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If he won’t take Magdalena seriously, then it really will be my fault if I lose him. In my desperation, I scan the grassy field stretching behind the house.

Magdalena is there, in the distance, clearer than ever. Watching. A slow smile upturns her lips, as if she relishes in my despair.

“Petra?”

Luka follows my gaze, but the moment his head turns, she’s gone. Fucking with me, whenever she can. As I stare at the empty spot where she stood, her words snake through my head:

. . . even when they knew the danger, they still lingered. I learned the hard way. Love makes us fools.

A cold realization washes over me. I keep seeking Luka out for comfort, thinking we can find a way through this together. But as long as he cares for me, it will be hard to keep him away from the house. I need to force him away somehow, and if I can’t do that with the truth, then maybe I could do it with lies.

I close my eyes, my heart already aching with the pain of what I’m about to do. I’ve done this before, I tell myself. Cut people off after a few dates when their feelings seemed to deepen. Gave some generic excuse when they tried reaching out. Yes, Luka and I have more history, and I don’t usually have this talk face-to-face, but I have to try.

To save his life.

I breathe in slowly, and when I exhale, I shove the words out. “This isn’t what I want.”

A thick silence settles over us, broken only by the harsh chorus of cicadas. Then, quietly, Luka asks, “What do you mean?”

Carefully, I line up the words in my head like dominoes. Tip them over. “It’s been nice spending time with you. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, showing me around and all that. But this was never meant to be anything serious. I’m leaving in a few days. It’s best we end things now.”

His body goes taut. “I know what you’re doing.”

“You do?”

“You’re only saying this to push me away. To protect me.”

I remain silent, heart battering against my ribs like a trapped bird.

“Don’t do this, Petra. We’ll figure out some way to make this work.”

This isn’t hard. It’s torture. Every part of me screams to drop the act, to agree to stick together.

But that’s why we got into this mess. What could I possibly say that would convince him?

Then I remember us out on the water, on that glorious day at the cove. How his voice had tightened when he spoke of his father. The idea slides into place, sharp as a blade. It’s cruel, and I hate myself for even thinking it, but I know it’ll work. It has to.

I cross my arms, focusing on my feet. “I don’t want to make this work. What happened between us was . . . just a fling. Nothing more.”

A fling. My throat burns with the lie.

When I chance a look at him, his eyes are dark charcoal searing into me. I force myself to hold his gaze, but he breaks contact first, dragging a hand over his face. He takes his time, exhaling a heavy sigh as he stares down at the ground. I watch as despair floods his features, then slowly clears. When he turns to me again, his expression is cool, unreadable.

A muscle feathers in his jaw. Agonizing seconds pass. “My mistake, then. I thought maybe this was something more. That, maybe, you—” But he cuts himself off with a firm shake of his head.

Moving out of the stone nook, he adds, “I won’t go to the gala. And I’ll leave you alone.”

At his words, some of my fear dissipates. It worked.

Then why do I feel so hollow?

He hesitates on his next step, causing my heart to seize. Peering over the field, he speaks in a distant voice. “I wanted to tell you . . . I overheard Davor and some guys at my restaurant the other night. They were talking about some plan to capture the mora at the gala. Payback, they called it, for tormenting them. I told them to knock it off . . . but I’m not sure they’ll listen.” His eyes waver as they meet mine; I’ve never seen him look so lost and defeated. “Just thought you should know.”

“Thank you,” I whisper. Because I don’t know what else to say.

My breath stills as his gaze lingers on mine a moment longer. Then he turns and walks away.

I force myself to stay composed, but as soon as he rounds the corner of the house, I break.