Chapter 4 ELYSIAN CROSSROADS

I got a call from Rose, my secretary, the next morning. Her voice was sharp, professional, a nice contrast to the emotional chaos still hanging over me.

"When are you flying back?" she asked. "That big client you've been chasing? I finally locked myself in a meeting."

"Seriously? Where?"

"He's vacationing on a cruise called Elysian dream. He's agreed to meet while he's onboard. I thought maybe it'd be a perfect coincidence if you were there too."

Elysian Dream.

The name hit me like a wave. I heard it just yesterday from Mum.

I hung up and called her immediately.

"That's the cruise I told you about," she confirmed cheerfully. "The one we're all going on Sam, Lily, your dad and I. It's a chance to reconnect, remember?"

What were the chances? Of all the ships, of all the dates it had to be this one?

A business opportunity I'd waited years for and a family reunion I'd tried everything to avoid were colliding in the same place.

Was it fate? Or just the universe playing another cruel joke?

"All right," I told Rose when I called her back. "Book it."

The next couple of days were spent packing. I had to go shopping for things I didn't bring from Paris, I hadn't exactly planned to stay this long, let alone go on a month-long cruise with my entire family.

Mum was over the moon. She kept saying how happy she was to have everyone together again. Even Dad seemed lighter, smiling more often, like this trip was more than just a vacation to him.

Lily and Sam were meeting us at the port, while I drove there with my parents.

Seeing them again, especially her, wasn't easy.

She hadn't texted me since the wedding, not even to follow up on her promise to talk. I told myself it didn't matter, that I didn't expect anything. But in reality I was disappointed. I guess some part of me had still been hoping for something.

The cruise port was buzzing with life, flashing cameras, wheeled luggage, families chatting excitedly. The Elysian Dream loomed in the distance, massive and regal, like a floating city. It felt surreal.

We checked in, passed security, and began boarding. My parents were practically glowing, taking selfies, commenting on how beautiful everything was. I stayed close but quiet, carrying bags, keeping my mind busy with anything that wasn't Lily.

But fate wasn't subtle.

She appeared at the top of the ship's entrance ramp, standing beside Sam. A breeze caught her dress, her hair. She looked radiant, not because of the makeup or the expensive luggage by her side, but because she looked at ease. Free.

She caught my gaze, just for a second. Her smile was beautiful.

"Edward," she said when we reached them.

"Lily." I nodded. "Sam."

Sam grinned and gave me a light clap on the back. "Glad you made it, bro. This place is insane. Wait till you see the suites."

"Looking forward to it," I lied.

Lily stood silently beside him. I expected her to say something more. Anything. But she didn't.

Instead, she turned to help the porter with her bag, brushing past me like I was just another guest.

And maybe I was.

Just another guest in their perfect honeymoon.

The dining room on the Elysian Dream was grand, golden chandeliers, a live jazz band playing softly in the background, and waiters gliding across the marble floor like ghosts. The table settings sparkled under the lights, but none of it could distract me from the growing knot in my stomach.

We were seated at a long, round table near the window. My mother had arranged the seating of course, and somehow, I ended up seated directly across from Lily.

She wore navy blue, simple but elegant. Her hair was pinned up, exposing the soft curve of her neck. I tried not to look, but that only made me more aware of her presence.

Sam sat beside her, his arm casually draped across the back of her chair like he had nothing to lose. My parents sat on either side of me, chatting excitedly about the cruise itinerary, island stops, poolside activities, group dinners.

"So, Edward," my mum said, breaking the hum of background conversation, "tell us more about this new client you'll be meeting. Rose mentioned it's a big one?"

I nodded, swallowing a sip of water I didn't need. "He's been on my radar for a while, a major investor based in Singapore. We're hoping to discuss expanding into the Southeast Asian market."

"Look at you," Dad said with a proud smile. "Always ten steps ahead."

"Hard not to be when you have no distractions," Sam added lightly, raising his wine glass with a smirk.

I glanced at him, but it was Lily who flinched. Her eyes flicked to mine for the briefest second before dropping back to her plate.

Mum chuckled, oblivious. "Well, I hope that changes soon. Edward's too successful, he needs someone to slow him down a little."

"Not everyone gets to marry their childhood sweetheart," I said before I could stop myself.

The words hung in the air like a dropped knife. Sam's smile faded slightly. Lily stared at her fork.

My mother shifted uncomfortably, forcing a laugh. "Well, things happen the way they're meant to, I suppose."

"I suppose," I echoed.

The rest of the dinner passed in awkward pleasantries and half-hearted conversation. But beneath the table, beneath the smiles, I felt it, the weight of everything we weren't saying.

And the truth neither of us had faced.