Page 546 of The Sinner: James

“But you’re not alone. Everybody’s home right now. You have so many people around you.”

“Yes, I do. But they are not you. I love them all. They are my friends. But you are my man, and I need you to be with me more than I thought I would,” she says, her voice breaking. “And perhaps, it’s not even about me getting pregnant. That thing will happen at some point… If it’s meant to happen. This is about you and me. That’s why I need to spend some time on my own and find myself. I don’t want you to touch me again until I know that your life and time are in your control. That you don’t have to pull away from me at a moment’s notice. That I don’t have to guess when I’ll see you again. I’ll wait for you, no matter what. You don’t have to worry about me, but I need this space between us to keep my sanity.”

“What do you want to do?”

“For now, I’ll fly back home, and then I’ll pack my stuff and head south at the end of the week.”

“Where?”

She gives me a small smile.

“Where you left me stranded.”

“The island?”

“Yes. It’s been set up for me as a writing retreat. I want to write my next book there. It will perhaps take less time to finish the manuscript this time. I’ll be living there until you’re done. Lex told me it could take up to six months. Whatever it takes, I’ll wait for you. And when you come, if you come, I hope you’ll stay with me for good.”

She looks at me before pushing up on her toes and bringing her hand to my face.

“Goodbye, James,” she says.

He places a soft kiss on my lips and smoothly pulls away.

20

RAIN

End of September

James’Island

“How is it?Aren’t you sick of living on that island?” Eve asks.

I set the phone on the small side table and pick up a thin, tall glass filled with pink lemonade.

“It’s pure heaven,” I say, leaning back into my lounge chair and stretching my legs out before placing my laptop on the table.

I bring my drink to my lips and sip lemonade through a straw before putting it back on the table, my eyes trained on the sparkling blue water and shimmering white sand.

“I wish I could be there,” she says.

“You can come whenever you want.”

“Well, I can’t right now. You know I’m busy at work. I just got a couple of new clients. That doesn’t mean I can’t dream of a tropical island retreat. Right now, the weather is nice here. The temperature is mild, and most days are sunny, but the nights get cooler, and the rainy days will follow soon. It’s not fun when all is dark and wet.”

“I know,” I say, staring at the clear water rippling in the pool.

“Don’t you get lonely?”

I smile.

“All the time. But I got used to it.”

“I don’t know if I could live like that. Without people, I mean.”

“I have people around me. The housekeeper and a few staff members.”

“I mean people, people.”

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