Chapter 6

After a morning of commotion, Alyssa offered to pick up the tab for lunch.

Charlie didn't even stop to think before turning her down. "Don't bother. If you've had your fun, just go home."

But Alyssa had no intention of listening. Ignoring his protest, she grabbed Charlie by the arm and started hauling him toward the door.

His friends, afraid he wouldn't go, made sure to pull Yuliana along with them.

They drove to the beach, where a party was already in full swing. Between the roaring bonfires and the blaring music, the shoreline was teeming with life.

The pounding bass of the heavy metal music made Yuliana's heart race, leaving her feeling unwell. She slipped away from the noise to a quieter stretch of sand, sitting in silence as she stared out at the endless ocean.

Charlie noticed her discomfort and walked over, intending to give her a slice of cake.

Yuliana saw him approaching and reached out to take it, but he brushed past her, weaving through the crowd toward Alyssa instead.

Alyssa was just about to take a drag of her cigarette when Charlie snatched it from her lips.

"Didn't you promise me you were done smoking?" he demanded.

Alyssa blinked up at him, putting on an innocent expression. "I just forgot for a second. Why are you so worked up?"

As she spoke, she reached out and took the cake from his hand with a bright, playful smile. "Thanks for this, though."

Charlie paused for a moment, his empty hand curling into a tight fist.

Without another word, he drifted back to where Yuliana was sitting and absentmindedly held out the cigarette he had confiscated from Alyssa.

Yuliana looked up and saw that his gaze was still glued to Alyssa. She didn't reach for the cigarette. Instead, she stood up and brushed the sand from her clothes.

"Thanks, but I don't smoke," she said. "I'm going to the pool."

Only then did Charlie realize how distracted he had been. He was so spaced out that he had forgotten he was holding a cigarette instead of the cake.

He opened his mouth to explain, but Yuliana was already gone. He never even got the chance to say a word.

Yuliana waded into the pool, letting the cool water close over her. The chill shocked her system, finally quieting the noise in her head.

Perhaps she had been wound too tight lately, because the sudden wave of relaxation left her lightheaded. Her eyelids grew heavy, and before she knew it, she drifted off.

The thumping music drowned out the sound of Charlie calling her name.

When he didn't get a response after several tries, panic seized him. Afraid she had gone under, he sprinted to the edge of the pool. Seeing her floating there, seemingly unconscious, his heart skipped a beat. He dove in without a second thought and hauled her out of the water.

Yuliana opened her eyes groggily. Before she could even process who was holding her, she instinctively looped her arms around his shoulders.

She was wearing nothing but a swimsuit, and Charlie was shirtless. As they clung to each other, skin pressed against skin, the atmosphere between them grew heavy with intimacy.

Her warm breath brushed the crook of his neck, sending a shiver through him. He looked down at her, his Adam's apple bobbing, until his resistance finally gave way and he leaned in.

Just as they were about to kiss, a piercing scream shattered the moment and forced them apart.

Alyssa stood there, face pale, her teeth biting into her lower lip as tears filled her eyes.

Without waiting for Charlie to explain, she turned and bolted.

Charlie froze for a split second before hastily setting Yuliana down and taking off after Alyssa in a blind panic.

"Alyssa! Wait! It's not what you think! You've got it all wrong!" he shouted as he ran.

Yuliana wondered. What was there to get wrong? The "misunderstanding" of a legal husband almost kissing his wife?

Even after all these years, Charlie was still trapped in his role as Alyssa's boyfriend. His first instinct when caught with another woman was to apologize and explain. That reflex was etched into his very bones, a habit he could never seem to break.

It wasn't until Charlie disappeared from sight that Yuliana realized the moisture on her face wasn't pool water. It was her own tears.

She changed clothes, desperate to escape the place where she so clearly didn't belong. But as she neared the shore, Alyssa burst into view again.

Charlie grabbed her by the arm, and their heated argument drifted over to Yuliana.

"I was just worried Yuliana was drowning!" Charlie barked. "I was saving her. I would've done the same for a total stranger! Is there really a reason to be this angry?"

The words hit Yuliana like a punch to the gut. So that was it. After three years of marriage, she held the same status in Charlie's heart as a total stranger.

Alyssa wrenched her hand free. "Fine! You're such a hero, so compassionate toward everyone. Go back to your wife, then! Why are you wasting your breath explaining yourself to an ex-girlfriend?"

"Alyssa, do you have to be so hurtful?"

"Hurtful? I'm just stating the facts!"

At that, the air between them fell into a tense silence.

"From now on, stay out of my life!" Alyssa snapped.

With that, she left Charlie standing there, jumped into her car, and sped away.

Without a second thought, Charlie hopped into his own car and tore after her.

The party ended miserably. The beach, so vibrant only moments ago, was now desolate and cold. The only sound left was the relentless, heartless crashing of the waves against the rocks.

Just as Yuliana was about to leave, Charlie's friends called out to her.

"This is bad! Yuliana!" Ethan Carter shouted, stamping his feet in panic. "Charlie just jumped into the ocean!"