Chapter 29
After our morning romp in the sack, we both hit the water. Surfing with Kai is something I’ve come to expect, and while I’m by no means an expert, I am getting better. I laugh at all my falls and learn new things each time we go out.
It’s been great, especially with everyone joining us, getting to know all of them, and watching how good they are. They’re one of the most encouraging and friendly groups of people I’ve ever met.
“See, you just needed your own board,” Alana says when I ride a wave all the way to the shore. Meeting her there, I hop off and smile.
“Might also be all the practice I’ve gotten too,” I counter, shrugging my shoulders. “We’ve pretty much been out every morning, most of it on the baby waves. This is my first time on some bigger stuff.”
“Might also be all that cardio,” she jokes, winking at me. “He’s good, huh?”
“The best.”
“You’ve changed him,” she says, and I want to cringe at the idea. There’s nothing malicious in what she’s said. It’s just not true.
Women don’t change men. Men change because they want to. I’ve learned this firsthand, and with Kai, things do feel different. But I think that’s because he was ready to find someone he wanted to spend more than one night with.
I have no idea why it was me or what I’ve done that makes him feel this way, but I’m not going to question it. It works, and we’re both happy, so that’s all that matters.
This is the most comfortable I’ve been in my own skin since before I met Sean. I feel more like myself, finding my way and learning how to move on, and with Kai’s help, it’s been easy.
Plus, out here, on this island, in this little community, no one cares who I was before or that I was Sean English’s wife. It means nothing to them—not just to all the friends I’ve made, but pretty much all the locals who live here too.
They like their quiet, undisturbed life, never seeking or creating drama.
Even at work, Sally and Rick have made it so that no one comes into the hotel looking for me. There’s not a chance the media isn’t now that I made that post. But with all the support here, I don’t worry about it at all.
“I don’t think I changed him,” I tell Alana now, totally confident in my answer. “Men change because they want to, and Kai wanted something different.”
She looks at me, taking in my words, and nods contemplatively. “You’re right. This is so true. Men don’t change for women. Trust me, I’ve tried.”
“Me too,” I echo back, my brows going up as if to say, just look at social media right now, and you’ll know I tried.
“Whatever it is, Kai’s obsessed with you, and it’s so damn cute.”
After surfing, Kai heads to work at the shop, and I set out to get a new phone. I bring with me the busted one, not that I’m going to get anything for it.
Just like keeping my job in New York, I kept a separate cellphone plan too, which will make getting a new phone so much easier.
It’s crazy to think about it now, but I wonder if subconsciously I kept things like my cellphone plan, my bank accounts, my insurance separate from Sean’s for a reason. When we got married, the only thing that changed was my last name.
There’s a store right near Orchid Bay, and I pop in, noticing it’s empty, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
After making that post and making my profile public, it’s going to make me more recognizable. I knew that when I did it, but I also needed to get it out there what is happening to me and not just to me, but to women all over the world.
Being silenced and bribed sucks. Being bought like you’re for sale in any way is absolute shit.
“Hey, I need to get a new phone,” I tell the guy who greets me. “Just an iPhone. Whatever is the cheapest.”
He takes my old phone, flinching when he looks at the shattered screen.
“Yeah, it had a fall,” I joke. “I know you can’t give me anything for it.”
He goes through the options with me, and I quickly select one, moving through the process of transferring everything from the cloud.
All in, it takes about twenty minutes, and when the phone finally connects, everything transfers, and it begins to light up like the Fourth of July.
Message after message, hundreds, then the missed calls, the notifications from Instagram—they all fill the screen.
“Um,” the guy starts, looking down at the phone as it continues, like it’s never going to stop. “How long were you without a phone?”
“Twenty-four hours, maybe.” I say it with all sincerity, knowing this was going to happen.
It doesn’t faze me, but the guy working there can’t take his eyes off it. The messages keep coming, new ones popping up every second.
The door to the store opens, and in walk two young girls, maybe around seventeen, and when they see me, their eyes go wide.
And that’s when the whispering begins.
“You famous or something?” the guy asks, as the girls giggle and point at me.
The whispered, “that’s her,” is heard pretty loudly.
“Nope.”
And with that, I walk out, not even bothering to acknowledge any of it.
The day at the spa passes quickly. My schedule has been jam-packed with clients since I started here, and I love it.
