Page 2 of The Sound of Secrets

Just as I was about to throw the entire box over the side of the cliff, a loud voice rang out, “Wait for me, Aunt Channing!”

I turned and watched as a pretty teenage girl ran at me full speed. Winnie always looked like a younger version of my older sister, but never more so than with the wind in her hair and a wide-eyed expression of panic on her face. It was obvious she was scared that I would disperse the ashes before she got to me, so she sprinted as rapidly as possible.

My gaze locked onto the dark-haired man standing several feet away like Heathcliff brooding on the moors.

Win Halliday.

He looked surprisingly robust for a man who was nearly blown up a few months ago.

Even with the distance between us, I saw that he still had bandages on his hands, and the side of his neck that was exposed from the collar of his shirt and jacket revealed red, healing skin. He was lucky to be alive. I doubted he was healthy enough to make the trek to this island.

But here he was.

Because Winnie wanted to be here. And possibly because he knew I wanted him to be here. I constantly sensed that Win had a better understanding of my wants and needs than I did.

Winnie wrapped her hands around mine. I noticed they were steadier than my hands had been in weeks. I was so selfish when I decided to do this and not let her take part. I hated my weakness and my inability to be the type of person she deserved to have guiding her into adulthood.

With a look that was wise beyond her years, my niece gave me a wobbly smile full of patience and understanding. I was fortunate this young woman was guided by her massive heart, and understood me better than anyone. Even when I was out of line and making moves that wounded her in the name of her own good. She was already a far better human than I’d ever been.

“It’s okay, Aunt Channing. You don’t have to do everything alone all the time anymore. I’m here.”

Maybe it was my imagination, but Winnie seemed like she’d grown and matured in the mere three months I’d been gone. I checked in with her once a week while I was traveling, and I sensed she’d become more reserved and careful with how she spoke. She stayed with my boss, her Uncle Alistair, while her other uncle was in the hospital, but bonding with him and having her father back in her life didn’t stop her from turning into a mini version of Win.

I wanted to apologize, but no words excused me from acting like a child, forcing her to be the grownup in our relationship while I figured my shit out. Thankfully,Winnie’s presence grabbed hold of my spiraling thoughts and dragged my perspective back to where it belonged.

“This isn’t about you or me right now. It’s about my mom.” Winnie let out a soft breath and her wobbly smile solidified. “Uncle Win has my dad on the phone. He agrees this is a better place for Mom to be. Everyone promises not to tell Grandma. No one wants to see her upset. It really is okay, Aunt Channing.”

Taking the teenager’s assurance to heart, all the turmoil that had been eating up my insides settled down. Winnie’s smaller hands squeezed mine as we both said our final farewell and set Willow’s soul free to wander wherever it wanted.

I leaned over to drop a kiss on the top of her head.

“She loved you the most.” I never wanted Winnie to doubt her mother’s devotion.

Winnie embraced me from the side, wrapping her arm around my waist while wiping her wet cheeks with her sleeve. “You too. She loved you a lot, Aunt Channing.” My niece nudged me in the ribs and gave me a knowing look through red, tear-stained eyes. “She’s not the only one who loves you.” She twisted to look over her shoulder where Win was waiting. “I’m sure you know that.”

I refused to turn my head. I could sense Win’s eyes intensely staring at my back. Pretending that I was unaffected was challenging when the man I couldn’t stop thinking about stood a few feet away.

“How did you know where I was?” I’d done my best to keep her updated on my whereabouts so she wouldn’t worry, but I hadn’t considered this beautiful island as my last stop until I overheard a drunk tourist in Romeloudly insisting that it was amust see. I impulsively decided to make the trip based on the vague description the following day. I hadn’t had time to discuss the details with Winnie yet.

The teenager turned and started to drag me toward Win. She laughed softly and asked, “How do you think? I’ve always known exactly where you are.”

Of course she did.

Because I was Win Halliday’s wife — even if I wasn’t sure I wanted to be. And there was no chance he wasn’t tracking me from the moment I left his side.

He controlled things that were way bigger and better than me. He blindly played with people’s lives. I should be just another insignificant bump on his golden pathway, but Win never made me feel that way.

I was supposed to be an accessory he owned, to use as he wanted, to achieve his goal. However, he tried to integrate into my life from the minute I signed the contract agreeing to marry him for two-and-a-half years.

As time went on, it started feeling increasingly likehewas the one being owned and manipulated, not me. I wasn’t sure how I ended up with one of the richest men in the world doing his best to work his way into my heart, and I had no clue what to do with him.

We didn’t have any reason to stay married, and there was a literal fortune waiting for me after we went our separate ways.

So why did the idea of leaving this man to decide what he wanted to do with our agreement terrify me to the point I ran to a different continent??

It appeared that the time to answer all the questions between us had finally come.

Win