(Ayra's POV)
The moment I stepped off the chopper, I knew I had made a mistake.
Not in coming here—not in letting Darius sweep me away to this beautiful island, with its soft golden sand and the rhythmic sound of crashing waves—but in allowing myself to get carried away in this moment.
Darius had gone to such great lengths to make me happy, to make this day special, and yet, the weight of my deception pressed down on me like a crushing boulder.
No one had ever done something like this for me before.
The effort he put in, the way his eyes searched mine for approval, the way he lit up every time I smiled—it made me feel cherished. Wanted.
And that only made me feel worse.
I felt the guilt gnaw at my insides, twisting my stomach into painful knots as we sat down at the elegantly decorated lunch table.
The view was breathtaking—the endless blue ocean stretching beyond the horizon, the light sea breeze carrying the scent of salt and wildflowers.
