I could still feel Luke’s hand between my legs, hot and enormous. I had wanted to let him leave it there. I had wanted him to press harder. I had let him grin at me, knowing I had lost.

But then he had moved, just a little, a stroke, that thumb, and I thought of Serena, of Janet. I had pushed him away, both of my hands on his. Not because I felt guilty. Not because I was loyal. Because I wasn’t the only one, and I hated myself and him for this. He had shrugged and gone back to his work. I had run from the garden. He had stood and laughed at me, at my ineffectual fleeing form. For some, the only thing more alluring than sex is self-righteousness.

When I arrived at his cabin, it was dark. I hurried forward to press my face into the window, but his bed was empty. No Luke. No Janet. I took a step back, confused. A wolf howled somewhere on the mountain. My long-lost sailor.

Then I heard something moving, much closer, from the trail behind me. Janet—had she been detained? Was Luke inside after all, waiting for her in the dark? There was nowhere for me to hide now. But it was Laurel who stepped out of the woods. She looked at the empty cabin, and then at me.

“Did you tell her?” she said.

“Are you following me?” I said.

“Did you tell Serena about Janet and Luke?” she said, enunciating as if to a child.

“You knew?”

“You don’t think I know when people are fucking?” She laughed bitterly. “It’s been going on for weeks. I tried to make her stop, trust me, but she’s goddamn stubborn.”

I lost my breath for a moment. “She lied to me,” I said at last.

“So what?” Laurel said. “Everyone lies to everyone.”

I couldn’t explain my reasoning to her. I dropped my arms helplessly to my sides.

“Did you know,” Laurel said slowly, “that Serena has somehow gotten rid of every woman Luke’s ever been with? From the time she was eleven years old, I’m saying. He used to be with Dominique, did you know that? They were going to get married. And Serena ended it. No, let’s be precise: Serena made Dominique end it. Janet knows all this, of course. But she’s as much of an idiot as you, apparently.”

“I hope she does end it,” I said. “I think that would be best for everyone.”

But then I had a vision of Serena straddling Janet, her knees bruising into the rock, her fingers around her neck. Serena, who knew everything. Serena, who didn’t love us. There was only one other place they could be. I pushed past Laurel and started toward the rock palm.