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    Chapter <b>51 </b>


    It was overwhelming, intense in all the ways that made it unforgettable. Magical, even.


    I leaned forward and sshed water up at him, smirking.


    “Eyes on the water, Captain.”


    He sputtered, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “Seriously? You just assaulted your pilot!”


    Iughed, gripping tighter to his waist as the jet ski bobbed beneath us.


    “Consider it a course correction.”


    He shook his head, chuckling, then powered the engine again, sending us skimming across the ocean, water misting around us like confetti.


    The tension slipped away, reced by wind–whippedughter, yful bumps of our shoulders, and easy joy.


    For the rest of the ride, it was just us, sunlight, saltwater, and something unspoken lingering between every smile.


    Back at the vi, I changed into somethingfortable, ready to crash. But something caught my eye.


    A tiny box sat on my table. Another one waited neatly on my bed.


    I opened them. Two anklets.


    Both delicate and beautiful. One with a charm shaped like a tiny shell. The other had a single gem embedded in gold.


    “Liam,” I whispered, smiling. One anklet had me giddy. Two? Now he was just messing with my emotions. But maybe he was just showing off. ssic Liam.


    I paced for a second, debating. Should I leave it? Say nothing? I turned toward the hallway before I could overthink. <ul><li>??/ </li></ul>


    13:35 CD


    Chapter 51 <fnc606> Discover more novels at FindN0vel</fnc606>


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    He opened the door and leaned against the frame. “In that nightie? You sure you’re not here to start trouble?”


    “I came to say thank you,” I said, holding up the boxes. “But why two?”


    His expression shifted. “Two? I only got you one.”


    My stomach dropped. “Wait. You didn’t get both?”


    “No. I had one delivered. Which means someone else…” His voice trailed off. Then his jaw clenched. “Kelvin.”


    He ran a hand through his hair and turned away from me like he needed a second to reel it in


    “Give it back,” he said finally.


    I blinked. “What?”


    “Return it to him. Now.”


    “Liam, it’s just a gift. He probably noticed I lost the one Sophia gave me and tried to make me feel better. That’s all.”


    He faced me fully now. “He has an ulterior motive. Don’t be naive.”


    I crossed my arms. “And you didn’t have a motive when you gave me yours?”


    “Of course I did. I like you. I care about you. I…”


    “Then maybe Kelvin does too. Doesn’t mean I’m picking sides.”


    His eyes darkened. “You not picking is picking.”


    The words hit harder than they should have.


    I turned to leave. “Thanks for ruining an almost perfect day. Again.”


    I mmed the door behind me, but the sound didn’t echo nearly as loud as the confusion in my chest.


    One step forward. Three steps back.


    And why did it always feel like with Liam, the more I let him in, the more the universe reminded me it was dangerous?


    13:34


    288 Vouchere


    The stars were the only ones still awake.


    Sleep had long abandoned me. Not after the way Liam shut me down. The vi was still, lit only by the asional flicker of outdoornterns. Everyone else was tucked away in their corners of dreams, or drama.


    Wrapped in a throw nket, I padded out barefoot on the patio. The tiles were cool beneath my feet. Above me, the velvet sky stretched wide and endless, stars scattered like secrets too stubborn to stay hidden. They blinked back like they knew too much.


    “You too, huh?”


    I turned to the voice. Noah sat on one of the loungers a few feet away, a bottle of water in his hand, his eyes also locked on the sky.


    “Yeah,” I said softly, curling into the lounger beside him. The breeze caught the fringe of my nket, tugging gently like a silent question I didn’t know how to answer.


    We were quiet for a while. Then he let out a soft chuckle.


    “Funniest vacation ever,” he said. “Supposed to be all yachts and cocktails. Beautiful memories. New beginnings. Instead? Fights, silence, and an almost wrecked rtionship.”


    I nced at him. “Still rough between you and Linda?”


    He exhaled deeply. “Honestly? I’m tired. We keep having the same argument, looping like a broken record. But I miss her. I miss when things were easy. When just having her around made everything lighter.<i>” </i>


    “You still love her?” I asked.


    He didn’t answer right away. His gaze remained on the stars.


    “That’s the only thing I never question,” he said finally. “That’s the only reason I’m still here. Enduring the silence. The mood swings. The distance. Because I love her.”


    I nodded slowly, hugging the nket tighter. “Why does love always hurt this bad?”


    His chuckle was low, tired. “Because we always fall hardest for the people who can hurt us the most.”


    13:35


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