Chapter 50

The turbulence in my life and the secrets that I had been harboring had become the defining characteristics of who I was, and the island resort appeared to be the ideal location to get away from it all and unwind. We were lured to take a stroll down the shoreline by the warm, supple sand, which was complemented by the lulling sound of the turquoise waves caressing the shore. While I was taking in the picture-perfect environment, I couldn't help but hypothesize about the reason why Russo had brought me here as a surprise even though I had no idea why he had brought me here in the first place.

Russo had been pretty quiet about the reason for our trip, indicating only that he wanted to get away from the stresses of his profession for a while. I had followed everyone else's example, content to bask in the grandeur of the island and the companionship of the man whom I loved and feared in equal measure. I had been following everyone else's lead. I had just gone with the flow of things. Neve