Chapter 43 Unexpected Explanation
KARA’S POV
By evening, the sky begins to soften. The harsh brightness of noon melts into warm shades of gold and amber, and the ocean reflects it like a giant mirror that refuses to stay still. Dinner at the resort restaurant had been quiet and comfortable, but my mind is still too full and too awake, so I decide to walk. The sand is cooler now beneath my feet, the grains slipping softly between my toes as I move along the shoreline. The tide has started to rise, and the waves are pushing a little further onto the beach before pulling back again with a low and rhythmic hush.
It feels like breathing.
I wrap my arms loosely around myself and keep walking, letting the wind carry the salt of the sea through my hair. The resort lights glow softly behind me, distant laughter drifting from the bar area, but here it’s quieter. It’s almost private, exactly what I need.
What I don’t realize is that I’m not alone.
“Kara.”
I jump slightly and turn my head.
Finnian stands a few steps behind me, hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers like he’s been there for a while. The dim light from the resort casts a soft glow along the sharp lines of his face, and for a moment, I wonder how long he’s been watching me.
“You’re stalking me now?” I say lightly, raising a brow.
A faint smile pulls at the corner of his mouth.
“Supervising,” he corrects.
“I didn’t ask for supervision.”
“No,” he agrees calmly. “But you also walked off into the dark near open water.”
“It’s a beach, Finnian, that’s kind of the point.”
He chuckles, then nods toward the small path leading to the bar area behind us.
“Do you want me to get some drinks?”
“No. I’m fine.” I shake my head immediately.
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
He studies me for a second like he’s deciding whether to argue, but then he lifts his hands in surrender.
“Alright.”
Without another word, he turns and walks back toward the resort. I assume he’s going back to the room, which is a good idea. That’s probably better. I keep walking, following the gentle curve of the shore as the sky darkens slowly above me and the last strips of orange fade into deep blue as the first stars begin to appear. The ocean grows darker too as its surface turning into shifting shadows that move with every wave. My mind drifts, about today, about him, and about how easy it feels when we’re laughing and how terrifying it feels when he looks at me like I matter.
I sigh softly, because maybe I really am overthinking everything.
Maybe—
“Thought you didn’t want anything.”
I turn again, and Finnian is back. He’s now holding two cans in one hand.
“I said I didn’t want a drink.” My brows lift.
“You said you didn’t want me to get drinks,” he corrects smoothly. “Technical difference.”
He walks closer and holds one of the cans up slightly.
“In case you want it.”
I glance at the orange juice and my lips twitch.
“You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told.”
The other can is a flavored beer, already open. He takes a slow sip from it while watching the ocean like the conversation isn’t a big deal. I finally sit down on the sand, the cool grains shifting beneath me as I tuck my legs slightly to one side. He sits too, but not too close. But close enough that I’m aware of him. The space between us feels intentional and careful. For a while, neither of us speaks as the waves roll in and out, the wind moves through the palm trees behind us, and somewhere far down the beach, a couple laughs softly. I pop the tab of the orange juice can and take a small sip as the citrus sweetness cuts through the salty air.
Ten minutes pass, and maybe more, then Finnian exhales quietly beside me.
“I never hooked up with Cathy.” The words come out low and direct.
I turn my head sharply to look at him because that’s… not what I expected him to say tonight.
“She was the one being persistent,” he continues calmly. “I want to clear that up for you.”
My fingers tighten slightly around the can.
“I didn’t ask.”
“I know.”
“But you deserved to know.” Another sip of beer.
The wind pushes through his dark hair, and for the first time today, he looks less like the composed billionaire everyone sees and more like a man trying to choose his words carefully.
“She admired me back when she was still in college,” he says. “Internship programs, business conferences, all those events rich kids get dragged to.”
I frown slightly when realization slapped me. So Cathy lied about meeting Finnian recently?
“And you didn’t notice?” I asked him.
“I noticed,” he admits. “I just didn’t encourage it.” His voice stays even, but there’s a faint edge of frustration under it.
“Cathy’s not a bad person,” he adds after a moment. “She’s smart, ambitious, and confident.”
He glances at me briefly.
“But she’s also demanding.”
“How?”
“She likes control,” he says simply. “The kind where everything has to revolve around her plans.”
“And that bothers you?” I tilt my head.
“Very much.”
That earns a small laugh from me.
“Shocking.”
He smiles faintly but continues.
“She knew from the beginning that I wasn’t interested in anything serious with her. I told her clearly.”
“And yet…” I gesture vaguely.
“And yet she kept pushing.” He shrugs lightly. “Dinner invitations, events, messages, and showing up places I was.”
“Persistent,” I murmur.
“Relentless,” he corrects.
The waves crash harder against the shore for a moment before retreating again. Then he adds something that makes me look at him again.
“She knew about you.”
“What?” My brows knit together.
“From the start,” he says. “She knew you and I were seeing each other.”
A quiet beat passes between us.
“And she still—”
“Yeah.” His jaw tightens slightly. “She still insisted.”
I stare at the dark water, trying to process that.
“That’s why I got annoyed earlier,” he continues. “Not because you questioned me.”
He finally turns his head to look at me directly.
“But because she made you feel like you had a reason to.”
His voice softens on the last part, and the ocean wind moves between us again, cooler now that night has settled. For a moment, neither of us speaks.
Then I glance at him sideways.
“You’re doing a lot of explaining tonight.”
“Yeah.” He gives a small, tired smile.
“Why?”
“Because the last thing I want is for you to doubt where you stand with me.” His eyes meet mine in the dim light, steady and unguarded.
My heart stumbles slightly, and suddenly the quiet beach doesn’t feel so quiet anymore.