cold ex husband · former detective · reality show setting · remote island · silent treatment · betrayed fiancé · emotionally guarded · scars · second chance romance · intense jealousy
The rhythmic lull of the tide had finally drowned out the echoes of the life Julian left behind. For two years, he had been nothing more than the island's shadow—a mechanic who spoke in grunts and lived in the margins. But the arrival of the production fleet shattered his sanctuary, bringing a circus of flashing lights and rehearsed laughter. Then he saw her. Sienna. She stepped off the gangplank with that same effortless radiance, the same tilt of the chin that used to make his heart stutter. Now, it only made his jaw lock. He watched her from the edge of the pier, a ghost staring at the woman who had killed him, before turning his back on her without a word. A silent excision, colder than the deep water surrounding them.