THE inside of the plane was so cold Adrien had begun to shiver. On opposite ends of the cushioned, velvety, private space, her and Muse sat across from the other. It was going to be a long, long flight to Hawaii.

     It seemed Muse had made up her mind up about going on their honeymoon the second Grey had taunted them. She might as well have a week of Hawaii on a resort, considering how their wedding had gone. The tickets had already been paid for, anyway. All they had to do was ignore the staff calling them Mrs. Vitale, and they'd be fine. 

     Well, maybe Muse would be fine. But Adrien figured she would feel crushed hearing the resort staff address Muse as "Mrs. Vitale." It would be like a reminder of how disastrous their marriage had become. A reminder they would never be together again. They weren't on speaking terms, exactly―it went more along the lies of petty arguing and snide comments. Enemies to lovers to enemies, like Adrien had read on the back of one of Muse's romance books.

     "Don't you want to talk about this?" Adrien said, strained, from across the private plane. 

     "It's a little late for talking, Adrien. You should have tried that before you lied to me and married me."

      "Muse, please."

      "No, Adrien." Muse gripped the soft, velvety armrests. The passenger area of the plane was empty. Aida Jane was somewhere in the cockpit, sealed away. "You lost the right to talk to me when you lied to me."

      "I did it because I love you."

      "You should have told me the truth, because you love me." Muse was breathing hard. "I wanted to marry you anyway. But you lied. You lost my trust in you, and I . . . I've had too much experience with broken trust. It's better if this ends now. Once this week is over, we'll go back to our own lives."

      "Please, Muse."

      "I don't want to see you or talk to you if I don't have to. I want you to stay the hell away from me on this whole trip. I just want . . ." Her voice cracked. "A week, one week, in Hawaii. You betrayed me, Adrien. You hurt me in the worst possible way. It's the least you can do."

      "I'm sorry. You know I'm sorry."

      "I know," Muse said. "But it's not enough. I . . . I hate you for lying to me. I hate you more than I love you. So please, if you ever loved me, just stay away from me and let me have this time to myself."

***

     "Welcome to the Empress Resort," said a man, appearing from the entrance of the resort. He was only a small figure in the arched doorway, but he held himself in a way that radiated charisma. His gleaming white clothes were almost iridescent in the reflecting glass light.

     "You must be the newlyweds, Adrien and Muse Vitale," he said. "My name is Mordechai, but you may call me Cai. I will be in charge of giving you a tour around the resort at your preferred time."

     Adrien had already contacted a few members of her security team, who had landed earlier and inspected every inch of the resort for safety.  

     "Tomorrow morning," she said. "Ten a.m."

     Muse nudged Adrien hard, probably warning her to be nicer, and added to Cai, "Is that okay with you?"

     "That's perfect," Cai said winningly. His smile gleamed pearl-white. Behind him, several porters rushed out in single-file line to collect their bags. 

      Adrien cleared her throat. "Do you mind showing us to our room?"

     "Yes, of course. I'll see to it your belongings are placed in your room before we get there."

     The porters collected their things, and with inhuman efficiency, disappeared beyond the arched entryway. 

     As Cai began to walk, gesturing for them to follow, he explained, "The Empress has always been reserved to the general public, since it was opened back in 1947. One of the owners, Valentina Aziz, was born in Cairo, Egypt and had been fascinated with Ancient Egypt since she was a child. Rumour has it, she is descended from Cleopatra. Her twin, the second owner, Paloma Aziz, was the architect of this place. She saw the vision and decided to take notes from historical analysis of Ancient Egyptian cities at their prime. Thus, a marriage between classical Egypt and contemporary crystal structuralism was born, resulting in this." He spread his hands in the air, as if to emphasize the beauty of the resort.

      No emphasis was needed. The resort was even more beautiful from within. Waterfalls streamed beside the glass, with coiling green ivy wound between the intricate metallic designs. Plush silk furniture lined the interior hall, with a ceiling that stretched so high overhead them it may as well have fused with the heavens themselves. A few people lounged on the sofas―two women wearing Chanel sunglasses and crocheted bikini covers, a group of men in slacks and half-open button-ups, their hair styled so perfectly they didn't seem real.

    "Valentina and Paloma bought this island in 1937. It took them ten years to breathe life into their idea. Once it was completed, it was an immediate success for those who visited."

     "What he means," Adrien said under her breath, once Cai had walked a little farther, "is that only the billionaires of the world know about this place."

     "So you have to be a billionaire to afford staying here," Muse clarified in a whisper, shooting her a glare.

     Cai paused, waiting for them to catch up. He led them up a long, spiralling staircase. Every step glistened in the light.

     "Your room used to belong to Paloma Aziz while she was still alive. Valentina had a similar room, but between us, since Paloma was the architect and designed the resort―I always believed this was the best place to stay in the resort. She knew the angles of the Empress well. It has the perfect view. You chose well."

     Cai unlocked the door with a large, ornately carved key, and pushed it open slightly before handing it to Adrien. A glimpse of the room was all the assurance Adrien needed to understand it was, in fact, the perfect place to stay in the Empress.

    "Here's your room, my dears. I will see you tomorrow at ten a.m, but feel free to explore all the resort has to offer in the meantime. You will be pleased, I assure you."

     Once he had vanished down the stairs, Adrien closed the door behind her and Muse. They both breathed out, an identical exhale.

      "I call the bed," Muse said.  

***

I hate that most of my classes have attendance. Also I want to eat my girlfriend.

From the moon and back,

Sarai