"Alright," George's voice rose again, pulling the room gently back together, his glass still raised, his smile warmer now, lighter, like he had said everything he needed to say. "Enough of me getting emotional."

A few soft laughs moved through the tables.

He looked around at everyone—friends, family, all of us scattered across this moment that wasn't really ours, but somehow felt like it was touching every single one of us anyway.

"Let's celebrate love," he said simply. "Let's share it, let's show it, let's not be afraid of it."

His eyes landed on Sophia and Henry again, softer this time.

"And most importantly, let's celebrate these two—my daughter, and my future son-in-law. Their love, their story... and everything that brought them here."

He lifted his glass higher.

"So tonight, I ask you—if you have love in your life... don't hide it. Show it. Hold it. Don't let it pass you by."

A pause.

Then, with a small grin:

"And if you're sitting next to it... maybe give it a kiss."

Laughter broke across the room.

Glasses lifted.

"To love!" someone shouted.

"To love!" everyone echoed.

And just like that—

It happened.

Couples leaned in. Soft kisses, quick ones, long ones, shy ones, bold ones. It was messy and warm and real, and for a moment the entire space felt alive with something honest.

I saw Sophia and Henry—of course—completely lost in their own little world.

I saw strangers laughing, hands intertwined.

I saw—

Maya and Josh.

And that one—

That one caught me.

Because they didn't hesitate.

Not even for a second.

They looked at each other like they had already made the decision long before this moment existed—and then they kissed. Easy. Natural. Like it wasn't a question.

Like it never had been.

My chest tightened.

And then—

Dylan leaned toward his girlfriend, kissing her like it was routine, like it was expected. It wasn't wrong. It wasn't forced.

It just...

Wasn't anything more.

And when he pulled back—

He looked at me.

Of course he did.

"Why don't you kiss your boyfriend?" he asked, casual, but not really.

The moment shifted.

Subtly.

But enough.

Victoria caught it immediately.

Of course she did.

She leaned forward slightly, that smile—that smile—already forming. "Yeah," she said sweetly, eyes flicking between us. "Why don't you two kiss?"

My stomach twisted.

"We're not exactly sitting next to each other," I said, forcing a light tone, gesturing vaguely at the space between Luke and me.

Dylan shrugged. "That's not really a problem. I've seen couples get creative."

A few people laughed.

I didn't.

"Unless," he added, tilting his head slightly, "you don't want to."

There it was.

Victoria's smirk deepened.

"Oh," she said softly, almost amused. "Is there trouble in paradise?"

Maya rolled her eyes so hard it was almost impressive. "Do you ever stop being a snake?"

Victoria didn't even look at her. "I'm not talking to you."

"Good," Maya muttered. "Because I wasn't listening."

But Victoria was already focused again.

On me.

On Luke.

"Unless," she continued, voice quieter now but somehow louder at the same time, "paradise wasn't real at all."

A pause.

Then, softer—

Like a secret everyone could hear:

"Like I suspected."

Across the table, Tessa gasped.

Ben followed with a dramatic, "Oh my god."

Josh leaned forward slightly, frowning. "Okay, I think you're crossing some lines here, Victoria. We're all just trying to enjoy the night."

"Oh, please," she scoffed lightly. "Everyone can see it. Why pretend? It's embarrassing at this point."

Dylan's gaze didn't leave me.

"Is that true?" he asked. "Are you not actually together?"

The question landed heavier than it should have.

Before I could answer—

Luke moved.

"What the fuck does it matter to you, Dylan?" His voice cut through the table, sharper than anything he'd said all night.

Silence.

Tension snapped tight.

"I don't get why everyone's so obsessed with this," he continued, jaw clenched. "You want a show? Fine."

And then—

He stood.

Just like that.

Walked around the table.

Every step deliberate.

Every movement controlled.

Until he stopped in front of me.

Close.

Too close.

He looked at me.

Not angry.

Not even really frustrated anymore.

Just... done.

"You want me to kiss my girlfriend?" he said, voice lower now. "Fine. I'll do it."

Everything around us blurred.

Voices faded.

Eyes watched.

Waiting.

Expecting.

I stood too.

Because what else was I supposed to do?

Because this was the deal.

Because this was the lie.

Because this was—

Him.

In front of me.

Close enough that I could feel his breath.

Close enough that it felt like the world had narrowed down to just this one moment.

And then—

It happened again.

Not here.

Not now.

But there.

That tent.

That night.

The ocean.

The almost.

I didn't mean it.

My chest tightened.

My stomach twisted.

Everything felt wrong.

Too familiar.

Too much.

Too—

Real.

He leaned in slightly.

Determined.

Like he was going to end this once and for all.

Like he was tired of the noise.

And I—

I couldn't breathe.

My vision blurred.

My thoughts tangled.

My body—

Didn't move forward.

Didn't move at all.

Because this wasn't just a kiss.

It was everything we didn't say.

Everything we avoided.

Everything that was never nothing.

And suddenly—

I felt sick.

Overwhelmed.

Like I was about to break open in front of everyone.

"I—"

My voice cracked.

I stepped back.

"I need—"

Air.

Space.

Something.

"I need to get out of here."

And before anyone could stop me—

Before he could say anything—

I turned.

And walked away.

I didn't stop.

I couldn't.

My feet moved faster than my thoughts, or maybe it was the other way around—maybe my thoughts were moving so fast that my body was just trying to keep up.

The air felt too thick.

Too heavy.

Like I couldn't get enough of it into my lungs no matter how hard I tried.

I walked—no, almost ran—through the garden, past the lights, past the voices, past everything that had just happened, everything that had just exploded inside me.

