IZABEL
As Izabel stood on the deserted beach, her only company was a stranded log and the
heavy, burning feeling inside her belly. She shifted from foot to foot with agitation,
before planting her sandaled feet into the rocky sand to steady herself. She couldn’t
stand that she’d hurt Buck with her standoffish behavior the last time they were
together, and she couldn’t shake the deep feeling of shame about being someone’s
mistress. She imagined that even if Felicia didn’t love him anymore, as he said,
she would still be hurt by the betrayal.
Narrowing her eyes at the stalwart log, she thought it looked as if it might raise
an ashen-gray branch and point at her accusingly. She could see the massive trunk
had tumbled for years, if not decades, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Dependin
