Darkness had fallen when the voices finally stopped, and it was surprisingly cold sitting on the tiles. My bottom had long since lost all feeling, but that only merged into the numbness that had spread through the rest of me. I tugged the bath towel around me tighter, like a shield. I'd thought my heart would be in agony, but there was so little of it left intact, I'd gone beyond that.

Kat opened the door and used her good-ish arm to help me to my feet.

"Look at us," she said. "We're a pair of crocks."

I managed a small smile. "When you said I wouldn't be bored on this trip, I have to say this wasn't what I imagined."

She flopped down on one side of the bed, and I took the other. I felt a sharp stab between the ribs when I thought about the man who'd slept next to me the night before.

"I'm so sorry. Honestly, I could never have imagined this. I've been in Fidda Hilal for months and never seen this side of it before."

"Perhaps you didn't want to? We all fall in love with a dream, and it's depressing when we have to wake up."

"I think you're right. And you know what? Everybody here's guilty of wearing rose-tinted glasses. Captain Ibrahim didn't become as powerful as he is overnight. Too many people buried their heads in the sand while he scaled the mountain."

"Let's hope his downfall is a little bit quicker."

"For Mo's sake, it had better be."

We both tossed and turned for most of the night. Sleep came fitfully, and at four, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep again.

What should I do? This time yesterday, I'd been...well, not happy, exactly—how could I have been when Kat was missing—but I'd had the man of my dreams by my side.

"You awake?" Kat asked.

"Yes. I can't sleep."

"Me neither. Have you thought about what you're going to do?"

"About Adam?"

"Unless you're dating any other members of the A-List that I don't know about."

"As if. I've gone over and over things in my head, but I just can't think. It's like his aura punches through the wall and scrambles my brain. What I really need is space. Kat, I can't wait to go home."

"So go."

"And leave you here alone? No way."

"But I won't be alone." She squeezed my hand in the darkness. "Elaine's coming to help me first thing, and by the looks of it, there's going to be a media circus starting tomorrow."

"They're really coming?"

"Scott woke up his agent and told him to start earning his damn money. Apparently he's been on the phone to everybody, from Steven Spielberg to the Pope. You can't get a flight to Sharm tomorrow for love nor money."

"Wow. Captain Ibrahim's going to be pissed."

"Good. I'll be in a front-row seat to watch him go down. I want fireworks, ticker tape, the whole shebang."

And Adam would no doubt be in the middle of it. Hollywood's golden boy.

I started shivering. "What if the reporters find out about us? Me and Adam, I mean? I don't want my picture to be all over the internet. I can just see the headlines now: A-lister slums it with schoolteacher, what was he thinking? My pupils' parents would be horrified."

"All the more reason for you to get out of here and let things blow over."

"But—"

"Hear me out. I can't wait to get out of this place either, and I'll be back in England as soon as I can get there. And if..." She choked out a sob. "If we find Mo, I'm hoping he can get a visa too."

"When we find Mo."

"When..." I could tell she had her doubts, and quite frankly, so did I. "We've got nothing, Callie. Scott said they wrecked our home. I don't even have clean underwear."

"You can use anything of mine you need."

"We'll need more, if we get back to England. Clothes, shoes, somewhere to stay. Could you help?"

"Of course." I'd max out my credit card if needs be.

"You should be able to get a flight back to England. It's coming the other way that's a problem."

"Could you tell Adam for me? That I need a few days? I don't think I can face him myself."

"I'll tell him."

"Do you think he'll understand?"

"If he doesn't, then he's not worth crying over."

The next morning, I stepped out onto the terrace to get one final look at what I once thought was paradise. I breathed in the sea air, now tainted by the smell of fear, and turned my face to the sky to soak up a few last rays.

Should I try talking to Adam before I left? Yes, I'd been shocked at the big reveal yesterday, but I'd also been a tiny bit rude when I ran off to the bathroom. Could there really be a future with him? My head told me I was stupid to even consider it. That I'd just been a convenient holiday fling.

But my heart asked, "What if?" What if he'd been telling the truth when he said he loved me? What if fairy tales really did come true?

As the sun rose higher and my skin started to tingle in the heat, I came to a decision. I needed to speak to him.

Except Kat got in first. I heard her voice, still hoarse, through the screen of fragrant oleander between Adam's terrace and mine.

"Callie asked me to tell you goodbye."

"She's really leaving?"

He sounded calm, matter-of-fact. There was none of the anguish he'd shown yesterday evening.

"This morning. She's taking the first flight out."

"It's probably for the best."

For the best?

I ran inside before I burst into tears and they realised I'd been eavesdropping. My head had been right, and my heart was an idiot.

It's for the best.

I had my answer. Adam was glad to see the back of me. Fine. Half an hour, and I'd be out of his life for good.