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I slide the balcony door closed. I see the glass of wine next to her. It isn’t even noon yet. I’ve never seen her drink this early.

“You okay?”

She doesn’t look at me. She just keeps staring at the ocean. Her profile shows a flushed cheek and an eye that’s puffy and red. She’s on one of the lounge chairs with her arms wrapped around her bent knees, her body rocking like she’s riding out the waves.

I sit in front of her and reach for her. When she doesn’t fold into my chest, I grab her ass and pull her closer to me. “What did she say to you?”

She shakes her head, refusing to look at me.

“Piper, I just ran into her downstairs, and she fed me a lie about coming here to see the hotel manager. Don’t protect her. Tell me what she said to you.”

Her eyes fill with tears, and when the wind hits her face, it blows the drips down her cheeks. “I didn’t know,” she whispers.

“What didn’t you know?”

She doesn’t answer, so I cup her face and hold it, squeezing until our eyes finally connect. “Whateve