LOGINNathaniel's POVThe grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel was a sea of clinking crystal and forced laughter. Tonight was an event specifically organized for the city’s elite to celebrate the resilience of New York’s business leaders which was a thinly veiled excuse to parade me around as the man who had cheated death.I remembered with annoyance the hours I had spent the day before at One Touch. My mother had fussed over the lapels of my tuxedo as if my life depended on the symmetry of the fabric. Eventually, we bought the most expensive suit in the shop with my own card, the one she had haughtily demanded I hand over as if I were a child who couldn't be trusted with his own wallet.The flashbulbs were blinding as I stepped onto the red carpet at the center of the room. There was a woman clinging to my arm whom I didn't know from Adam, but according to my mother, having a beautiful woman on my arm made me look like a respectable gentleman again.People craned their necks, whispering as I
Ariana's POVMaya and I spent the rest of the day just chilling and watching Friday shows. It felt surreal to be sitting on a comfortable sofa, surrounded by the sound of an air conditioner and the smell of scented candles, after so long in the wild. Maya had taken over the kitchen completely. She cooked a massive breakfast of scrambled eggs, avocado toast, and fruit then stood over me until I took my folic acid and prenatal vitamins."I still can’t believe it," she said, leaning against the counter and watching me swallow the pills. "I can’t believe you got pregnant before me. You were always the one who said kids weren't in the cards.""Me neither," I said, a small, bittersweet smile touching my lips. "Life has a funny way of tearing up your plans and handing you something completely different."Maya's expression turned serious. "Are you really not going to tell Mr. Coop? He is the father, after all. He has a right to know, Ari."I shook my head and let out a long sigh. "I’ll tell h
Nathaniel's POVGurner reclined further in his worn leather seat, the springs creaking under his weight as he blew a slow, contemplative cloud of smoke toward the ceiling. "I see," he rumbled, his scarred lip twitching. "The girl from the island. You want me to find her.""She’s most likely at a friend’s place—Maya Donovan," I said, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees. "But I don’t know for sure. She vanished from the hospital the day before yesterday without leaving a trace. Even the CCTV was a dead end."Gurner squinted through the haze of smoke. "Do you have a name and a picture? I need something current. People change when they’re out in the wild, Coop."I opened my mouth to answer, then paused. I didn’t actually have a single photograph of Ariana. Not one. On the island, we had nothing but the reflection in the lagoon. In the hospital, I had been too busy trying to memorize the curve of her jaw with my own eyes to think about a phone.I felt a surge of frustration a
Nathaniel's POVAriana was running in the rain on the island and laughing. She looked beautiful and radiant in the moonlight, her skin glowing with life. She turned toward me, her eyes sparkling, and hugged me. I held her back fiercely, burying my face in the crook of her neck, breathing in the scent of salt and tropical air. I pulled back to look at her smiling face, my heart pounding with relief."Why did you leave?" I whispered. "Where are you?"Her smile froze. Her eyes went wide with a sudden, haunting sadness. She opened her mouth to answer—A shrill, rhythmic screeching tore the world apart. I woke up and hit my alarm so hard I heard the plastic crack.I groaned, the sound vibrating painfully against the inside of my skull. My head felt like it had been used as a punching bag by a heavyweight champion. After leaving Dani’s place yesterday, I had spent the rest of the evening drowning my misery in a high-end bar downtown. I didn't even remember getting home so my sticky buddies—
Ariana's POVI spent the entire day cooped up in Maya’s apartment, feeling like a caged animal. I fixed myself some toast and eggs, but my appetite was fickle, swinging between ravenous and completely repulsed. To kill the time, I flipped through the channels. Most of the news stations were still running "Miracle on Pulau Sigamat" segments, so I scrolled past them as fast as I could. I couldn’t stand to see my own face or Nathaniel's under those flashing headlines.I eventually landed on a discovery channel showing a documentary about the deep ocean. The slow, rhythmic sounds of the water and the sight of whales gliding through the blue were the only things that calmed my nerves. It reminded me of the nights on the beach.Later, I caught an interview with a man talking about remote data entry jobs. He was explaining how working from home had saved his life after an injury. I leaned in, memorizing the names of the websites he mentioned. It wasn't a bad idea. I could use my laptop, stay
Nathaniel's POV I walked out of the hospital wing in a complete haze. My security detail had finally caught up, their heavy footsteps echoing behind me, but I didn’t pay them any mind. I felt like I was moving through thick fog.I’ve never felt so lost. I knew I had the resources to find her—private investigators, tech experts, enough money to buy the city’s cooperation—but the question wasn't how, it was why. Why did she leave? After everything we shared on that island, did she really think she had to run from me? I would give anything just to feel the brush of her soft lips against mine again, to hear her laugh at my stiff attitude. I wondered, with a sharp pang in my chest, if I was really destined to be alone for the rest of my life.When I reached the main lobby, the quiet atmosphere was shattered by a loud, brutish voice. I stopped, my instincts clicking into place."I want to see the CCTV! Right now!" a man was shouting at the reception desk. He was a large, scary looking man
Ariana's POVSeven years agoI was sixteen. I had started my period four years prior, but I had never felt the need to involve my father. My mother, in one of her last acts of being a parent before she vanished, had bought a massive stock of supplies for me. I had hidden them in
Ariana's POV When I woke up, the raft was already warm from the early sun, and Nathaniel’s arm was draped heavily over my waist. For a few seconds, I stayed perfectly still, listening to his steady breathing and remembering the way the raft had swayed under the weight of our bodies the night befor
Ariana's POV Before I could decide, he dropped the stick and turned to me, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. The firelight danced across his face, highlighting the sharp lines of his jaw and the stubble shadowing his cheeks. He scooted closer on the sand, the
Ariana's POVIt’s been nearly two months. I know this because Nathaniel came up with a tally system carved into the side of one of our storage crates. Fifty-eight days since we have been here.We started the morning at the lagoon, our usual ritual. We bathed in the cool, clear water, and I used a b







