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“But… you saved me.” She sucked in a deep breath. “You saved my father.”
“Angel, if you give me a chance, I’ll earn that trust back.” I reached out to her.
She pulled away. “Don’t.”
I stopped immediately.
Her voice cracked as she said, “I need to think about it.”
“About what?”
“Whether I’ll finish my two months here. I don’t want to owe you anything more than I have to, but—” she gripped the back of the chair with her fingers and stared at the floor—“I can’t stand to look at you.”
What was left of my heart shattered.
There was a chance she would stay. It was what I’d been hoping for. That she’d at least consider being here with me even if she wasn’t happy with who I was.
But this didn’t feel like a win.
“Please get out.”
I packed up the medicines and headed for the door. Turning back at the last minute, I pleaded, “Angel, I love you. No matter what it takes, I’ll—”
My words got cut off when she slammed the door in my face.
37
Angel
My face pressed into the pillow that was damp from my tears. I clutched the blanket to my chin and waited for sleep to come. Time stretched forever. Restless, I grabbed my phone and checked the time.
3:02 a.m.
With a sigh, I got up, changed into a swimsuit and a white, fishnet cover-up, and walked downstairs to the front door.
After slipping out, I headed as far from the villa as possible and dropped my towel on the sand. My fingers dug around the hem of the cover-up. I shimmied it off my shoulders and watched it pool to the sand.
The wind nipped at my torso and legs, rushing through the coconut trees like applause. I stepped away from the fabric surrounding my legs and tugged at the string of my bikini top to make sure it was secure. The top held steady.
My foot sank into the sand as I walked to the water. It was early in the morning so the sea was still a scary, inky black. The waves rushed the shore, munching into the ground before receding like a wounded animal.
The water was cold. I huffed out a shocked breath as it engulfed my toes, then my foot and then my entire body. Spreading my arms wide, I dove in and swam until I couldn’t touch the floor anymore.
There, far from the safety of the bank, I dropped my arms and let my tense muscles go loose. The sea cradled me in its arms, propelling me along with the tide like a mother adopting a foreign child.
I stared at the sky just beginning to tinge with blue and orange.
Just float, Angel. Don’t think.
The Caribbean Sea sprawled for miles and the horizon hugged the edge of the world. The grandness of it all reminded me that I was no bigger than a grain of sand in comparison to the vast universe.
No matter how complicated my life had become, someone had it worse. Someone had it better. All I could do was control my own actions and responses.
I kicked my legs and began swimming again.
So how should I respond to Deacon?
The sun rose and my fingertips shriveled to prunes, but no answer came. I gave up and swam back to the shore. Grabbing my towel, I dried myself off as best as I could and returned to the house.