I’m so busy that each shift I work feels like minutes rather than hours. I also love the darkened room, the soft music, the silence with each client, letting me relax and really focus on doing what I love.
Kai came by and had lunch with me, bringing me his favorite food truck’s garlic shrimp plate, and after everything he’s done for me, I feel like I need to do something for him.
My phone has been stuffed in my locker, not even taking a second to look at the shit show that has probably been happening. I don’t need to know what is being said about me or how Sean and his legal team have responded.
My guess would be that they haven’t. They always advised him to keep quiet no matter what was said, and this will be no different.
I’ll get a cease-and-desist letter soon, but all that is, is an idle threat. Everything I’ve said is true, though. Those only work if the person is lying, and Sean knows that. He won’t take it any further. He never does. Usually, it’s enough to scare someone, but not me.
He can get fucked if he thinks I’m going to shut up.
Tonight, Kai and I are going to see Miles’s band play at a local bar. It’s supposed to be a huge deal since they have started playing together again, and people arrive hours before just to get in.
I’m waiting on Kai, and as I do, I turn off all notifications on Instagram and scroll through my text messages, only looking at the ones I deem necessary.
There are at least ten from Isla, and I quickly respond to her, letting her know I’m fine just to ease her mind and keep her from going crazy.
It’s the ones from Sean that get me, though. Tons of them, exactly as I expect—threatening and then calm, to angry, then begging. I set him to silent, but before I do, I catch the last one he sent.
Sean: I’m still on Maui
I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but that’s how he wants it. He wants me wondering if he’s going to show up again, if he’s planning to make my life miserable, or if he wants me to know he’s still here so I can sign the NDA.
Whatever it is, I don’t give a shit.
I do a casual scan through my email, deleting ninety percent of it—mostly junk—but I come across one that catches my attention. I mark it to look at later, but not just that, to verify it’s actually real since it’s come from one of the biggest podcasters in the industry.
I’ve listened to her before and have loved everything she does. It’s definitely worth a second look.
As I’m continuing to delete junk, Kai pulls up, and I head out the door, locking it behind me, not needing Sean to show up and be waiting in my house.
I did let my landlord know about the incident, and he said he’s putting cameras up in the next few days, which is way more than I even expected.
Climbing into the car, I lean over and kiss him, and when he wraps his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me closer, I smile against his lips.
“Miss me?” I ask him, running my thumb over his cheek.
“Every fucking minute of every fucking day.”
Settling back in my seat, he backs out of the driveway, the windows down, the cool evening sea air blowing. It smells like paradise. It is paradise, and I hope I never have to leave.
“Miles texted to say there are going to be a couple of surprise guests. Fans don’t know because if they did, they’d…” He stops, looking over at me, my face a wash of instant fear and concern.
Sean’s text plays over and over again in my head.
I’m still on Maui.
Miles’s band was on tour with Sean. Bringing him in to be their guest would be huge publicity for their band, and that’s immediately where my mind goes.
I swallow hard, feeling my heart begin to race, my palms growing sweaty, and I run them over the fabric of the car seat.
“Whoa, babe, what’s wrong?” Kai asks, a desperation of concern hitting him.
“Sean’s still here,” I reply, soft and fearful.
Pulling over to the side of the road, the gravel of the shoulder kicking up as he does, he cuts the engine. Looking over at me, he shakes his head.
“No, Quinn. What you need to know about us is that we’re loyal as fuck. Miles would never do that to you or to any of us. Please get it out of your head that it’s Sean because it’s not.”
His hand takes mine, bringing it to his mouth. He kisses each knuckle, calming me.
“I’m sorry, that was really stupid—”
He cuts me off, his words stern. “Not stupid at all. You’re afraid of him, and rightfully so, but we will always protect you. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Grabbing his phone, he sends a text and then shows it to me.
Kai: Who are the guests?
Miles: Jonah and the bassist from Echo Forge. We met him when we did a festival a couple of weeks back. He’s here on vacation.
I breathe a sigh of relief, hating that I doubted them for a second. Past trauma really messes with your head.
“You good?” Kai asks, smiling at me, and I nod, giving his hand a squeeze. “Jonah is Lacey, the drummer’s, roommate, and obviously you know who Echo Forge is.”
“Yep, and I’m sorry I—”
Again, cutting me off. “Nope, not going to apologize.”
I laugh, loving his assertiveness. “Got it.”