The moment the boat returned to the royal private island, I rushed off of it in search of Elva. I found her on the beach, building sandcastles with Veronica. Elva looked up at me and scrunched her nose. “Why are you so dirty, Mommy?” I rushed to her side. I so desperately wanted to hug her, but,

My entire body goes numb at Julian’s words. The whole world had seen Nicholas, live, strip down and roll over. Everyone must have been speculating what they saw. Was there even any question? What else could we have been doing but what we did? God, I never wanted to be in a pit again, but I still

With Nicholas’s arms wrapped safely around me, I debated with myself whether to ask the questions I wanted or to go back to what I was sure would be the world’s most comfortable sleep.In the end, my desire for answers outweighed my sleepiness.Nicholas could tell without me even saying anything. “I

I fell asleep in Nicholas arms. It was the warmest, most comfortable I had felt in I couldn’t remember how long. With the sun creeping in through the blinds and the sound of the ocean beating on the sand just outside the window, I was lulled to sleep like a happy baby in a cradle.When I blinked awa

“Veronica!” I shouted with excitement and, holding the coconut, rushed closer to her side. “You did that so easily!”Veronica did not seem to mirror my level of joy. In fact, she seemed utterly dissatisfied, frowning at herself. Her breaths were shallow. She seemed winded.“It’s not good enough,” sh

I stared into Julian’s eyes, and he stared back at me. For a moment, nothing existed except the two of us and the ocean behind us, the waves cresting and smashing into the sandy shore.“I hope you mean that,” I said. I so desperately wanted him to be happy, and I knew he never would be, not so long

Bridget’s doe-eyed look, while so similar to Elva’s, was not nearly as convincing. Perhaps Bridget’s charms worked on those who were already fond of her, or on unsuspecting men who found her attractive, but I was neither of those.When I looked at Bridget now, all I could see was the memory of her s

“Elva!” I cried out, and rushed to wake her. “We overslept, honey. We have to go now!”I had so many questions. Where was Charlotte? Why didn’t my alarm go off? Why didn’t anyone come looking for us?But there was no time to consider them, let alone process them long enough to find answers.I tried

I tried to take Julian’s advice, trusting in Nicholas, and attempted to relax. By now, Julian had sat up, so I took the open seat next to him. Elva squeezed into the middle space between us.Veronica soon came to join us. She was apologetic, it seemed none of the staff members on board had extra swi

Holding Elva’s hand, I lead us both down the stairs.As I dropped beneath the surface of the water, I instinctively held my breath. Beside me, Elva hadn’t. She looked around, surprised, and then laughed. Oddly, I could hear her voice clearly, even under the water.In front of us, Jessica and Veronic