“And it’s really pretty crazy,” Elena continued, Alex picturing her waving away her husband’s protest, “that this is the first time you’ve even brought him up since you left. You haven’t even asked how he’s doing. Which is actually much better, by the way!”

“Elena,” Alex heard him say from the background, “I don’t need anyone worrying about me.”

“Quiet, Nick,” she shushed him, before turning her attention back to her daughter. “Every time you get around these people, you become so obsessed with what they think of you that you can’t think of anyone else. And I’m sick of it.”

“That’s not true,” Alex rebutted, rather lamely.

“Yes, it is. And you ought to be embarrassed. If you don’t want me to ask about the video, or about Danial, I won’t. I won’t ask about anything. You have my word on that. Goodbye.”

And with that, her mother hung up without waiting for a response—something she hadn’t done in nearly a decade.

Alex looked behind her to find the group of men openly staring at her, then turned back to her table, where her frappe had melted into an unappealing brown liquid. Her stomach churned, embarrassed at having such a public argument, downright ashamed for having spoken to her mother that way. She fished in her bag for a few euros to leave on the table, grabbed her book, and walked briskly away from the scene of the crime.

20. Corfu Town, Greece

20

CORFU TOWN, GREECE

Now

Alex ran her thumbnail under the label of her water bottle, peeling the corner from the glass. Even with her sunglasses, the high noon sun glinting off the blue bottle was laser-like, refracting an uncomfortable amount of clarity. The brilliance of the day only seemed to highlight its imperfections, the chipping paint on the worn buildings that lined the square, the faded fabric of the patio umbrellas shading each table, the potted plants wilting in the unforgiving summer heat. She looked down at her hands, where small chips had begun to form on her gelled nails. She added a trip to the nail salon to her mental list of the many things she had to do between now and Cyprus.