LAUREN

My sundress blows in the ocean breeze as I stand near the edge, letting the water crash over my bare feet. I dig my toes into the sand, memorizing every inch of the island and the way the wind kisses my skin with each pass.

I’m not ready to give this up. The last two days have made me realize that I haven’t been enjoying my life to the fullest. With the early death of my parents, I know that life can be fleeting and that I shouldn’t take time for granted.

There isn’t an infiniteness to life. Not even the universe will be around forever. It’s rapidly expanding until someday it’ll all end in something more spectacular than the Big Bang. Interstellar is still my baby, but I know I have to slow down and take time out for me. One day I don’t want to look back and realize I missed out on the beauty of life, stuck in an office, with nothing to show for it but a few awards and a bank account full of money.

Being with Antonio has been easier than I ever imagined. There’s an easiness to us. He’s someone I could share my life with if it weren’t for the complication of our companies being at odds. He’s the type of man I could share my fears and achievements with, instead of holding them all inside and trying to do everything alone.

Even though a relationship between us would be impossible, he’s made me want someone at my side to share everything with. My heart’s heavy because I know when we step foot off this island, nothing will ever be the same.

I reach down, picking up a perfect seashell near my feet and clutching it tightly in my palm. It’s the single reminder of this weekend and Antonio that I’ll allow myself to bring back home. I can’t wallow in self-pity, wishing life could be different. We both must play the cards we’re dealt, even if they put thousands of miles between us.

We spent most of the day on the beach, talking and swimming under the warm Caribbean sun. I didn’t think about the contract I’d signed or the fact that everything was coming to an end. I saved that until now, until the end of this journey with Antonio.

His arm wraps around my shoulders, and his toes meet the crashing waves. “Are you ready to go back?”

I place my head against his chest and stare off into the distant blackness. “I know we have to, but my heart doesn’t want to leave here, Antonio.”

“We can come back,” he says quickly. His hand curls around my shoulder, pulling me closer. “This doesn’t have to be the end.”

He’s uttered that phrase to me a dozen times this weekend, but he’s wrong. This does have to end. There’s no us on the mainland. There’s no reality where two rivals can fall madly in love and have a happily ever after. It’s delusional even to let my mind wander there.

“Thank you,” I say, peering into his blue eyes that are as dark as the ocean in the dim lighting.

“Thank you, love.” His fingers touch my chin, lifting my lips to his.

I’m almost breathless as he kisses me. The wind swirls around us as the waves crash down against our feet. If I could have a single photograph from this weekend, this moment would be it. When his lips leave mine, he stares down at me with the same sadness in his eyes I have in my heart.

Neither of us wants this moment to end, but we both know it must. The dreamland we’ve lived in since Friday night is just that…a dream and can never be reality.

“The jet’s ready.”

I try to crack a smile, but I fail miserably. “I’m ready,” I lie and slide my arm around his back.

I glance at the sea, taking in the whitecaps of the waves that are illuminated by the moonlight cascading across the sea. The tranquility yet volatility brewing under the surface is much like this moment. Perfectly peaceful, yet filled with dread and fear that I’ll never be the same again.

Antonio and I walk to the dock and the waiting charter to take us to the mainland, our arms around each other and our sides touching. After Antonio helps me inside the tiny boat, I take one last glance at the lights dotting the wraparound patio, the palm trees waving in the wind, and I say a final goodbye.

Not even the most beautiful things in life are meant to last. This is another step on my journey and one I’ll never forget.

ANTONIO

“Welcome home, Mr. Forte,” the airport hangar manager says as we step out of the jet into the cool Chicago air. “Your car is ready for you.”

Lauren’s already halfway down the stairs, heading toward the waiting Escalade before I have a chance to respond to the manager.

I give him a curt nod before jogging down the stairs, reaching for Lauren’s hand. “Wait,” I say, but she pulls away and doesn’t look back.

