Chapter 18

Three years later, Joyce finally said yes to Lucas' proposal. The night before their wedding, she stood by the hotel's balcony, looking out at the sea. From behind, Lucas draped a shawl over her shoulders, his hand brushing over the faint scar on her abdomen. That was the final mark Nathan had left her. "The bouquet for tomorrow arrived," he said, setting a bouquet of white tulips on the table. "It's not jasmine." Joyce's fingers traced the petals, and suddenly, she remembered something. On their wedding day, Nathan had crawled into the flames to retrieve a single charred jasmine for her. "If you love it, I'll give it to you," he had said. Now, she understood that the best gift he could give her was to leave forever. Her phone buzzed. An unknown number had sent her a photo of an airport boarding gate, and a man in a black trench coat with a single one-way ticket in hand. The destination was Doblina. Joyce set the phone face down on the table, lifted her champagne, and drained i