Chapter 5 - Landing in ParadiseThe warm Atlantic breeze carried the scent of salt, eucalyptus blossoms, and sun-baked earth through the open windows of our new home.
Cascais was a breathtaking coastal town just outside of Lisbon, where pastel-colored villas clung to rugged cliffs overlooking the deep, sapphire-blue expanse of the ocean. The streets were paved with intricate mosaic tiles, and the locals moved with a relaxed, joyful grace that felt entirely foreign to the cold, high-stress corporate pressure cooker we had left behind in Boston.
Maya and Chloe were already running across the terracotta terrace of our villa, laughing as they chased a stray calico cat that had wandered up from the garden path.
I stood by the kitchen counter, unpacking a ceramic bowl of fresh local oranges, feeling a deep, profound sense of peace settle into my bones.
My phone buzzed on the granite countertop.
I glanced down at the screen. It was an international number, but I didn't recognize it. I let it ring. It went to voicemail.
A moment later, it buzzed again. Then a text message popped up.
“Lena, please. For God’s sake, pick up the phone. Everything has fallen apart. I made a massive mistake. Please tell me where you and the girls are.”
The sender’s name was hidden behind an encrypted forwarding number, but I didn't need a caller ID to know who it was. The desperate, pathetic desperation dripped from every single word.
I picked up the phone, unlocked the screen, and stared at the message for three long seconds.
Then, with a calm, deliberate motion, I tapped my thumb against the screen.
Block contact.
May you like
Delete conversation.
I dropped the phone back onto the counter, walked over to the open sliding glass door, and stepped out onto the sunlit terrace, breathing in the sweet, warm air of a future that belonged entirely to us.
