After an afternoon at the beach and a warm shower, Maria lay on the comfy hotel bed she and Emma shared in Tom's room. Emma had gotten a refund for the rat villa. Since Tom was out on a secret mission, and Emma had run off with Shawn, Maria enjoyed air-conditioned bliss and solitude, nodding off after too much sun. Her phone's ringtone pulled her out of her dream, and she squinted at the screen.

Kelsey? After her earlier texts, Maria wasn't about to have her ear torn off. She rejected it and tossed the phone to the side.

A minute later it rang again, and again two minutes after. It wasn't even a video chat; Kelsey had found Maria's phone number and placed an international call. Something was up. Maria sighed then answered.

"Hello."

"You bitch!" Kelsey's voice made Maria's blood run cold. Music played in the background along with other loud voices. Maria wanted one weekend unmarred by her asshole ex's presence or anyone connected to him. "And don't you dare ignore me! We were friends far too long for you to be that petty."

Maria rubbed her eyes and kept her tone steady. "You slept with my boyfriend for weeks. You burnt that bridge, not me."

"It was only twice when you made him feel miserable and worthless."

Maria's body tensed and filled with heat. Miserable? He'd been the immature one hell-bent on making her pay for not dedicating every minute to worshipping his every action.

"Adrian and I were happy! We had a future until you happened!" Kelsey slurred.

Those words had left Maria's tongue months ago. He had an unsettling way of wrapping women around his finger. Being thousands of kilometres away from him wasn't enough to dull his presence.

"Then be happy together. I don't care what you do."

"You liar! You told him to break up with me and he did."

Maria's eyes widened, and she sat up. He broke up with Kelsey because of something she said? "I called his bluff, sick of his manipulative way of blaming me for his mistakes."

"You couldn't stand to see another person make him happier than you, so you fed him false hope."

"If he was that happy, he wouldn't have talked to me regularly, wrote me romantic songs, told me he still had feelings for me, all while you two were in 'love'." She breathed out her anger with each word. She'd been this naïve hardly a week ago too. As much as Kelsey had hurt her, Adrian probably deceived and manipulated her too. "He has an unhealthy need for attention and affection, and he's not above getting it from two people at the same time. You should move on. It's the best decision I made."

"So you get him to yourself? I'm not an idiot!"

Maria smoothed her fingers over her brow. There was no arguing with Kelsey in this state or for months if she was in love with Adrian as long as she claimed. "Believe what you want. I'm done with both of you"

She hung up before Kelsey could attack her again. Maria had shared her piece, and what Kelsey did next was on her, not Maria. She tried to nap, but her mind wouldn't stop racing with Kelsey's accusations.

Next, a call came from Adrian's parents' home phone. Normally, she would have answered to talk to Kathy, but she suspected it was Adrian. She'd blocked his cell number and his social media accounts, so he couldn't contact her. Fifteen minutes later, she got an e-mail with the subject line: Ria, I need you!!!

It had to be Adrian; it reeked of his neediness. Her first instinct was to delete it, but her finger only hovered over the button. Did she dare read it? She didn't have to respond, and if he was in crisis, she could tell his mom, so he wouldn't be alone.

Ria, please, please forgive me. I've treated you like no person should ever be treated. I lied, I cheated, I broke promises to you, and worst of all I shattered your heart, more than once. Yet through it all, you had faith in me and in our love. I wish I were more like you: trusting, confident, optimistic. I'm working on it and perhaps one day I'll be half the incredible person you are.

Maria grimaced. His apologies and recognition of her suffering stirred something inside, which she shoved away with a shaky breath. After she set down the phone, she walked to the window and opened it so the warm tropical air touched her face. In the chair opposite her sat Emma's towel and swimwear. She cared about Maria, expecting nothing in return unlike Adrian. But after everything Maria had suffered, she deserved those apologies. She picked up the phone.

My life is an abyss without you, dark, terrifying, and never-ending. You didn't trust my words because I was too insecure to let go of Kelsey. With you so far, I feared you'd forget me and I couldn't go through that alone. If you were here, things would have been different. But my weakness has hurt you again, and I have to be strong if I want us to work. I've broken up with Kelsey, I've moved in with my parents, and I've left the band to get a full-time job to pay for your plane ticket to Edmonton. It's the least I can do after everything you did for me that I took for granted. I promise I'll never put us in a situation where we're at risk of losing our home again. Our life together is far more important than my music, and I hope that this proves that. Please come home. I can't do this without you anymore.

Love Adrian

Maria sat on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest. A plane ticket, a stable job, and giving up the band? She didn't want to believe him, but he'd broken up with Kelsey. It finally hit him that he had needed to act to win her back. Maria shook her head. How could she even think that? She had a life here with a new job and great friends.

That you've only been happy with for a week.

