The island felt smaller after that night.
Every path I walked now had eyes on me. Every meal was monitored. Even the ocean seemed to close in, its waves whispering that there was nowhere left to run.
Daddy had become more attentive, almost tender — but his tenderness now carried teeth.
That evening, he found me sitting on the balcony, staring at the horizon where the boat had disappeared. He didn’t speak at first. He simply pulled me onto his lap, one arm wrapped around my waist, the other resting on my rounded belly.
“You’ve been quiet since the cove,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Still thinking about Reynolds? About Harrington?”
I nodded, unable to lie.
“I keep seeing Reynolds bleeding on the deck,” I whispered. “He was only trying to help me… because of my mother
