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❝When you can't find your path, life carves one out for you.❞
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In the coastal haven of Byron Bay, Claire Garcia and Ethan King find their lives intersecting in unexpected ways.
Claire, vibrant and resolute, is a devoted reader wit...
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Dinner was off to an interesting start, to say the least. Claire sat next to Enzo, glancing around the table as everyone exchanged polite conversations. Ethan's family was warm and engaging, with Amelia and Michael talking about work and the bakery, while Levi and Callie were chattering away, their innocent laughter bringing a bit of lightness to the otherwise slightly tense atmosphere.
However, the tension wasn't between Claire and Ethan. No, it was between Isla and Elias.From the moment Isla had walked into the room, Claire noticed how Elias had stiffened. He had greeted her politely, but there was something in the way his voice faltered and how his eyes lingered on her just a little too long. Isla had given a cool, polite smile, but her eyes had darted back to Elias more than once. They exchanged subtle glances across the table—nothing overt, but enough to make Claire's stomach knot with curiosity.
It didn't take long for her to find out why.
As the conversation at the table flowed, Enzo leaned over to Claire and whispered, "You know who Isla is, right?"
Claire raised an eyebrow.
"Ethan's sister, but also Elias' ex-girlfriend," Enzo muttered, his voice low enough for only her to hear. He kept his gaze on his plate, but his tone made it clear that this was a piece of information she wouldn't want to miss.
Claire's eyes widened in surprise. That explained so much—the tension, the glances, the quiet undercurrent that was making the evening more awkward than anyone had expected. Suddenly, every look Isla and Elias shared made sense. They weren't just exes who had drifted apart; there was still something unresolved between them.
"Casper didn't tell us because he didn't know Isla was back from university," Enzo added, confirming what Claire had been wondering. "She's studying fashion design in the city. Guess she decided to come home for the weekend."
Claire's gaze flicked to Isla again, who was now engaged in conversation with Amelia and Elizabeth. She seemed perfectly at ease, smiling and laughing as if nothing was amiss, but Claire could see the way her eyes would stray toward Elias when she thought no one was looking. And Elias? He was the same, pretending to be absorbed in a conversation with Casper about his architecture studies, but his gaze kept slipping toward Isla.
The whole situation felt delicate, like everyone was stepping on eggshells, trying to maintain the facade of a normal family dinner while the unspoken tension simmered beneath the surface.Dinner continued, but the awkwardness lingered. Elias and Isla's subtle exchanges became almost unbearable to watch, though neither said anything directly to the other. The parents seemed to sense it too, with Casper and Michael trying to steer the conversation toward safer topics, but even they couldn't quite shake the tension that had settled over the table.
