By morning, a fresh southerly breeze had picked up, filling our sails and carrying us toward the quiet, rocky coves of the Ionian Sea. The water here was a brilliant, translucent turquoise, so clear that the shadow of our hull drifted across the white sand seabed twenty feet below.
We dropped anchor in a secluded bay surrounded by steep limestone cliffs and wild olive trees. The air smelled of crushed thyme, hot stone, and salt—a clean, sharp fragrance that felt completely detached from the industrial harbors and corporate towers of our past.
I stood at the bow, watching the heavy anchor chain settle onto the sea floor with a dull, distant thud.
Ethan walked up the narrow side deck, two mugs of hot tea in hand. He handed one to me, his fingers brushing against mine as he leaned back aga
