Three days left.

The countdown consumed me. Every sunrise brought me closer to the lawyer’s promised rescue — and closer to the terrifying possibility that Alexander would discover my plan before I could get our children off this island.

I spent the morning on the beach with Alex and Sofia, forcing myself to laugh as they built sandcastles and chased waves. My hand never left my pregnant belly, as if I could shield the new life inside me from the storm that was coming. The rose-gold collar around my neck felt like a shackle, beautiful and deadly.

Alexander watched us from the terrace, his powerful frame relaxed in a white...