Page 52 of The Island Villa

You have no talent.

She’d repeated the words over and over again, and Adeline hadn’t had a clue what her mother was talking about or why she was smiling and crying at the same time.

It was clear to her that her mother did have talent, so it didn’t make sense.

She’d grabbed Adeline by the shoulders, her grip tight and her eyes fevered. Never believe anyone who tells you that you can’t do something. Promise me.

Adeline had promised, having no idea what she was promising but willing to say anything because this slightly wild version of her mother was unnerving.

It’s a new beginning, her mother kept saying. A new beginning.

It had taken Adeline a while to realize that beginnings followed endings. In this case, the thing that was ending was her parents’ marriage. She’d been too young to understand the details, but not too young to feel the tension. The atmosphere in the house changed. Her mother’s routine changed. She no longer spent all day locked in her office writing her latest book. She was expected to tour, and do book signings in multiple countries.

On the nights she was away, Adeline would often find her father sitting alone in her study, staring at the shelves stacked with her mother’s books. On one occasion, she’d crawled onto his lap and he’d hugged her tightly and muttered, “I wasn’t enough.”

She had no idea what he meant by that, but she knew it wasn’t good.

And then her mother had bought the villa in Corfu.

The first time Adeline had seen it, she’d felt as if she’d stepped into another life.

The villa clung to a steep hillside that sloped down to the sea. It was built from local stone and a brief glimpse might have suggested that it was rustic, but that idea vanished the moment you stepped over the threshold. From the beautiful curved living room that opened onto the terrace and the infinity pool to the peaceful, calm bedroom suites, each with its own terrace, the villa was pure luxury. It was furnished in creams and pastel tones, with accents of blue and violet, which picked out the colors of the ocean and the sky. White marble floors reflected the light. Large bold canvases hung on the wall, but most visitors focused not on the art, but on the view.

Adeline had been both impressed and intimidated. Mostly she’d been homesick for London and their tall townhouse with her cozy attic bedroom stuffed with her toys and books. Her father had seemed equally unsure, although she was starting to sense there was something more complicated happening between the two adults in her life. Her mother was swanning around in caftans, staring wistfully out across the ocean like a heroine from one of her novels. Her father was staring at her mother, as if trying to recognize and understand this person he was married to. Laughter gave way to sharp words and raised voices.

It was the first hint she’d had that relationships didn’t always stay the same. That love wasn’t a constant thing. That it could be withdrawn as easily as it had been given.

With a sigh, Adeline turned away from the window and stepped under the rainfall shower. She shouldn’t be thinking about that now. There was enough to deal with in the present without going back to the past.

In the calm of her London apartment, it had been easy to tell herself that she’d be able to handle it, that she’d moved on. She was trained for this.

The reality wasn’t so simple.

It was jarring that somewhere so beautiful, so perfect, could shake up her insides like a cocktail mixer.

She closed her eyes and let the water flow over her, feeling the sting of heat against her skin. Gradually, she felt her muscles relax and by the time she stepped out of the shower, she was feeling more in control.

She wrapped herself in one of the large soft towels that had been left for her use. Her clothes were still in her suitcase, and her suitcase was by the door where she’d abandoned it the moment she’d walked into the cottage. Unpacking had seemed a stressful acknowledgment that this version of family hell wasn’t going to end anytime soon, so she’d left it, telling herself that she could grab that case and go whenever she chose. She could be back in London in a matter of hours, leaving all this behind. There was nothing keeping her here. She did not have to stay for this wedding.

That was before she’d discovered that the groom was her father.

How could she walk away now?

She pulled on a swimsuit, intending to try to work off some of her stress in the pool.

“Adeline?”

She heard Cassie’s voice through the door of her bedroom and felt something tug inside her.

It wasn’t only her father that she had to think about. If she left, then Cassie would be on her own with this.

Mark would say that wasn’t her problem. He’d point out that she and Cassie didn’t have a relationship. That she didn’t owe her anything.

But she didn’t feel that way. She couldn’t forget the sight of her sister sitting on the beach.

Cassie had felt rejected. Alone. Adeline knew how that felt.

Ignoring the ache in her chest, Adeline pulled shorts and a linen top over her swimsuit.

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