Chapter 1

The humid air of the indoor water park hit me like a warm, wet blanket the moment I stepped through the glass double doors, but it wasn’t the heat that made my knees weak. It was the scent. That distinct, chemical cocktail of chlorine, sunscreen, and damp concrete that usually meant summer fun with my family. Today, though, the noise of the crowd had faded into a dull, rhythmic roar, a background hum that seemed to isolate me from the rest of the world. The ceiling was a vast, curved expanse of frosted polycarbonate panels, diffusing the artificial sunlight into a hazy, dreamlike glow that made everything look softer, more malleable. Steam rose in gentle wisps from the various pools, creating a mist that clung to my skin, making my cotton sundress cling to my curves in all the right, distracting places. I had come here looking for a moment of solitude, to escape the noise of the city and the noise in my own head, but my eyes immediately locked onto him. He was standing alone near the entrance to the lazy river, leaning against the smooth, blue-tiled edge of the wave pool. He looked like he owned the