My eyes burn as I sink onto the couch, burying my face in my hands. They probably couldn’t get away fast enough. Probably took the first flight back to the mainland the moment they could escape this disaster.
I was such a fool to think any of this was real.
With leaden feet, I force myself toward the bedroom to find my bridesmaid dress. Josie’s wedding is this afternoon, and the pre-event activity will kick off right after breakfast. And despite everything falling apart around me, I won’t let her down. Not today. Not when she’s starting her new life.
I step into the walk-in closet, expecting to find empty hangers and abandoned space, but instead I’m greeted by the sight of all their luggage still neatly arranged along the back wall. My heart stutters.
They didn’t leave.
But more surprising than their luggage is what hangs in the center of the closet—my lavender bridesmaid dress, removed from its protective bag to air out and hanging next to four perfectly pressed suits. The fabric catches the morning light filtering through the small window, and I notice something pinned to the satin hanger.
My hands shake as I reach for the handwritten note, recognizing Cash’s neat script immediately:
Trinity,
Had to handle some urgent business on the other side of the island this morning. Took the others with me to give you some space, but we’ll be back in plenty of time for the wedding.
We can’t wait to talk to you when there are no more distractions.
—Cash
P.S. Your dress is beautiful. You’re going to take everyone’s breath away today.
I press the note to my chest, my heart pounding so hard, I’m surprised it doesn’t tear the paper. They want to talk. No more distractions.
Hope blooms in my chest, fragile but persistent. Maybe—just maybe—they want to discuss a future that extends beyond this wedding, beyond this week, beyond the contract that brought us together.
Maybe I’m not the only one who wants this to be real.
THIRTY-FIVE
CASH
I gripmy laptop so tightly my knuckles turn white, seriously considering launching it through the passenger window of this rental car. The thermal-powered data center I’m supposed to evaluate sits somewhere on the far side of Heat Island, but I couldn’t care less about geothermal energy efficiency or server farm specifications right now.
All I can think about is Trinity.
Did we completely screw this up? After last night’s disaster at the rehearsal dinner—Amelia announcing to everyone that Trinity’s pack is fake, the humiliation written across Trinity’s face—I can’t shake the feeling we’ve made everything worse for her.
“Why did we all have to leave?” Lucas asks from the back seat for the third time in twenty minutes. “One of us could have stayed with her.”
“Because,” I snap, then force myself to modulate my tone. “I wasn’t leaving any of you alone with Trinity after what happened. She needs space to process, not one of us hovering and making things more complicated.”
Kyren shifts restlessly beside Lucas. “But what if shethinks we bailed on her? What if she thinks we’re embarrassed or?—”
“She won’t think that,” I interrupt, though uncertainty gnaws at my gut. “I left her a note explaining we had business to handle.”
Matheo hasn’t said a word since we left the resort an hour ago. He stares out the front window at the volcanic landscape rolling past from behind the wheel, jaw clenched so tight, I’m surprised his teeth haven’t cracked. Every few minutes, he checks his phone, probably hoping for a message from Trinity that never comes.
The silence stretches until Lucas can’t take it anymore.
“This is bullshit, Cash. We should be there with her, not driving across an island to look at servers.”
“The timing isn’t my fault,” I defend, though I know how weak it sounds. “OurLog’s been planning this site visit for months. The fact that it coincides with?—”
“With Trinity’s sister’s wedding?” Kyren’s voice drips with disbelief. “Come on, man. You could have rescheduled.”
I could have. That’s the truth I don’t want to admit. One phone call to postpone the evaluation, and we’d all be back at the resort with Trinity right now. But after watching her face crumble when Amelia exposed our arrangement to everyone, panic seized my chest like a vice.
