Page 84 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

I smiled and brushed her baby hair to the side. She had grown up to be so beautiful. Her crystal-blue eyes looked up at me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, almost crying.

Kayla whimpered and started crying. I tried to calm her down, but she wiggled in my arms. Tristan took her from me and rocked her in his arms, whispering sweet words to her.

She snuggled closer to him as she stopped crying. She took a glance at me and looked away. Tristan smiled at me, and I faked one in return. Kayla fell asleep in Tristan’s arms before we gave her back to Mrs. Gonzalez and thanked her for taking care of Kayla. She promised to make time for us to see her before the court hearing.

I was quiet during the ride back to the hotel. I was still trying to fathom what had happened with Kayla.

“Do you know anywhere interesting we can go to?” Tristan asked me.

“Yeah, there is a nice beach down the street,” I said, looking outside the window.

Tristan told the driver to stop by the beach.

The car came to a stop by the roadside. We stepped out of the car and walked down the sidewalk, crowded with people, many of whom looked like tourists. Tristan took my hand as we jostled our way through. We stopped at a shop and bought a sun hat and sunglasses after I complained to Tristan about the intensity of the sun.

I explained some stuff I still remembered about the place to Tristan, who looked intrigued. He looked better than the first time I’d told him about Kayla. Somehow, today’s visit had lightened his mood. I had been glad to see Kayla, but I was scared of the future.

What if she grows up, hating me? Or my relationship with her getscomplicated?

“Aren’t you worried about the court hearing?” I asked him.

“I trust Andrew,” he said confidently.

I hummed at his answer and stayed quiet.

“Chloe,” he called, stopping me.

I turned to look at him.

“We saw Kayla today. That’s hope. Mrs. Gonzalez promised us another visit. Let’s make the most of it and leave Andrew to work on the hearing. If he needs anything, he’ll let us know. Now”—he pulled me close to him, putting his hands around my waist—“quit worrying for a second and enjoy the walk.”

I nodded with a smile, looking up at his face that was far from mine.

“Shall we?” he asked.

I pulled away, and we walked down to the beach.

We stopped for tropical coconut water and walked down the seashore with bare feet. I told Tristan about my stay in Cuba, and he opened up to me about his solo trip to India and Bali. I was shocked when he told me he’d shaved his hair. He looked better than imagined when he showed me the picture of him with a buzz cut. He told me about his stay at the rehab facility, and I laughed so hard at his experience with the nurses.

The sun was already sinking below the horizon, leaving the sky to burst into a symphony of colors. The warm orange, red, blue, and pink in the sky illuminated a path across the water, leaving a stunning glow on the sea. The clouds displayed across the sky like large cotton balls, adding to the beauty. Tristan and I stopped to stare at the magnificent shades of orange and red. It gave me hope and filled me with positivity. It was a reminder that no matter how each day went, it still ended beautifully.

We went to a restaurant on the seaside and ordered seafood. The sound of the water hitting the shore and the warm breeze sweeping through Tristan’s hair as he tried to eat a big, spiced crab made me smile.

The sky was already dark by the time we made it to the hotel. We spoke to Kayden and Tristan’s family about our visit with Kayla. Tristan went for a shower as I spoke to Belvina on FaceTime. I felt so exhausted as I undressed and entered the bathroom.

I was about to turn on the tap on the bathtub but changed my mind. I walked to the shower cubicle and knocked on the thick glass before opening the door.

“Can I join you?” I asked Tristan, who was standing under the shower and washing his hair.

“Of course,” he replied, stepping back.

I entered and went under the shower. I ran away from the cold shower while Tristan laughed.

“How in hell are you showering with that ice-cold water?” I shivered at the little contact I’d had with the water.

“It was a hot day. It feels nice,” he said as he changed the temperature. He pulled me under the shower after setting it to a better temperature.

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