Chapter 1: A Return to the Past
The moment Isla Carter stepped off the plane and onto the sun-drenched tarmac of Starlight Resort’s private island, she felt the weight of the past pressing down on her. The salty breeze tangled through her chestnut waves, teasing her skin with the warm, humid air of paradise. It should have felt like a dream.
Instead, it felt like a cruel joke.
“God, I can’t believe I let Tessa talk me into this,” she muttered under her breath, adjusting her sunglasses as she pulled her suitcase behind her. The last place she ever wanted to be was here, in the very same resort where her marriage had begun… and ended.
“Isla, over here!”
A familiar voice called out, and she turned to see her best friend, Tessa, waving excitedly from the arrivals area. Dressed in a flowing floral maxi dress, her golden hair shimmering under the sun, Tessa looked every bit the radiant bride-to-be.
Forcing a smile, Isla made her way over, wrapping Tessa in a warm hug. “You owe me so much alcohol for this,” she whispered.
Tessa laughed. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic! It’s going to be an amazing week. Sun, cocktails, love in the air—”
“Love?” Isla cut in, raising a skeptical brow. “That word isn’t exactly in my vocabulary these days.”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “Please. You just need to loosen up, have a little fun, and maybe… embrace the unexpected.”
Before Isla could respond, a deep voice interrupted.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Isla Carter.”
Her entire body froze. That voice. That damn voice.
Slowly, she turned around, and there he was. Adrian Hayes. Her ex-husband.
Standing tall in a crisp white linen shirt, his dark hair tousled perfectly by the breeze, and those piercing blue eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath hitch—he was every bit the man she remembered. And hated. And missed.
For a long moment, they just stared at each other, the years apart doing nothing to dull the electric tension between them.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she finally managed to say, her voice sharper than she intended.
Adrian smirked. “Nice to see you too, Isla.”
Tessa cleared her throat awkwardly. “So… funny story. Adrian is actually the best man.”
Isla snapped her gaze to her best friend. “You’re joking.”
“I, um… may have forgotten to mention that little detail,” Tessa said, biting her lip.
“You conveniently forgot to tell me that my ex-husband was part of this wedding?” Isla’s voice rose slightly, her frustration bubbling over.
Adrian crossed his arms. “Relax, Carter. We’re both adults. I’m sure we can be civil for a few days.”
Civil? Not likely. Not when his presence alone sent her pulse into overdrive.
Isla clenched her jaw, squared her shoulders, and lifted her chin. “Fine. But stay out of my way, Adrian.”
With that, she turned on her heel, marching toward the waiting car that would take her to the resort.
But even as she walked away, she felt his gaze burning into her back.
And deep down, she knew this trip was about to be anything but simple.
