His smile widened. ‘Maybe you’re not as out of place as you think.’
As we talked, I laughed more than I had in months. He shared stories of his travels and love of literature, which coincided with my hobbies. His admiration for my book seemed genuine, and when he joked that he would someday put my autograph on the wall, I felt a warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time.
But underneath that laughter, something was unsettling me. A slight unease that I couldn’t explain. He seemed perfect, too perfect.
The next morning started out on a high. I stretched, my mind buzzing with ideas for the next chapter of my book.
‘Today is the day,’ I whispered, reaching for my laptop.
My fingers quickly ran across the keys. But when the desktop appeared on the screen, my heart stopped. The folder where my book – two years of work, sleepless nights – had been stored was gone. I searched my entire hard drive, hoping it was just lost somewhere. Nothing.
‘This is weird,’ I said to myself.
My laptop was still there, but the most important part of my labour had disappeared without a trace.
‘Okay, don’t panic,’ I whispered, grabbing the edge of my desk. ‘You’re probably just confused.’
But I knew I wasn’t. I ran out of the room and headed straight for Lana. As I walked down the corridor, muffled voices caught my attention. I froze, my heart beating faster. Slowly I walked to the door of the next room, which was ajar.
‘Do we just need to pitch this to the right publisher?’ – Eric’s voice said.
My blood ran cold. It was Eric. Peeking through the crack, I saw Lana leaning in, her voice as low as a conspiratorial whisper.
‘Her manuscript is great,’ Lana said, her tone as sweet as syrup. ‘We’ll figure out how to file it as mine. She’ll never know what happened.’
My stomach twisted with rage and betrayal, but there was something worse: disappointment. Eric, who’d made me laugh, listened to me, and who I was starting to trust, was part of this.
I turned around before they could see me and walked back to my room. Slamming my suitcase hard, throwing things into it in a hurry.
‘This was supposed to be my fresh start,’ I whispered quietly, full of bitterness.
My vision blurred, but I didn’t allow myself to cry. Crying was for those who still believed in second chances, and I was done with that.
As I left the island, the bright sun seemed like a cruel prick. I didn’t look back. I didn’t need to.
Months later, the bookstore was full and the air hummed with conversation. I stood at the podium with a copy of my book and tried to focus on the faces smiling back at me.
‘Thank you all for coming today,’ I said, my voice firm despite the storm of emotions lurking inside. ‘This book is the result of years of work and… a journey I never expected.’
The applause was warm, but it hurt me. This book was my pride, yes, but the road to its success had been far from easy. The betrayal still sat in my mind.
As the line for the book signing dwindled and the last guest left, I sat in the corner of the shop, tired. And that’s when I noticed her-a small folded note on the table.
‘You owe me an autograph. Cafe on the corner, when you have time.’
The handwriting was undeniably hers. My heart skipped a beat. Eric.
I stared at the note, my emotions overwhelmed: curiosity, annoyance, and something I wasn’t ready to name yet.
For a moment, I considered crumpling it up and walking away. But instead, I sighed, grabbed my coat, and headed into the café. I spotted him right away.
‘You’re brave to leave me a note like that,’ I said, sitting down across from him.
‘Bold or desperate?’ – He replied with a chuckle. ‘I didn’t know you were coming.’
‘Neither did I,’ I admitted.
‘Thea, I have a lot of explaining to do. What happened on the island… At first I didn’t understand Lana’s true intentions. She convinced me that it was all for your good. But once I realised what she was up to, I took the flash drive and sent it to you.’
I remained silent.
‘When Lana dragged me into this, she said you were too modest to self-publish your book,’ Eric continued. ‘She claimed you didn’t believe in your talent and you needed someone to surprise you, to take it to the next level. I thought I was helping.’
‘Surprise?’ – I barked. ‘You mean steal my job by going behind my back?’
‘That’s what I thought at first. When she told me the truth, I grabbed the flash drive and went looking for you, but you were already gone.’
‘What I overheard didn’t turn out to be what I thought?’
‘It was. Thea, I chose you once I realised the truth.’
I let the silence envelope us, waiting for that familiar anger to flare up again. But it didn’t. Lana’s manipulations were a thing of the past, and the book was published by my rules.
‘You know, she was always jealous of you,’ Eric said quietly, breaking the silence. ‘Even at university she felt eclipsed. This time she saw an opportunity and used our trust to take what wasn’t hers.’
‘And now?’
‘She’s disappeared. Broke out of every circle I know. Couldn’t survive the consequences when I refused to support her lies.’
‘You made the right decision. That means something.’
‘Does it mean you’ll give me a second chance?’
‘One date,’ I said, raising a finger. ‘Don’t mess it up.’
His smile spread even wider. ‘Deal.’
As we left the café, I caught myself smiling. That date turned into another, and then another. And then I fell in love. And this time it wasn’t one-sided. What started with betrayal became a relationship based on understanding, forgiveness and, yes, love.