“Thanks, Braylee.”
“You’re welcome. And, Davis . . . we’re making progress. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but if what we’re working on is successful, we’ll get your life back.”
“Right.” He was disillusioned. “At this point, it’s the waiting. Whatever is going to happen, I can only hope, it waits until Nicole is finished with her treatment. Anyway, thanks again for the call.” As soon as Davis hung up, he began to do what he had always done, try to fix the problem.
*****
Davis had barely gotten out of the shower the next morning when someone from the staff of Serenity called. “Davis.”
“Mr. Chatham, this is Rebecca Winn, the owner of Serenity.”
“Good morning. I was just about to contact you. My lawyer called last night to give me a heads-up about the press. I wanted to make sure we had a plan in place to ensure Nicole’s privacy and safety.”
“Serenity prides itself on giving our patients the best of care and providing a safe and private environment. Our job has been made more difficult because our gates have been inundated with several dozen journalists and photographers. We don’t have the workforce to handle this.”
“They are vultures. What do you suggest? What do you want me to do?”
“Mr. Chatham, I hate to have to do this, but Nicole will need to be relocated. The frenzy that is being caused by her being here is unfair to our other patients.”
“I figured you might suggest this. Where is your other facility? Where do you want to take her?”
“We don’t have another facility. Unfortunately, her treatment with Serenity will need to be cut short. You will have to find alternative accommodations.”
“She is two-thirds of the way finished! You are just going to kick her out?”
“An inpatient facility within the state might be difficult to find considering privacy is probably the most important factor in choosing where a patient goes to recover.”
“I’ve paid Serenity thousands of dollars. You can’t just kick Nicole out on her ass!”
“We understand your frustration, and are willing to provide you with a partial refund.”
“No. You’re going to have to do better than that or I will make sure everyone knows how shabbily Serenity has treated my wife.”
“Look, I’m sure we can come to some kind of resolution.”
“Nicole has about a month left of treatment, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Can you send whatever team of people that she interacts with daily to a private residence to finish her treatment?”
“That is highly unusual.”
“I don’t give a damn.”
“Is that what it’ll take to make all of this go away?”
“Yes.”
“Then we’ll make it happen.”
“I’ll be there to pick Nicole up within the hour.”
*****
True to his word, Davis arrived at Serenity within the hour. Mrs. Winn had not been lying. It was a zoo at the gate.
He waited for them to bring Nicole out. He heard her voice. “Davis?”
He turned to see her face. She was worried. “Are the kids okay? Is everything alright? They just told me I needed to pack all of my things.”
“The kids are fine. But there has been a security breach, and we need to get you moved.”
She nodded.
Davis reached for her hand. It was soft and delicate. An electricity passed between them that hadn’t been felt in a while. He didn’t know what to do with the feeling, so he ignored it. “We should go.”
The drive was made mostly in silence until Nicole broke it. “Where are we going?”
“I need to get you someplace private and safe.”
A small private airstrip came into to view. “We’re here.” When limo stopped, Davis got out of the car and came around to open her door. She got out with her arms wrapped around her body.
“How far away am I going to be?”
“Several thousand miles.”
“What? Where are you taking me?”
“To the island. Only . . . I’m not going.”
*****
Nicole was numb. She sat in her seat for hours as the luxury private jet flew her and a wellness team from Serenity to their island. This time, she was alone.
Her heart ached, but Dr. Carmen was right, whatever was going to happen with their marriage, Nicole would have to deal with it. She would pick up the pieces and move on. No longer did Nicole want to be defined by the past. No longer could she let who she was attached to define her as a person. She had a lot of work to do to get to where she wanted to be, but for her sake, and for the sake of her children, she would do it.
Chapter 23
Present Day . . . One Week to Go . . .
Nicole loved this place and always would. She hugged herself as she stood barefoot on the very spot where she and Davis had washed ashore over five years ago.
The sky still held the early morning orange glow, and the warm breeze caressed her skin. It blew through her hair and stroked her face. The sun still hadn’t fully come up but soon would. Here, time stood still. Here, she could catch her breath and breathe.
Nicole stared out at the sea as the waves gently rolled up and kissed the beach. Crazy how much things have changed over the past few weeks. Being on their private island had done more for her spirit than anything. It helped to cleanse her soul and change her perspective. Simply put, she was able to focus and see life more clearly. Although, somewhat nervous that in a week, she would be headed home and back to the real world. Her treatment would be finished. She would no longer
