The tension on the island was suffocating.

Every shadow felt like a threat. Every distant sound of waves made my heart race. Daddy had turned the villa into a fortress overnight extra guards, locked paths, constant surveillance. But the real storm wasn’t outside. It was in the way he looked at me now.

Like I was both his greatest treasure and his greatest fear.

I found him in his office that evening, pacing like a caged predator. The moment I entered, he crossed the room in three strides and pulled me into his arms, kissing me hard and desperate, as if he needed to remind himself I was still here....