‘You have a talent,’ I said, laughing.
‘To what?’ – He asked, sitting down on the sand.
‘Towards making people forget that they’re actually completely out of place here.’
His smile grew wider. ‘Maybe you’re not as out of place at all as you think you are.’
As we talked, I laughed more than I had in the last few months combined.
He talked about his travels and his love of literature – interests that overlapped with mine.
His admiration for my book seemed genuine, and when he joked that he would one day hang my autograph on the wall, I felt a warmth inside me that I hadn’t felt in a long time.
But underneath that laughter, something was bothering me.
A slight unease that I couldn’t explain.
He seemed perfect – too perfect.
The next morning began with great enthusiasm.
I stretched, my mind buzzing with ideas for the next chapter of my book.
‘Today is the day,’ I whispered, grabbing my laptop.
My fingers slid across the keys.
But when the desktop appeared, my heart stopped.
The folder where my book was saved – two years of work, sleepless nights – was gone.
I searched my entire hard drive, hoping it was just hidden somewhere.
Nothing.
‘This is weird,’ I said to myself.
My laptop was still there, but my most valuable piece of work had disappeared without a trace.
‘Okay, don’t panic,’ I whispered and grabbed the edge of my desk.
‘You’ve definitely saved it somewhere else.’
But I knew I hadn’t.
I ran out of the room and headed straight for Lana.
As I walked down the corridor, my ears picked up muffled voices.
I stopped, my heart beating faster.
Slowly I walked to the door of the next room, which was ajar.
‘We just need to pitch this to the right publisher?’ – Eric’s voice said.
My blood ran cold.
It was Eric.
Through the door crack I could see Lana leaning forward, her voice as low as a conspiratorial whisper.
‘Your manuscript is remarkable,’ Lana said with a voice as sweet as syrup.
‘We’ll find a way to pass it off as mine. She’ll never know what happened.’
My stomach clenched with rage and betrayal, but even worse was the disappointment.
Eric, who’d made me laugh, listened to me, and whom I’d begun to trust, was part of this.
Before they could notice me, I turned around and hurried back to my room.
I ripped open my suitcase and started hurriedly throwing things inside.
‘This was supposed to be my new beginning,’ I whispered bitterly.
My eyes blurred, but I didn’t let the tears come.
Crying was for those who still believed in second chances-I didn’t anymore.
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 of people and the air hummed with voices.
I stood at the podium with a copy of my book in my hands and tried to focus on the smiling faces.
‘Thank you all for coming today,’ I said, my voice firm despite the storm of emotions inside me.
‘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 deep inside me.
As the autograph queue disintegrated and the last guest left, I sat down tiredly in a corner of the shop.
That’s when I noticed her – a small folded note on the table.
‘You owe me an autograph. Cafe on the corner if you have time.’
The writing was undeniably recognisable.
My heart stopped.
Eric.
I stared at the note, gripped by feelings: curiosity, anger, and something I couldn’t yet name.
For a moment, I wanted to crumple the note and walk away.
But instead I took a deep breath, grabbed my coat, and headed for the café.
I saw him at once.
‘Pretty bold to leave me a note like that,’ I said, sitting down across from him.
‘Brave or desperate?’ – he replied with a wry smile.
‘I wasn’t sure if you were coming.’
‘I wasn’t sure either,’ I admitted.
‘Thea, I need to explain things to you. 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 when I realised what she was really up to, I took the USB 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 needed someone to surprise you and take your work to the next level.
I thought I’d help you out.’
‘Surprise you?’ – I barked at him.
‘Are you telling me you stole my job behind my back?’
‘I didn’t think so at first.
When I realised the truth, I grabbed the USB drive and wanted to find you, but you were already gone.’
‘What I overheard wasn’t what it seemed?’
‘Exactly. Thea, when I realised the truth, I chose you.’
I let silence fall between us and waited for the excitement in me to flare up again.
But it didn’t.
Lana’s manipulations were left behind and my book was published on my terms.
‘You know, she was always jealous of you,’ Eric finally said quietly.
‘Back at university she felt eclipsed by you.
This time she saw her chance and took advantage of our trust to take what wasn’t hers.’
‘And now?’
‘She’s disappeared. Severed every bond I knew.
She couldn’t bear 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 ruin it.’
His smile grew wider.
‘Deal.’
As we left the café, I caught myself smiling.
That one date had become another. Then another.
And at some point, I fell in love again. This time, not alone.
What started with betrayal turned into a relationship based on understanding, forgiveness and – yes – love.