But it was the week she'd kicked Adrian out of her life. That couldn't be a coincidence.

What if no man ever loves you like Adrian? How can you give up what you've wanted for years for a job you can hardly do and people you've just met?

After a knock on the front door, Maria tucked away the phone. When she answered, Tom invited her to sit with him on the porch chairs.

"How was your afternoon?" he asked.

Maria sighed. "Okay, yours?"

"Great, I organized an outing to Sunset Point for all of us. It was the highlight of my first trip to Samet, and I wanted you to enjoy it too."

She stared at the ceiling. Did she have the energy to socialize and explore? Her weekend was turning sour, but new scenery could change her mindset, and Mitch might come. She could vent to him again while he entertained her until her mood improved, and she forgot about Adrian's promises.

Tom smiled at her. "Please say yes."

"Sure, it sounds nice, Tom. Thanks."

Half an hour later, they walked into town; he, describing the amazing places he'd visited in Thailand, and she, trying to ignore Adrian's e-mail and the pictures of them together he must have found on his parents' computer. She put her phone on airplane mode in case he sent more. Seeing group photos with Kathy and Adam had made this even harder because they'd welcomed her in their family the moment Adrian had introduced her.

She and Tom were the first to meet with their driver. Soon more people trickled in: Shannon and Peter, one of Sunshine and Beccas's friends, Jaipriya, then Emma and Shawn. Maria searched for Mitch, but there were no signs of him.

Tom and Emma went to speak to the others, leaving Maria alone with Shawn.

She smiled tentatively and ran her fingers over her fisted hand. "Mitch isn't coming?"

"He thinks he's too cool for sightseeing."

She frowned. "That's weird. A few weeks ago, he showed me Wat Arun. Although, he said he hadn't gone there often."

Shawn raised an eyebrow. "He took you to Wat Arun?"

"Yeah, after church, we visited the temple, then ate at the market." Would he care to go again? It was one of her better days in the city.

"Food is more Mitch's speed. Don't let his absence mislead you. The point is beautiful for sunset."

Everyone squished onto the benches in the pickup truck's bed as the songtao roared to life. Maria sat opposite Emma and Shawn, under the metal domed roof and facing out to appreciate the island's tropical trees. The wind blew through her hair, pulling it loose from her ponytail. The air cooled her skin compared to its earlier heat this afternoon.

Tom made conversation, but his words were a buzz in her whirling mind.

The truck slowed as they descended a hill and pulled up in front of a stretch of coast overlooking the multicoloured ocean, mirroring the sky. The sun crept toward the horizon, splashing oranges, pinks and reds near the clouds. How could she consider giving this up for a second? There weren't many opportunities to live in a tropical paradise? How much easier were her days without Adrian's dark shadow monitoring her life? Shawn took Emma's hand and helped her disembark the songtao. Tom grinned at Maria and did the same after he'd hopped down.

"Isn't it amazing?" he asked with an expectant smile.

Maria nodded as Tom spoke more, but her brain couldn't focus to give him more than one-word answers. It flipped between scenes of her drinking coconut shakes on the beach and her in Adrian's arms in Edmonton. She followed Shawn and Emma toward the large rock near the cliff's edge and sat on the sarong Tom had lent her. The ocean glittered, a few boats bobbing on the horizon.

"Tom put together a nice night," Shawn said.

Maria agreed and stared off in the distance.

Emma placed her hand on Maria's shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

Maria looked into Em's eyes, grateful to have a caring friend. When Maria panicked, anticipating Adrian's reaction to her doing something as innocent as having guy friends, Emma noticed and helped. Despite his promises to give up music and Kelsey for her, but he still had jealousy and self-worth issues that would affect both of them if she were naïve enough to accept his offer. Maria couldn't solve those problems, only a therapist could. She already had trauma to unpack from the way Adrian manipulated her feelings.

Looking from Shawn to Emma and Tom, and thinking of Mitch and Prae, Maria grinned

Shawn helped her at work and watched out for her like a sister when they went out. Emma had welcomed her since day one and dealt with Maria's drunken melt-downs. Tom shared his heartbreak with her, so she didn't have to feel like the only wreck. Between the Thai cooking and language, Prae had become someone Maria confided in and never felt judged. Mitch drove her nuts, but he challenged her to stand up for herself and what she was worth, even if he had nothing to gain for it. No matter what happened, her friends would be there and get her through it. Sunshine was right. They were family.

Maria smiled and pulled Emma into a side hug. "It will be in time."

Her heart settled as the sun glowed blood red and slipped below the horizon. The beauty made her wish for a thousand more sunsets in this magical country with these wonderful people. She might not have teaching worked out, but she'd rise to the challenge as she did in the cooking competition. Moving here had improved her life and staying would do wonders. This was where she belonged.