Linda smiled, poised and perfect. “Wouldn’t miss it.”


    Jay gave a low whistle. “Fashionablyte, huh?”


    As everyone rushed to greet her, I didn’t look at Linda.


    I looked at Noah.


    He hadn’t moved. Not even an inch.


    His eyes were locked on her, but there was no joy. No softness. Just that tight jaw, that still body, that internal war barely hidden under the surface.


    Sophia turned to me, whispering as Linda got swept into hugs, “Well… game night just got a sequel.”


    I nodded slowly, watching Noah fake a smile while his fingers clenched his ss like it might shatter.


    Love.


    It’s crazy how something so beautiful can sometimes hurt so badly.


    After Linda’s arrival, it was strangely calm for a few minutes. Maybe everyone noticed the not–so–warm wee from Noah. But trust the ck kids never to let anything kill the vibe, especially on vacation.


    Sophia, Linda, and I naturally gravitated toward each other, three women in a sea of testosterone. We lounged on daybeds by the infinity pool, sipping from pineapple coconuts like we weren’t mentally calcting everyone’s emotional damage.


    Linda, to her credit, was charming. A little too polished, but still likable. Sheplimented my nails, asked Sophia for skincare tips, and recounted heryover disaster in Paris like it was a scene out of a rom. But even with all the effort, I couldn’t ignore how still Noah had been since she showed up. Aloof. Quiet. Almost… removed.


    Sophia noticed too.


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    “Alright, spill,” she said, setting her drink aside and turning to Linda. “What’s going on with <fna360> Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n FindN()vel</fna360>


    and Noah? That wee? The tension? Off the charts.”


    you


    Linda’s smile faltered. “It’splicated.”


    Sophia didn’t blink. “Try me.”


    “We’ve been… off. For a while,” Linda admitted, her voice softer now. “I thought this trip would fix things.”


    “And?” I asked gently.


    She exhaled. “He’s not talking to me unless he has to. And even when he does, it’s like I’m a stranger.”


    I didn’t say anything, but I nced across the patio. Noah was seated alone on the balcony above, staring out at the ocean with a half–empty ss in his hand. He looked like a man trying to remember why he came.


    By dusk, the mood lightened. Leo, who I’de to learn was the mischievous one among his brothers, decided to host a “Couples–In–Crime” mystery game: a chaotic mashup of charades, lies, and solving made–up scandals. Way more fun than I expected.


    Sophia and I were used of smuggling diamonds in coconuts. Owen turned out to be the “informant.” Jay faked his own “death.” And Liam, of course, yed the poker–faced detective who arrested half of us just for fun.


    Liam and I kept our distance. No more secret thigh squeezes. But he kept ncing at me, his gaze sharp, unreadable. Kelvin, meanwhile, hovered nearby. Offering drinks. Making cheekyments. Iughed a little too hard at one of them, and I didn’t miss the way Liam’s expression changed.


    Later, I stepped out for air. I wasn’t surprised to find Noah already outside, standing near the edge of the garden where the path dipped toward the beach.


    “Hey,” I said softly, stepping beside him.


    “Hey,” he replied without turning.


    “I’m guessing games


    aren’t your thing.”


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    He gave a hollow chuckle. “Not the ones where I have to pretend everything’s fine.”


    I paused. “Do you want to talk about it?”


    He hesitated. “Do you always offer yourself to broken people?”


    “Just the ones who sit alone at parties.”


    He finally looked at me. His eyes were tired. “We used to be good. Linda and I. But now I don’t even recognize what we’re doing anymore.”


    “I’ve been there,” I admitted.


    “I thought proposing might fix it.” He shook his head with a dryugh. “Stupid, right?”


    “No,” I said gently. “Hope isn’t stupid. It just hurts when it falls apart.”


    He stared at me for a long moment, like he wanted to say more but didn’t know how. Then he gave a small, grateful smile.


    “Thanks.”


    Back at the patio, the game had fizzled out. People drifted off in twos and threes. Some to the hot tub, some toward the kitchen, others straight to bed.


    Liam stood across the space, his jaw tight as he watched meugh at something Kelvin said. I hadn’t meant to push a button… but part of me had. Just a little.


    He caught my eyes once, held them, then turned and walked off without a word.


    Sophia raised a brow. “What did you do?”


    “Nothing,” I said. Though my pulse disagreed.


    Eventually, everyone called it a night. Everyone except Kelvin and me.


    We stayed outside. The night air had turned cool, thest of the candles flickering in the wind. I curled my legs under me on the lounge chair, sipping from a half–melted mojito.


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