weird.”
“Always,” she promises, planting a sloppy kissing on my cheek.
We laugh again as Kaden and Isaac race across the lawn to settle in for the picture.
“Sorry, I think I took that,” Nick announces. “Let’s try this again. Setting the timer for thirty seconds. Everyone in place.”
Kaden slides between Maggie and me, Isaac propped on his lap, as Nick walks over to sit beside Cassandra. The smile comes easily with Kaden’s hand on the small of my back and Maggie’s hand cupping mine on top of the blanket. When the camera clicks, I continue to smile, my heart finally at ease.
Nick walks into the kitchen while we’re placing the leftovers in the fridge, asking, “Have you seen Cassandra?” Everyone shakes their heads. “The pilot just called. He wants to fly out before the storm arrives. Says he doesn’t want to wait until morning, so if we’re going with him, we have to leave tonight.”
My heart plummets. “Tonight?” I confirm, knowing Kaden is meant to go with them.
Nick looks at me apologetically and nods. I leave the kitchen and go out into the yard in search of Kaden. There’s no one out here, so I continue down toward his cottage, noticing a window on the first floor emitting a glow of light.
That’s when it occurs to me that I haven’t seen Maggie in a while either. I chase away the suspicious thoughts before they can form. They would never …
I quietly enter the cottage and pause, hoping to hear only silence. But I don’t. There’s a squeak of springs and the low murmur of a voice. Closing my eyes, I release a shaky breath before walking toward the bedroom.
I hear a soft moan and freeze. My heart seizes.
“Yes,” the indistinguishable female voice utters in pleasure.
Please no, I beg silently.
My feet involuntarily find their way to the door. It’s open a crack, just enough to see the movement inside. I squeeze my eyes shut, knowing I will never be able to take this moment back. But I choose to know.
I peer in through the slit. The oval mirror reflects the female’s arched back, her spine curving over the top of the man beneath. I cover my mouth to keep the cry from escaping.
When she rises up, she flips her long golden locks over her back. My eyes widen.
Cassandra.
Leaning in closer, I realize the guy is staring into the mirror … his penetrating dark eyes connecting directly with mine.
“Oh, yes,” she exclaims louder. “Oh, Damon … I love you.” Her voice is breathy, and her words are filled with emotion.
Damon’s eyes haven’t wavered, not letting me go. My face heats with embarrassment. His mouth curves into an arrogant smirk, like he’s proving a point, just as he winks at me.
Everything I ever believed to be true was slipping through my fingers like sand. Love had been desecrated before my eyes. My friend had thrown herself into the arms of an unfaithful man without conscience. The weight of obligation was forcing a man to remain with a poisonous woman. And what I was so confident in—my love for Kaden—was being threatened by barbed words and a forked tongue. I was emotionally decimated—scared that love was a farce. That I’d been trapped in an illusion of my own making, and when Kaden stepped off that island, it would be the end of our story.
I rush out of the cottage and race across the lawn, determined to put distance between me and what I just witnessed. My heart is beating so fast, I feel light-headed. I’m forced to sit on a chair on the patio, for fear of passing out.
What if Cassandra isn’t carrying Nick’s baby? Maybe it’s Damon’s. And Nick is planning to marry that woman and raise some other man’s baby, thinking it’s his. I shake my head, my stomach churning.
“Faye, are you alright?”
I turn my head to find Julia standing by the slider, watching me curiously. Her eyes narrow when she takes in my frazzled state. She glances toward the dark pool house.
I scramble for an explanation. “Uh, I’m just upset Kaden has to leave tonight. Have you seen him?”
“Yes, he and Maggie are looking for you. They said they had something important to tell you,” she says. “I’ll let them know you’re out here.”
My breaths come out in short bursts. Each inhale harder to take in. I grip the edge of the table, my lungs closing. It feels like I’m drowning.
“Faye?” Olivia calls out in alarm.
Black spots flood my vision. Cool hands rest