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“I’m saying we’re both in love with a ghost.” He sucked in a breath. “If you need evidence, perhaps I’ll send you his bones for your birthday.”
My stomach sloshed with nausea, but I hyper-focused on his last sentence. “I thought you said he was ash.”
The line crackled.
My skin prickled.
Finally, the softest chuckle. “I did, didn’t I?”
He cut off the call.
He left me alone with the stars, the sand, and a million useless shells that couldn’t bring Aslan home to me.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
*
Nerida
*
(Love in Galician: Amor)
“BY THE TIME FIVE YEARS ROLLED AROUND, I’d spun my ring a million times, stroked my tattoo a thousand times, and begged the moon and sea to return what was rightfully mine.”
“God, I don’t even know how you coped,” Margot whispered. “My heart is bruised just listening to your story, let alone living it.”
I licked at a salty droplet as it rolled down my cheek. My head throbbed, and my eyes stung with sadness. I’d wanted to stop reciting my tale, but I couldn’t. Just a little more and then I could say the magical words The End, thank these lovely reporters for listening, then usher them out of my house so I could go and spend time with my ghost.
Five decades had passed since that horrific time of anguish, yet the blades of grief still cut far too sharply. I’d learned the lesson of loss far too well, and it’d scarred me forever. It’d cut me so often, so deeply, its lacerations riddled my soul, calcified my arteries, and patched up the disfigured parts of me. I had somehow survived in a world looking whole, all while being eternally wounded.
I would never wish that level of agony or helplessness on anyone.
I never wanted to feel such misery again.
Yet I’d endured it while confessing my tragedy. I’d done it so people could one day read about a scientist who followed her spirit. About a marine biologist without a degree. About a successful businesswoman who was nothing more than a heartbroken wife.
“Did you want to stop, Nerida?” Dylan asked gently. “It’s one o’ clock in the morning. Surely you’d like to—”
“If you’re okay to stay, I’m okay to keep talking.”
“Of course.” He frowned. “But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t suggest perhaps a break? Some tea? Some painkillers for your headache?”
I smiled. “Your kind concern is appreciated, but I’m alright.” Sitting straighter, I glanced at Margot who flipped to a new page in her notepad.
Her tired-glassy eyes met mine. “I’m so glad you had Ayla to get you through. I’m so glad you had such a deep relationship with your business partners. It sounds as if without their support it would’ve been hard—”
“It would’ve been impossible. I wouldn’t have made it.” I smiled softly. “And I told you, Teddy and Eddie are more than just my business partners. I might have been the inspiration and was lucky enough to come up with the finished design and even envisioned most of the operating systems, but without their tenacity, skill, and stubborn belief that we could achieve our dream, Lunamare wouldn’t have had a happy ending. They are the lifeblood of this impossible creation.”
“Would it be possible to see the biospheres?” Margot asked, twirling the ends of her hair as if needing to keep her hands busy. “Would that be okay?”
I nodded. “Of course. You’re welcome to spend the night on Luna Reef if you wish. We have two spheres dedicated to showing potential residents how the homes work. Everyone who stays immediately wants to become a hybrid human.”
“Hybrid human?” Margot asked.
“Yes.” I forced a smile. “The longer you live in the sea, the less inclined you are to choose land. It’s a side effect, unfortunately, of living in such a magical water world. Everything seems better down there. Healthier. Happier. Our community is supportive and inclusive, ensuring we live in harmony rather than bickering.”
Dylan smirked. “Some might say it sounds like a cult.”
