AMELIA followed the soft lantern lights that lined a narrow stone path leading away from the bar and toward the open stretch beyond. The faint sound of waves grew louder with each step, steady and rhythmic, like nature’s own lullaby.

And then she saw it.

The beachside.

It opened before her in a breathtaking sweep of silver-blue water and darkening sky. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, but its farewell glow still painted streaks of amber and blush across the edge of the ocean. The sky above deepened into velvety indigo, the first shy stars beginning to blink awake.

The sea moved in gentle tides, rolling forward and...