Chapter 9: The Island Between Wars
1514 Words
Three days.
Three days since the helicopter disappeared over the horizon. Three days since Alexander Blackwood stood in my son’s doorway and cried. Three days since he handed me a piece of paper that said he would never claim Theo.
I hadn’t signed it.
The paper sat on the kitchen counter of the villa, weighed down by a seashell Theo had found. Every morning I looked at it. Every morning I walked past.
I didn’t know why I was hesitating.
“Mommy.”
Theo appeared in the doorway, his tablet in his hand. He was wearing a swimsuit and a ridiculous sun hat that Maria had packed. He looked like a miniature tourist.
“Yes, baby?”
“The helicopter is back. ”
My blood ran cold.
I ran to the window.
A black speck against the bright blue sky. Growing larger. The same helicopter.
“He said he wouldn’t come back,” I whispered.
Theo looked up at me, his dark eyes calm. “People lie, Mommy. ”
The helicopter landed on the beach.
I stood on the villa steps, Theo behind me, my hand on his shoulder. I wasn’t hiding him anymore. Alexander already knew. The secret was out.
The door slid open.
A woman stepped out.
Not Alexander.
Victoria Vance.
She wore white linen, oversized sunglasses, and a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Behind her, two men in black suits jumped down and flanked her.
Security. Muscle. A message.
“Elena!” Victoria called out, her voice dripping with false warmth. “What a charming little island. Very… hidden. ”
I didn’t move. “What do you want, Victoria?”
She walked toward me, her heels sinking into the sand. She stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked up at me. Then her gaze shifted to Theo.
Her smile froze.
“Oh my,” she said softly. “He looks just like Alexander. ”
I stepped in front of Theo. “You’re not welcome here.”
“I’m not asking for a welcome.” She pulled off her sunglasses. Her eyes were cold. Calculating. “I’m here to make a deal. ”
“I don’t make deals with you.”
“You will.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a folded document. “Alexander flew to Paris. Did he tell you? He spent two days at Saint-Vincent-de-Paul. He pulled the full file. ”
My heart stopped. “The records were sealed.”
“Not for a Blackwood.” She smiled. “Nothing is sealed for a Blackwood. ”
She held out the document. “This is a copy of the DNA test. The one that proves Theo is Alexander’s son. ”
I didn’t take it. “What do you want?”
“Simple.” She stepped closer. “Sign over custody of the boy to me. ”
The world tilted.
“What? ”
“Alexander doesn’t know I’m here. He thinks he’s being noble, waiving his rights. But I’ve been waiting four years for this. ” Her eyes glittered. “You disappear, Elena. You take your little jewelry company and you go back to Paris. And I raise the Blackwood heir. ”
“You’re insane.”
“I’m practical.” She tucked the document back into her bag. “Alexander will never marry me. Not now that he knows about the boy. But if I have the boy… ”
“He’s not a bargaining chip. ”
“He’s a billion-dollar bargaining chip.” Her smile vanished. “Sign the papers, Elena. Or I go public with the DNA test. I tell the world that Elena Sterling stole Alexander Blackwood’s son and hid him for four years. ”
“No one will believe you.”
“They’ll believe the DNA test.” She tilted her head. “And they’ll believe the photos.”
She held up her phone. On the screen: Theo and me, on the beach yesterday. Playing. Laughing.
She had drones. She’d been watching us.
“I’ll destroy you, Elena. Your brand. Your reputation. Your son’s future. ” She lowered the phone. “Or you sign. And you walk away clean. ”
Behind me, Theo moved.
He stepped around me, walked down the steps, and stood in front of Victoria Vance. He looked up at her with those dark, serious eyes.
“You’re not very nice, ” he said.
Victoria blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I said, you’re not very nice.” He tilted his head. “I hacked your email account this morning. You’re having an affair with your yoga instructor. His name is Pierre. You told him you’re only with Alexander for his money. ”
Victoria’s face went white.
“You also transferred two million dollars from the Vance Group charitable fund into a private account in the Caymans, ” Theo continued. “I have the transaction records. ”
I stared at my four-year-old son.
He glanced back at me. “I was bored, Mommy. There’s no Wi-Fi on the island. ”
Victoria’s hands were shaking. “You’re lying.”
Theo pulled out his tablet. He turned the screen toward her. Bank records. Emails. Photographs.
“I don’t lie, ” he said. “It’s inefficient. ”
Victoria snatched the tablet. Theo didn’t stop her.
“I have backups, ” he said. “Seventeen of them. ”
The silence stretched.
Victoria stared at the screen, her face cycling through shock, fury, and something that looked like fear.
“You’re four years old,” she whispered.
“I’m a savant, ” Theo said. “My mom says I get it from my dad. ”
Victoria looked up at me. Her eyes were wild. “This isn’t over.”
“Yes, it is.” I walked down the steps and stood beside Theo. “You’re going to get back in that helicopter. You’re going to delete every photo you took of my son. And you’re going to forget this island ever existed. ”
“And if I don’t?”
I smiled. It was cold. Sharp. The smile of a woman who had nothing left to lose.
“Then Theo releases the emails. The bank records. The photographs. I’m sure Alexander would love to know that his fiancée is embezzling from his business partner.”
Victoria’s jaw tightened. She looked at Theo. Then at me. Then at the helicopter.
“This isn’t over, ” she said again.
But she walked back to the helicopter.
The blades began to turn. The sand whipped around us. Theo grabbed my hand.
As the helicopter rose into the air, Victoria looked down at us through the window. Her eyes were full of hate.
Theo waved.
“Bye, Pierre’s girlfriend, ” he said.
The helicopter disappeared.
I stood on the beach, my heart pounding, my hand wrapped around Theo’s small fingers.
“Theo.”
“Yes, Mommy?”
“How long have you been hacking into Victoria’s accounts? ”
He shrugged. “A week. She’s not very good with passwords. Her birthday. Then ‘password123.’ I almost felt bad. ”
I closed my eyes. “You’re four.”
“I’m advanced. ”
I opened my eyes and looked down at him. He was so small. So serious. So impossibly, terrifyingly capable.
“We need to talk about boundaries, ” I said.
“Can we talk about them over ice cream? ” He pointed to the villa. “Maria bought gelato. ”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The tension of the last hour broke, and I laughed until tears streamed down my face.
Theo watched me, his head tilted. “Your eye isn’t twitching, ” he said. “That’s good. ”
I pulled him into a hug. He let me, even though he wasn’t a hugger.
“I love you, ” I whispered.
“I know, ” he said. “You tell me every day. It’s very consistent. ”
That night, after Theo was asleep, I sat on the beach and watched the stars.
The paper—Alexander’s waiver—was still on the kitchen counter. Unsigned.
I thought about Victoria. About her threats. About the DNA test and the photos and the way she had looked at Theo like he was a possession.
She would try again.
I thought about Alexander. About the tear on his cheek. About the way he had said, “I want to earn him.”
He had kept his word. He hadn’t come back.
But Victoria had.
I pulled out my phone. For the first time in days, I had signal. Alexander had made sure of it—he’d had a tower installed on the island before he left.
A gift. Or a leash. I still didn’t know.
I stared at his name in my contacts.
Then I typed:
Me: Victoria came to the island. She knows about Theo. She wants custody. She has photos. We need to talk.
I hit send.
The response came in seconds.
Alexander: I’m on my way.
I looked up at the stars.
The wolf was coming back.
But this time, I was inviting him.
End of Chapter 9
- Writer