She stalks toward the opposite side of the car and slides into the back seat before I can even open the door for her. The Lauren Bradley of last week is back and in full effect.

After I climb in the back and give her address to the driver, I take a moment to think about what to say next.

She’s pissed at me and rightfully so. I promised her the name of the mole, and I’ve been vague with my answer. She wants specifics, but I’m not ready to lose the only card I have left.

“I expect the name by tomorrow or…” Her voice trails off.

“Tomorrow you’ll have your mole,” I promise, and now I have to deliver.

I pull a manila folder that’s been tucked in the pocket behind the passenger seat that I had prepared for this moment, hoping the weekend would go as planned. “I have another proposition for you.”

“Oh, another?” She purses her lips and glares at me. “Is this another thing you won’t fully deliver on too?”

I deserved that shitty comment. “I will deliver, Ms. Bradley. This is entirely different than our personal agreement. This involves both of our companies.”

She turns toward me, pressing her back against the door and putting as much distance between us as possible. Her eyes glance down at the folder. “At this moment, I can’t trust anything you have to say or any contract you have to offer.”

I straighten my back and let her words go. The last thing I want to do is argue with her. “Look this over, and we’ll discuss it in the morning.”

Her top lip curls as she glares at me. “Just tell me what’s inside. I don’t have time to read through a hundred-page contract. I have a company to run, Mr. Forte.”

“Cozza is ready to move forward with the takeover of Interstellar. Nothing has changed, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t get the board to change their minds.”

Her eyes narrow. “Like you’ve bothered to sway them in any way. This was all just a ruse to get me away while the takeover moved forward. Just admit it.”

That’s the furthest thing from the truth, but she’ll never believe me. “Inside this folder is a new contract, an agreement to bring to your board and investors. Instead of a hostile takeover, Cozza would like to merge with Interstellar to create a new company that no one could top.”

“So, wait.” She gawks at me. “You want us to join up and make a team?”

“Imagine our two companies with us in charge and the amazing and unbelievable things we could accomplish together. Number one and number two joining forces would make us unstoppable. The aerospace industry would grow by leaps and bounds through cooperation instead of competition.”

“You’re delusional,” she replies and closes her eyes. “My team will never go for this, nor will my investors.”

“Read the document, Lauren. Don’t make a rash decision before understanding the true terms and what Cozza has to offer. This could make your investors richer than they’ve ever imagined and make a trip to Saturn a reality sooner than we both expect. We’d be unstoppable.”

She rips the folder from my hands and sets it in her lap, maintaining her distance from me. “When do you want an answer?”

“Tomorrow, end of business. I’ll deliver you the identity of the mole, and you give me an answer if you’re willing to bring this option in front of your board.”

“Do I have a choice but to bring it before them? It’s not my decision to make.”

“But it would be your decision if you’d like to remain at the company and work with me.”

Her eyes rake up and down my body with disgust. “I will not be your second-in-command.”

“You’d become the President of Cozza Interstellar Corp, and I’d maintain my position as CEO. You would not be my underling, but my equal.”

“It would never work.”

“Lauren,” I say, reaching across the seat and placing my hand on her knee, but her body remains rigid. “Just think about it. This could solve all of our problems. No longer would we be enemies and have to maintain a safe distance. We could be equal partners and become something bigger and more profound.”

She doesn’t reply as she straightens her body to face forward, causing my hand to slip off her knee. The wall that had crumbled is back up and stronger than ever. I fear it’s impenetrable at this point and there’s nothing I can do to remove even a single brick from her self-imposed armor.

She stares out the window as the car weaves in and out of the city traffic. The only thing I can do is hope that once she reads over the contract, she’ll come back to me.

I’ve always been the master of my own destiny. But this time, I’m leaving it in her hands. I’ve played my cards, dealt every last one in this final hand, and the decision rests with her, along with our fate. For once, I’m giving in and letting her make the decision that will determine our futures.