I lowered the phone slowly.
Hadley looked up first. She studied my face like she was bracing for impact. “We’re going somewhere, aren’t we?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. “Apparently my mother believes in forced bonding. Bahamas. Whole family.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Like… siblings? Parents? Everyone?”
“Yeah.”
She hesitated. Her fingers curled lightly over her stomach. “Okay.”
“You don’t sound terrified enough.”
She huffed out a small laugh. “I’ve met your mom. She is still… surprisingly nice to me.”
“She likes you.”
“That makes one of your parents,” she teased gently.
I didn’t respond.
Eli slid one headphone off. “Plane ride?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Private jet. Four hours.”
He nodded slowly. “Will there be quiet areas at the villa?”
“Private beach. Lots of rooms. You’ll be fine.”
He thought about that, then nodded once and put his headphone back on.
The word family still felt foreign rolling around in my chest. Like trying to speak a language I only half remembered.
...
The villa was ridiculous.
White stucco stretching across a cliffside, glass walls reflecting endless turquoise water, palm trees swaying like they were part of some staged resort commercial. Infinity pool spilling into the ocean view. Staff moving quietly in the background like ghosts keeping everything pristine.
Mom had rented the entire place.
Of course she had.
We barely stepped out of the SUV before the front doors burst open.
Lucinda came down the steps first.
She looked exactly like she always had, tall, sharp cheekbones, dark hair falling in effortless waves, designer sunglasses perched on her head like a crown she forgot she was wearing. She moved fast, confident, already smiling.
She hugged Hadley first.
Not polite. Not cautious.
Warm. Immediate.
“You must be Hadley,” she said, pulling back to study her face with open curiosity. “Mom has not stopped talking about you.”
Hadley flushed, caught off guard but smiling. “Hopefully nothing embarrassing.”
