eyes, her fear naked and raw. “People think I killed him!”
"Listen to me," I said, every word deliberate, honed by years of crises. "Nothing is beyond repair."
She swallowed hard, nodding, clinging to the promise like a lifeline.
"Mom, I'm scared," she whispered.
"Scared is okay," I reassured her, my voice even. "Only when we’re scared can we do something brave. It wouldn’t require courage if we weren’t afraid to do it."
Her breath hitched, and she nodded, a mute agreement to the unspoken pact between us. I felt my heart ache for her and knew that no matter the darkness lurking, no matter what truths were hidden in silence, I would shield her.
Chapter19
THEN:
Isla's fingers curled around Javier's, their hands swaying gently between them as they walked along the shoreline. Each step imprinted a fleeting memory in the wet sand, one that the ocean would soon claim. Isla's laughter mingled with the rhythmic whisper of the waves, her voice a melody of contentment.
"Imagine it, Javier," Isla said, her eyes reflecting the horizon's infinite promise. "A little studio overlooking the ocean, where you can paint, and I can write, and nothing but the sound of the surf to break the silence."
Javier squeezed Isla's hand, his smile as radiant as the dreams they wove. "With mornings spent chasing the dawn and evenings capturing the sunset on canvas," he added, his words painting an idyllic future that danced before Isla's imagination like a treasured mirage.
The ocean breeze played with strands of Isla's hair, teasing them into a wild dance that mirrored the untamed spirit within her. The sun dipped lower, its golden light bathing the beach in a warm embrace that seemed to approve of the lovers' plans.