Because it wasn't just the kiss.

It wasn't just Luke.

It wasn't just Victoria, or Dylan, or the stupid lie we had been telling.

It was everything.

All of it.

The past.

The present.

The things that happened.

The things that didn't.

The things I said.

The things I never said.

The things I told other people.

The things I told myself.

And suddenly—

None of it made sense.

Or maybe it made too much sense.

And that was worse.

Because the thought hit me—clear, sharp, undeniable—

I loved someone.

And I had never, not once, allowed myself to say it like that.

Not even in my own head.

Not even alone.

And the worst part?

I didn't even know when it happened.

When it started.

When it stopped being nothing.

When it became something.

I just knew—

It had been there.

And I ignored it.

Buried it.

Lied about it.

To everyone.

To myself.

I stumbled slightly as I reached the villa, my hands shaking, my breath coming out uneven, too fast, too shallow.

"I hate this," I muttered under my breath. "I hate this, I hate this, I hate this—"

I hated all of it.

I hated what happened.

I hated what didn't.

I hated how it made me feel.

I hated him—

For making me feel like this.

For making me question everything.

For knowing me better than anyone ever had.

For being the one person I couldn't lie to—

Even when I tried.

I pushed the door open harder than I meant to and made my way to my room, my vision slightly blurred, my chest tightening more with every step.

Something wasn't right.

Something—

I dropped my bag somewhere on the floor without even noticing and leaned forward, hands pressing into the bed as I tried to breathe.

But the air wouldn't come.

Not properly.

Not enough.

"Maddie?"

Maya.

Her voice sounded far away.

Like it was coming from underwater.

She rushed in, her footsteps quick, worried. "Hey—hey, what's happening? Are you okay?"

"I—" I tried to speak, but it came out broken. "I'm not—I don't—I don't feel—"

My hands moved instinctively to my chest, my neck, like I could physically open something up and let the air in.

"I need—I need air," I said, my voice barely holding together.

Maya crouched in front of me, her eyes scanning me quickly. "Is it the corset?" she asked. "It might be too tight."

"I don't know," I whispered, shaking my head. "I don't know what's happening."

Because I didn't.

Not really.

It wasn't just the corset.

It wasn't just my body.

It was everything inside me collapsing all at once.

Thoughts crashing into each other.

Memories.

Words.

Feelings I had ignored for years suddenly demanding to be felt all at once.

It was too much.

Too fast.

Too—

Voices filled the room.

More people.

Josh.

Someone asking what was happening.

Maya answering, "She's not feeling well—she's pale—"

And then—

Hands.

Strong.

Firm.

Around my waist.

Holding me steady.

Keeping me from falling.

And for a split second—

I almost gave in.

Almost let myself lean into it.

Almost let myself be held.

But I knew.

I knew who it was.

And that made it worse.

"No," I said quickly, pulling away, shaking my head. "I need—just—step back. Please. I need space."

The hands disappeared immediately.

Of course they did.

Maya looked at me, her expression shifting from worry to something more serious. "Maddie... are you having a panic attack?"

"No," I said too quickly. "No, I'm not—I'm fine."

"You're not fine," she said firmly. "I thought these stopped. You told me they stopped."

I shook my head again, backing away slightly until my back hit the wall. "It's nothing. I just need—just go away. Please. I just need—"

Space.

Silence.

Nothing.

Maya stepped closer.

I flinched.

"Don't," I said, my voice sharper now. "Just—don't."

She froze.

Behind her, Josh spoke quietly, gently. "Let's give her a minute, yeah?"

A pause.

Then movement.

Footsteps.

The room slowly emptying.

One by one.

Until—

Silence.

Or something close to it.

I couldn't really hear properly.

Everything sounded muffled, distant, like my head was underwater.

My back slid down the wall slowly until I was sitting on the floor, curling in on myself, my arms wrapping around my legs like I could hold myself together.

Breathe.

Just breathe.

In.

Out.

In—

It didn't work.

My thoughts were still too loud.

You're a liar.

You knew.

You always knew.

Love.

Nothing.

Everything.

Him.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Tried to focus.

Tried to count.

Tried—

The door closed.

A soft click.

They were gone.

Finally.

I exhaled shakily and leaned my head back against the wall, trying to ground myself, trying to slow everything down.

Breathe.

Just breathe.

When I opened my eyes again—

He was there.

Right in front of me.

Crouched down.

Looking at me.

Calm.

Focused.

Real.

Or—

Not real.

Because this happened before.

Sometimes.

When it got bad.

When everything felt like too much.

I would see him.

A version of him.

One that didn't argue.

Didn't push.

Didn't make things complicated.

Just—

Stayed.

Helped.

"Maddie," he said softly. "Look at me."

I did.

Of course I did.

Because even in my worst moments—

He was the one thing I could focus on.

"Breathe with me," he said, his voice steady. "In... and out. Slowly."

I followed.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

His eyes didn't leave mine.

And somehow—

That helped.

More than anything else.

More than logic.

More than anything Maya could say.

It was him.

Just—

Him.

A tear slipped down my cheek without me realizing it.

Too many thoughts.

Too many feelings.

Too much.

And then—

His hand moved.

His thumb brushing gently under my eye.

Wiping it away.

I felt it.

Actually—

Felt it.

And that—

That made me frown slightly.

Because visions didn't feel.

Visions didn't touch.

My breathing stuttered for a second.

My eyes focused.

Really focused.

And he was still there.

Not fading.

Not imagined.

Not safe.

Real.

Too real.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

And that's when I knew—

This wasn't a vision.

It was him.