III.The Sin himself.
1398 Words
The island looked like something designed to make promises feel permanent.
White sand stretched in flawless curves along the shoreline, untouched except for the faint paths of staff preparing cabanas for guests who would never carry their own towels. The sea was an impossible shade of blue, clear enough to reveal the shifting patterns of the reef below. Palm trees leaned just slightly, as if posing.
Bella stepped off the private boat beside Alex, her hand resting lightly in the crook of his arm. She wore a pale blue sundress chosen because it looked effortless while requiring careful tailoring.
She had practiced her smile in the mirror that morning.
Calm. Radiant. Ready.
Inside, her pulse had not settled since the plane ride.
The memories of her affair had not faded the way she had hoped. They only sharpened. Certain sensations ambushed her at random — the warmth of his hands, the sound of her own breath betraying her composure.
She told herself it had been an isolated moment. A sealed chapter. She was here now. In the life she chose.
Alex greeted relatives and business associates with easy authority. Staff moved around him like orbiting satellites. Bella admired how naturally he fit into this world — how he belonged to wealth without flaunting it.
“You okay?” he murmured to her as they walked toward the main reception terrace.
“Just overwhelmed,” she said truthfully.
He squeezed her hand once. Reassuring. Possessive in the gentlest way.
Then Sofia Laurent approached, elegant as always, sunglasses perched perfectly atop her sleek bob.
“Bella! Finally,” she said, air-kissing both cheeks. “You look stunning.”
“Thank you,” Bella replied, grateful for the familiar kindness in Sofia’s eyes.
“We’re almost all here,” Sofia continued. “Even the prodigal one.”
Alex’s jaw shifted slightly. Barely noticeable unless you knew him well.
Bella didn’t understand why her stomach dropped.
“He arrived late last night,” Sofia said with a fond but exasperated sigh. “Of course.”
Bella looked both of them with curiosity.
He?
They walked toward the shaded lounge area overlooking the water, where a small group of men stood laughing around a low table of drinks.
Bella saw him before her mind could accepted it. She felt how her heart dropped to the floor.
Linen shirt. Sleeves rolled. Sunglasses hooked into the collar. Hair wind-tousled in that same careless way.
Julian.
He looked up mid-laugh.
And froze. Just like her.
Not dramatically. Not obviously.
But his entire focus shifted in a single, precise moment.
Recognition flared. Bella’s breath vanished.
Sofia beamed. “Julian! Come meet your new sister in law properly. You missed the engagement party already.”
Julian wal towards them, softly. Took off his sunglasses slowly, like an actor buying time before a line.
His dreamy green eyes met Bella’s.
Green brown. Amused. Alert.
Dangerous.
“Well,” he said, voice smooth with lazy charm, “I guess this island just got a lot more interesting now.”
Alex’s tone cooled several degrees. “Julian.”
“Brother.” Julian stepped forward and pulled Alex into a one-armed hug that looked more like a performance than affection. “Relax. I wore a clean shirt.”
Bella forced her lips into a polite smile. She could feel her eyes twitching, nervous.
Julian turned to her, offering his hand like they were really strangers.
“Nice to meet you finally. My name is Julian Laurent,” he said. “I hear you’re the brave woman willing to marry into this circus.”
His thumb brushed lightly against her knuckles. A spark shot straight up her arm.
“Bella,” she replied evenly, praying her voice didn’t shake.
His gaze held hers half a second too long. She could feel him trying to eat her whole through his eyes.
Recognition. Memory. Heat.
Then he let go.
Too easily.
That terrified her more than if he hadn’t.
Throughout the afternoon, Bella felt him like a second sun — always somewhere in her orbit.
She saw the way staff greeted him with wary familiarity, the way Sofia scolded him for missing rehearsals, the way Alex kept conversations short and edged with restraint.
At the welcome lunch, Julian dropped into the seat across from Bella uninvited.
What a beautiful place for a wedding,” he said casually, sipping a drink. “Very… intimate. Don't you think, Bella?”
Bella focused on her plate. “I... suppose.”
“Funny thing about islands...” he continued lightly. “There's not easy exits.”
Alex looked up. “Do you ever stop talking?”
“Only when I’m asleep,” Julian replied. “Or with my mouth occupied.”
His eyes flicked to Bella for just a second. She felt how the food was choking on her throat when she heard him.
Heat flared under her skin.
Alex didn’t notice. Or chose not to.
Later that evening, as guests gathered for sunset cocktails, Julian leaned against the bar beside Alex. Bella of course was there too.
“So,” he said loudly enough for several people to hear, “I got in yesterday. After a very...intense night i must say. Barely slept.”
Bella nearly dropped her glass.
Alex didn’t look at him. “Some of us came to celebrate a wedding, not recover from poor decisions.”
Julian grinned playfully, biting his tongue. “Who says they were poor? I don't regret anything.”
His gaze slid to Bella.
Quick. Sharp. Private.
Her pulse thudded in her ears. He was playing.Testing. Pushing buttons. Seeing how close he could get to the truth without saying it.
Every double meaning landed like a secret touch.
“You look warm, Bella,” he said later to her, handing her a fresh drink she didn’t remember asking for. He leaned to talk in her ear. “Island climate can do that.”
“I’m fine,” she said tightly.
“Sure you are.”
*
That night, Bella couldn’t sleep. The air-conditioning hummed softly in the luxury suite she shared with Alex, but her skin felt overheated. Julian’s voice echoed in her head.
Intense night.
Barely slept.
Was he trying to expose her?
Or just remind her past mistakes?
She slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Alex, and stepped onto the balcony.
The ocean glowed under moonlight.
“You always run toward the quiet when you’re overwhelmed?”
Her heart slammed into her ribs.
Julian leaned against the railing at the far end of the balcony divider between suites.
Of course.
Of course his room would be next to theirs.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed, annoyed.
“Enjoying the view.” His eyes swept over her silk nightgown briefly before returning to her face. “Didn’t expect a midnight reunion, but I’m adaptable, doll.”
He winked at her in a seductive playful way.
“You lied to me.”
“About?” His eyebrows raise. His grin was still there.
“You said you were in the city for work.”
“I was.” He tilted his head. “Just… not only for that.”
“You’re his brother,” she whispered fiercely. “You knew.”
He didn’t deny it.
“I didn’t exactly lead with ‘Hi, I’m related to your fiancé’ while you were kissing me.”
Rage and humiliation burned through her.
“You should have told me!”
He stepped closer to the divider, voice dropping.
“I wasn’t expecting to give my full biography to a woman who didn’t even plan to tell me her last name.”
That hit. Because it was true.
“This was a mistake,” she said. “One night. That’s all.”
Julian studied her, expression unreadable in the moonlight.
“I don't know. Doesn’t feel like that when you look at me.”
“Stay away from me,” she snapped. “And keep your mouth shut.”
A slow, crooked smile spread across his face.
“I can keep a secret,” he said softly. “Question is… can you? We have an entire week ahead.”
Bella turned and walked back inside before he could see how much that shook her.
Behind her, Julian remained on the balcony, watching the door close.
Not worried. And not done.
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