Chapter 14: Helping a Villain
398 Words
She found him still on the ground, struggling to sit up, his face contorted in pain.
Vanna knelt beside him, brushing the dirt from his sleeve. “I’ll call Leah and Louie. They’ll help. We can carry you to the yacht—”
“No.” His voice was sharp, laced with something deeper than pain. Shame.
He looked away, jaw clenched. “I don’t want them to see me like this. I’m the villain in their story. Don’t give them the satisfaction.”
“Gavin—”
“Go to them, and get lost!” he snapped, his eyes dark with pride and despair.
Vanna stared at him, torn. She could’ve left right then. And maybe she should have.
But instead, she stood, brushed the grass off her jeans, and walked off—not to abandon him, but to cover her tracks.
Back at the yacht, Leah rushed up. “Where the hell have you been? We were worried—”
“I’m sorry,” Vanna cut in, forcing a calm smile. “I… I need to stay a bit longer. There’s something I have to do first. It’s important.”
Leah squinted at her, suspicious. “What are you talking about? What’s more important than getting the hell out of this place?”
“Just trust me,” Vanna said, placing a hand on Leah’s shoulder. “Come back for me early tomorrow. Please.”
After a pause, Leah finally nodded. “You better explain everything when we return.”
“I will,” Vanna whispered. “I promise.”
She watched the yacht disappear into the fading light, the soft hum of its engine growing distant until the shore was silent again.
Then she turned and ran.
Back at the garden, Gavin hadn’t moved much, his breathing labored. She dropped to her knees beside him, pulling a small roll of gauze and a basic kit from her bag.
“I was trained by the Red Cross, remember?” she said, unwrapping a bandage. “At least now I get to use that certificate for something useful.”
He looked at her, half a smile forming through the pain. “I thought you left.”
“Yeah, well…” she muttered, tightening the splint she made from a broken fence stake, “you should know by now—I don’t always do what people expect.”
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