Chapter 106

Sarah

pov.

The day started off perfectly. Richard and I were on our way to a little restaurant down the street that we'd read great things about.

He kept his hand in mine, swinging it slightly, and the warm, tropical breeze ruffled my hair.

I felt happy, lighter than I had in months. This trip was everything I had hoped it would be-a chance for us to reconnect, to be in our own world, away from the daily grind.

As we entered the restaurant, the smell of fresh seafood and sizzling spices greeted us, and my stomach rumbled in anticipation.

We found a cozy table by the window, with a view of the beach just down the street, and settled in, glancing at the menu and chatting about what to order.

But then I saw her. Isabelle.

There she was, just a few tables away, scanning the menu like she'd just walked in. I felt my shoulders tense.

What were the odds? It was such a small island, I guessed, but still, it felt strange. It was the third time now that we'd bumped into her, and each time it felt... I don't know... a little too coincidental. Richard noticed her, too. "Oh, hey!" he said, lifting a hand in a friendly wave. "Isabelle!"

I forced a polite smile, trying to keep my face relaxed. Isabelle looked up, her face lighting up as she walked over to our table.

"Hi, you two!" she said, her voice bright and cheerful. "Fancy seeing you here. This island keeps getting smaller and smaller."

"Yeah, crazy," I said, keeping my tone light, even though I felt a strange knot in my stomach.

Isabelle didn't seem to notice, though. She looked straight at Richard, her gaze lingering just a bit longer than it needed to. "Mind if I join you?" she asked, glancing from me to Richard, her smile as wide as ever. "Oh... sure," Richard said, pulling out the chair next to him. "We don't mind, right, Sarah?"

just shrugged and managed a small nod, hoping my face didn't betray the unease creeping up inside

just us, but now

said, settling into her

the vacation going so

said, smiling. "We've been snorkeling, hiking, and trying all the local

imagine," Isabelle said, her eyes fixed on him, her voice soft and warm. "You both look

I couldn't help but notice that she wasn't really

to take a sip of water, trying to shake the

something in the way she looked at him, a

to lighter topics, like favorite travel spots and funny mishaps while

as if they were old friends. I felt

I said, trying to sound

a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. "Yes,

so freeing, you know? No one else's schedule, no one to worry about.

that. Though

hand, her eyes lingering on him. "It must be

if she didn't quite care that I was there,

about her that kept scratching at the back of my mind, like a warning

to your evening. It was lovely running into you again," she said, looking at Richard as if he were the only one who mattered. "Likewise,"

out of earshot, I turned to him. "You didn't notice anything... strange

He looked at me, eyebrows raised. "Come on, Sarah,

from forming. "Richard, she was all

His eyes sparkled with amusement, like he

feeling a mix of embarrassment and frustration. Maybe I was overthinking

But something about Isabelle's presence

looks at you," I said quietly,

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