“Yes.”
I looked down at the ring of sunlight pooling on the wooden floor. For the first time in a long time, the familiar guilt didn’t rush in to swallow me whole. Instead there was just … distance.
A quiet clarity settling somewhere deep in my chest.
“I’ve decided to take some time for myself. I don’t know when I’ll be back home, to be honest.”
More like,ifI’ll be back.
The silence on the other end stretched long enough to almost coax a smile out of me.
“You just … left?” she finally asked.
“Yeah.”
Well, kind of. That’s the official version, I guess.
“You can’t just disappear like that.”
My laugh was dry, sarcastic. “Apparently I can.”
“Adelaide—”
“I’ll call Mom.”… eventually.I rose to my feet and walked toward the balcony doors as the ocean wind lifted the curtains around me. “But not because you yelled at me about it.”
“Sure, whatever you—”
“I’m gonna call her when and if I want to.”
Savannah made a frustrated sound. “You’re being incredibly irresponsible right now.”
“Maybe.” I stepped out onto the balcony, the warm Caribbean air wrapping around me like a completely different life. “But for the first time in fucking forever, I’m actually okay with you thinking that.”
“Adelaide, listen—”
“I have to go.”
“Wait—”
“Tell Mom I’m fine. Or don’t. Doesn’t really seem like you guys care that much.”
Then I hung up. For a moment I just stood there, staring out at the endless stretch of blue water. The quiet felt strange, but not empty.
I heard Sasha’s voice drifting down the hallway behind me as he returned from wherever he had been today.
I froze, straining to hear.Yeah, I was fucking nosy. Sue me.
“… I’m aware of the expectations,” Sasha continued. “Holding the territory, stabilizing the routes, dealing with the resistance—”
The last part made my stomach tighten and I was immediately reminded of the run-in we’d had with those guys in the boutique. There was a pause.
“I understand,” he said again, followed by a heavy sigh.
I exhaled, my heart thudding a little too fast, and took a step back. Heavy footsteps announced his approach, and when he appeared a moment later, I tried to hide the fact I’d been eavesdropping.
Sasha stepped into the room, sliding the phone into his pocket. His brow was slightly furrowed, and his jaw was tight, but his expression softened when he noticed me.
“Everything alright?”