LOGINAfter lunch, we walked back toward the dock, and Edris stopped at a small stand selling handmade souvenirs. He picked up a little wooden carving and turned it around in his hand.“What do you think?”I leaned closer. “It’s cute.”“Just cute?”“What do you want me to say?”“That it’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.”I laughed. “You’re asking too much.”He bought it anyway and handed it to me. “Then I’ll settle for cute.”I looked at the little carving in my palm and smiled. “You’re getting me too many things.”“That’s how I want it.”“Why?”“Because I like seeing you happy.”I looked at him, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to say. Instead, I slipped my hand into his as we continued toward the dock.By the time we reached the water, Edris was carrying most of the bags while I held onto the few things I had kept for myself. The boat that had brought us earlier was waiting near the dock. One of the men helped us step aboard and took the bags from Edris.I sat down on one o
I woke up to the smell of coffee drifting into the room. For a few seconds, I stayed under the duvet, trying to remember where I was. Then I remembered the night before and immediately opened my eyes. I didn’t get up immediately. My mind went straight back to everything that had happened between Edris and me the night before. I smiled before opening my eyes. When I did, I saw Edris standing on the terrace with two cups in his hands.He noticed me staring and smiled.“Good morning.”I pushed myself up against the pillows. “You made coffee?”“Yeah, I did.”I took the cup from him. “Maybe you’re not completely useless.”He laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”“Don’t get used to it.”He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at me. “Get ready.”I took a sip of coffee. “Huh! For what?”“Today, we’re exploring the island.”I raised an eyebrow. “We’re leaving the resort again?”“Yeah, for a few hours.”I smiled. “And what exactly are we doing today?”“We’ll walk around, eat something,
eventually pulled away from him and looked at him, “You know you’re impossible, right?”He smiled. “And yet you’re still here.”“Unfortunately.”“You’re getting too comfortable with that word.”I laughed and rested my head against his chest again. The yacht rocked gently beneath us, and for a while, neither of us spoke. I could hear the water against the sides of the boat and the occasional sound of laughter from somewhere above us.After a few minutes, Edris brushed his fingers through my damp hair. “Are you happy?”I lifted my head. The question caught me off guard.I thought about everything that had happened before we came here. The anger, the suspicion, and the years I’d spent believing I knew exactly what kind of man he was.Then I looked at him.“Right now?” I smiled. “Yes.”His expression softened. “Nice, that’s what I wanted to hear.”I leaned closer and kissed his cheek. “Don’t ruin it.”He laughed quietly. “I’ll try.”We eventually got dressed and returned to the deck, wher
The kiss was deep and unhurried, completely different from the playful moment we’d just shared. My hands found his shoulders as I kissed him back, forgetting for a second that we were surrounded by nothing but water.“Awwww!”I immediately pulled away and looked toward the sound.A small boat was passing nearby, and a few people on board were watching us with huge smiles.“Look at them!”“They’re so cute!”My face went hot. I quickly moved away from Edris and covered my face with both hands. “Oh, my God. Leave me alone!”Edris burst out laughing.“Don’t laugh!” I splashed water at him.“You should have seen your face.”“Just leave me.”He caught my hand, still laughing. “You’re blushing.”“I’m not.”“You definitely are.”I turned away from him, trying to hide my smile. “I’m getting back on the yacht.”He followed me, still looking far too pleased with himself. We climbed back onto the yacht, both of us still laughing. I reached for a towel, but Edris caught my hand before I could ta
We remained on the beach for some time, neither of us making any move to head back to the villa. The sun was already high above us, and the water kept rolling onto the shore. After some time, Edris reached for my hand.I looked down at our hands for a moment before letting my fingers slip into his. This time, I didn’t pull away.Are you hungry?” he asked.“Yeah, a little.”“Good, I know somewhere.”“Somewhere?”He smiled. “You’ll see.”We walked back toward the villa, our hands still joined. When we reached the resort restaurant, we chose a table outside where we could see the water. I ordered pancakes and fruit while Edris went for eggs and coffee. As we waited, I caught myself watching him instead of the ocean.“What?” he asked.“Nothing,” I said, trying to look away from him.“But I caught you staring.”“I'm not.”“Hmm, I think you are.”I smiled. “Maybe I’m just trying to figure you out.”He leaned back in his chair. “And?”“I haven’t decided yet.”“Fair enough.”Our food arrived,
I looked at Edris, still struggling to understand what I was hearing.“You really had no idea who Julian was meeting?”“No.”“And you never thought to tell me that?”He looked away for a moment. “Would you have believed me?”I opened my mouth, then stopped.“You’d already made up your mind about me, Juliana,” he said. “Anything I said back then would have sounded like another excuse.”I looked away; he wasn’t wrong. I had spent years refusing to hear anything that didn’t fit the story I’d built in my head. Edris was the last person my brother had spoken to before leaving. I had heard them argue. A few hours later, my brother was dead. To me, there had only been one explanation.Now there was a phone in my hands telling me otherwise.I scrolled back to the messages with Edris and read them again. The words were still there. Don’t come. It’s not safe. He had actually tried to stop my brother from leaving. I didn’t know why, but it was difficult to look at those messages and still believ
I didn’t move, I couldn’t. It felt like I’d been caught red-handed at a crime scene, unsure whether to run or stay where I was. Edris was standing in the doorway as he had always been there for a long time watching, and as if he already knew what I was up to. My fingers tightened around the pho
I left Edris’s office pretending I was fine, but I wasn’t, not even close.His phone call and that slight change in his expression kept bothering my mind, that wasn’t normal.Nothing about Edris Veltri was normal.We were walking down the hallway when I slowed my steps.“Excuse me.”Edris stopped a
I stood there, staring at the spot where Edris had been a few seconds ago.I was so confused, angry, and frustrated.What the hell was wrong with that man?I had literally stabbed him yesterday, yet somehow I was the one feeling unsettled.I glanced at the breakfast on the table.The eggs, the toas
Edris wrapped his hand around the handle and pulled it out, then said to me,“Finished? If that was enough to make you feel better, then do it again.”Before I could try stabbing him again, something strong hit the back of my head, and I passed out on the floor.The next morning, I woke up expectin







