“I don’t understand,” I said. “Did you meet on the island?”

“Not exactly, no.”

“So—like a grief group or something?”

“Yes,” he said. “Or something.”

“This is maddening. Can you give me a straight answer?”

“What exactly do you want to know, Lydia?” He sounded tired, bored of me.

“I don’t know where to start. I mean, is Cole even your real name?” The idea occurred to me so suddenly, I felt slapped by it, out of breath. I saw something on his face that wasn’t there before, as if surprise had opened a back door and let in what he was trying so hard to keep out. Then he carefully shut that door, and smiled at me, but it was too late. I’d seen the shadow falling over him.

“Not exactly,” he said. “You’re right about that.”

“Not exactly? What is your name?”

“I’d rather not tell you.”

“Why?”

“I’m starting over,” he said firmly. “The name, it represents everything I left behind. New name, new person, new life. I hope you don’t mind. There are just—things I want to forget.”

“No,” I said. “Don’t look at me like I’m supposed to just accept this. Everything has been a lie with you. You knew who I was all along. You targeted us.”

“I didn’t know who you were,” he said. “I had no idea. You chose me. Out of all the men that step off that boat every day, you chose me. You saw something in me. I didn’t know until Lucas started talking.”

“But you recognized the house. I remember now. You stopped on the beach and stared at it like you knew who lived there.”

“I wondered when I saw the house. I did wonder if it was the same house, that’s very perceptive of you. But I didn’t know until Lucas started talking about Baby B. And then it was like the universe had lined everything up. Led me here. Led me to you. Or led you to me. It’s so perfect how things line up sometimes, like a machine. Like a set of intricate gears. You turn one lever and the whole thing cranks to life.”

“You got the tattoo because of my mother? The lady’s slipper?”

“Yes.”

“Did she think you were Colin?”

He wrapped his hands around the coffee mug. “Yes.”

I took a drink of water, suddenly thirsty. I wished we could swim. I wanted to feel surrounded by cool water. “Why didn’t you tell us right away?”

“She didn’t want you to know.”

“But she’s dead. She’s been dead a long time. What she wants doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me.”

“So why are you here? I mean why now?”