On the last night, after a long day of celebrating Peter's birthday, everyone gathered around the large pit fire to have some drinks. Their parents went to bed early. They played a round of games, then moved to relieve the week before falling into conversations about their plans for the coming week.

When they ran out of drinks, Samuel and Ember went to the nearest bar to pick up another round. As he waited, he watched everyone on the beach, especially his older brother.

"Have you spoken to him?"

Ember glanced up from her phone, looking over her shoulder at their small party of friends. "Peter?"

"Yes. You said you would."

They had that conversation weeks ago after he confirmed her suspicions about Peter's change in behaviour. Since then, he waited, wondering when she'd do it or if she'd ever find the right moment. Ember never brought it up again, but watching his brother all week renewed his worry.

"Yes. I have spoken to him." Ember replied.

"And?"

"I can't say."

"Are you kidding me? You said you'd tell me."

"The only way I got anything out of him was by swearing I would tell no one else."

"Well...was it...bad?" She sighed, and he touched her arm. "You don't have to tell me what it was. Just answer that."

She sombered, nodding faintly. "It was."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing. He likes feeling normal. Don't start getting weird on him, or he'd know I said something."

"I won't."

"Let's get back."

They returned to the fire, and Kali looked at him. She sat back, and he sat between her legs, bracing his hands on her lap while Remi continued to share her story. She took them through the setting up of her gym and how pigheaded Peter was when it came to working out because he felt it wasn't the right fit at first.

"Isn't boxing bad for business? You can't appear at meetings looking like you went rounds with Ali."

Peter chuckled at Kali's jest. "The guys at the gym are kind to me. They treat my face well. The rest of me...not so much."

"Oh, it's just love taps." Manny, one of Peter's friends and his sparing partner, stepped in. "You should see how the rest of us practice. We treat him like the magazine cover baby he is."

Samuel laughed, taking a sip of beer from his bottle. He tried not to look at Peter too carefully, keeping everything Ember said in mind.

"Samuel, you should stop by sometime." Remi encouraged

"Oh, no." he scoffed. "The only thing I am fit enough for is running."

"Don't be scared of Manny. It's because your brother wants to spar. You can join for defence classes and training. They won't hit you unless you want them to."

"You never know when you might need it." Manny shrugged.

"That's a fact. I'll take my chances, though."

They shared a toast. Samuel took a swig of his beer and craned his neck back to look up at Kali. She was busying herself, pulling his hair one way, then another. When their eyes met, he stuck his tongue out at her, and she scrunched her nose, pinching his cheek.

"Well. I'll be heading in now." Remi waved as she stood, and to Samuel's surprise, Peter stood as well. "Good night."

"Good night." They all replied.

"I'll be heading in too. See you guys tomorrow."

Peter left with her, leaving the rest of them by the fire. Soon after, everyone retired to their rooms, leaving Samuel and Kali by the fire. Kali joined him on the sand. They sat together, stoking the fire while they watched the stars above.

"This week was wonderful." Kali softly spoke against his shoulder.

"It has. What do you want to do now?"

"Let's enjoy the beach for a while longer."

"Do you want to sit here, or do you want to walk?"

She looked around the shoreline first, then said, "Walk."

They got up and doused the fire. With their hands intertwined, they walked along the shores of the beach.

 ***                                                                            

The next morning, Kali packed the last of their outfits and zipped the bag up while Samuel answered a call on the balcony. The entire week had gone by without incident, and she couldn't be more ecstatic. It felt like taking her honeymoon all over again. Except this time, there wasn't a cold distance between Samuel and her.

"Are you ready?" Kali asked when Samuel entered the room.

"Yes. Almost."

She left her purse to slip into his arms. "Everything alright?"

"Yes. Peter needs help with something." He kissed her softly on the lips, then on her cheek. "I will rush out to help him. It won't take long. Can you hold the fort down while I am gone?"

"Sure. I have one or two things left to sort out."

"Alright."

He left the room, and she sat on the bed to go through her purse. When the door opened, she raised her head to ask if he had forgotten anything but stopped when she saw Ysabel standing there.

"Can I help you?"

"I doubt you want to." She closed the door and looked around the room calmly. "I want you nowhere near my son, but you don't seem to care about that. Tell me why you are interested in him so much. Don't you hate him? He is the son of the woman you claim to despise."

"Samuel is nothing like you, and you know that."

"Ah, yes. My righteous son." She laughed maniacally. "Easily manipulated and fooled. I should have known better than to give a woman like you to him as a wife. That is my fault. You have sunk your claws into him to stay in this family. Haven't you."

"I sunk my claws into no one. If anything, the only person I want to sink my claws into is you. I haven't found the perfect place yet, but I haven't forgotten."

"It seems you also haven't forgotten your promise to make me regret choosing you as a wife. I should have found someone more docile, less provocative."

"My relationship with Samuel has nothing to do with pissing you off."

"Really? I am to believe you have no ulterior motives. After you spent months cursing me and everything I touch. I thought you hated me. You said so yourself. You swore I'd regret making you my daughter-in-law. You promised to make my life miserable."

"Are you trying to tempt me, or am I missing something."

"Your plan is this. You are using my son to make yourself a part of my family."

"Of course not. Samue is worth too much to waste on you. I don't care what you think about our relationship. Samuel and I have nothing to do with you."

"That's where you're wrong. As long as you remain married, your relationship will always have something to do with me."

"That sounds like a problem for you alone. We are fine as we are."

"In your make-believe relationship?" She jibed again, snickering before she turned away to glance at the beach. "He sure does have a strong stomach."

"Who?" Kali asked.

"Samuel. To kiss you, love you, share his life with you. It must take enormous will to keep his mind from straying." Kali's brows furrowed as Ysabel stalked behind her. She caught some of Kali's hair and flung it over her shoulder. "I wonder how long he thinks he can bear it."

"Bear what? What are you talking about now?"

Ysabel made her rounds, walking up to Kali. They held each other's gaze until Ysabel broke away. In slow, deliberate steps, she began to circle Kali, looking her over, from her head to her heels. Kali tried to piece together what was happening. She wanted to prepare herself for when the axe dropped, but she had no idea what was coming.

"Say what you want to say, Ysabel, or are you waiting for Samuel to come back so you can speak to the both of us?"

"I think he has been avoiding this topic as much as possible. It must torment him each second he spends with you. He must wonder, even if he doesn't want to, if you ever compare them."

"What are you talking about."

Ysabel stopped when she made her rounds. Her eyes were crackling. The excitement unsettled Kali, but she remained stoic. She had been anticipating this moment all week, and yet she knew there was something worse than she imagined on the horizon. She needed to be hard as steel for when the hammer dropped.

"I understand you. You have no morals and feel little shame, but I don't understand how Samuel could say he loves the woman who was with his father."

Kali faltered, blinking rapidly while her brain tried to connect the dots. She scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief before outright laughing.

"What are you on about now? You want me out so much that you will start creating troubles out of nothing? What are you trying to plan now? Will you sink your husband in this mess?"

Ysabel laughed, and then her face twisted into a taunting smirk. "I never mentioned my husband."

Kali blanked, still grinning. "You said..."

Samuel's father.

Kali felt her heart stop. Her breath shuddered and

Ysabel continued. "All those trips you took to the beaches and resorts with his father. He must wonder if you were as happy then as you are with him now. Since you love to cook so much, I am sure he thinks of all the meals you have prepared for him. If you love him as much as you loved..."

"Richard." She finally found the voice to speak.

"There you go."