Page 23 of Bound By Darkness

Standing on unsteady legs, I quietly walk back into the bedroom.Eamon’s still asleep, his face relaxed in the low light.Something in my chest cracks wide open at the sight of him.

This is it.The decision’s been made for me.It’s over.

I grab a small bag and throw a few things inside—clothes, a phone charger, my passport.My movements are quick and mechanical, my mind working on autopilot as I fight to hold myself together.

When I’m done, I grab a notepad from the desk and a pen.I pause, the pen hovering over the paper as I stare at the empty space.For a moment, I consider leaving Eamon a way to contact me.The thought lingers longer than it should, tempting me.But I quickly push it out of my head.

That’s not how this works.I press the pen to the page, steadying my shaking hand.

Eamon,

Thank you for everything—for the time, for the memories.For making me forget the rest of the world, if only for a little while.

But I’ve realized it’s time to go back to reality.I won’t forget this or you.

~Eve.

After setting the note on the nightstand, I pause, looking at him one last time, committing every detail to memory.He shifts slightly, a faint furrow appearing between his brows, and I turn away before I can change my mind.

With my bag slung over my shoulder, I slip out of the villa as quietly as I can.Outside, the resort’s driver is waiting just as Ruairi promised.

I slip into the car and close the door softly behind me, the sound echoing like a final goodbye.As we pull away, I stare straight ahead, refusing to look back.I don’t need to see the villa disappearing to feel the loss of the man I was never meant to fall for.

I tell myself this is for the best.That once I’m home, I’ll forget him.

But as the distance grows, I already know I’m lying.

Eamon

A low rumbleof thunder jolts me awake.For a moment, I lie there, disoriented, staring at the ceiling as the distant rumble rolls through the air.Rain patters faintly against the villa’s windows, a sharp contrast to the usual stillness of the Maldives.

I shift, instinctively reaching for Eve, but my hand is met with nothing but an empty space.My brows pull together as I sit up, the faint glow of early morning spilling into the room.The sheets are cool as if she hasn’t been there for hours.

“Eve?”My voice is rough, sleep still clinging to it.I scan the room, expecting to find her slipping out of the bathroom or perched on the deck like she sometimes does when she wakes before me.But there’s nothing.

A sinking feeling settles deep in my gut as I stand and check the rest of the villa.The silence presses in.There’s no sign of her anywhere, and for a moment, the absence of her presence feels more real than anything else.

And then I see it.

A single sheet of paper sits on the nightstand, folded neatly, my name written across the front.

I hesitate for a fraction of a second before picking it up, my fingers brushing the paper like it might burn me as I unfold it and read.

Eamon,

Thank you for everything—for the time, for the memories.For making me forget the rest of the world, if only for a little while.

But I’ve realized it’s time to go back to reality.I won’t forget this or you.

~Eve.

The words blur in front of me, but not because I don’t understand them.I do.Eve’s gone.

I crumble the note in my hand, my chest tightening in a way that’s unfamiliar, unwelcome.I’ve woken up alone before countless times, in fact.But this is different.The loss of her is like a blade to the gut, sharp and immediate.

Dragging a hand down my face, I pace the room as the note burns in my fist.My jaw tightens, the ache in my chest refusing to ease.I let myself get attached to her.The woman who never asked for my last name, just like I never asked for hers.We were playing a game, but somewhere along the way, I stopped pretending.

Because the truth I didn’t want to admit is staring me dead in the face.

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