"So, it's our last day here and I figured I'd ask you if there was anything that you wanted to do before we leave tomorrow morning?"

The week had been incredible. We had done so much with the time we had here that I thought it would be impossible to part with the spectacular place afterwards.

We'd visited the beach twice where we mostly laid under the sun but also ran amongst the azure waves of the ocean. We'd even packed our own picnics and eaten out on the sand. It was such a romantic gesture that any onlookers would instantly presume us to be a couple and honestly, I couldn't blame them. If only they knew the truth.

We had also spent a day on a hike out in the rainforest. This particular one that we visited was called 'The Katouche Rainforest' and was 80 acres of green trees and exotic plants. We were taken around by a guide and it was by far one of the most stunning things I'd ever seen. I loved how the golden light dripped through the huge leaves of the trees and we'd get the occasional sighting of rare birds and creatures. Antonio, on the other hand, was not in his element what so ever. It was so obvious that he was uncomfortable amongst the wildlife but he knew I loved it and therefore said nothing. After all that was the least that he could do.

We also went into one of the towns a few times, which I appreciated too. It was so interesting to see the architecture and culture of another country in real life other than America. It was so quaint and beautiful here and I never wanted to leave.

Don't even get me started on the food. To say it was delicious would be a huge understatement. I had been devouring barbequed meat and fresh sea food all week and couldn't get enough of the divine flavors and seasoning of everything.

"I don't really mind what we do."

Antonio was very good at organizing our day activities so I'd just leave him to decide. Besides, if I didn't like it he would plan something else asap instead.

"I have the perfect idea."

What a surprise. He probably had everything booked already and just wanted to check on me first. In Antonio's world, everyone and everything was at his disposal. If he was bored of something he could get rid of it as quickly as snapping his fingers, same if he wanted something or in my case....someone.

"Where is it we are going?"

So far Antonio hadn't actually confirmed where it was that he was taking me, however I assumed it had something to do with water since we were both dressed in swimwear.

"I told you Alice, you will see when we're there."

I rolled my eyes and the gesture was returned with a smirk from Antonio. We had gradually made our way down the coast as we walked.

Anguilla was not even compatible to the city back in the states. The large, grey monstrosities we called buildings that towered over us had been swapped with lush green land and sandy beaches. The air smelt fresh and clean unlike the toxic fumes that I breathed in back home. I guess what I was trying to say was it was so peaceful and natural here. The place had somehow managed to completely rid me of any negativity and worrying that I had been dealing with.

It was when I saw a boat come into our view that I was wondering what the hell Antonio had in store for me. My suspicions grew even more when we boarded the boat but Antonio still had made no efforts to reveal what was going on even when I asked him.

"Your not going to kill me and then dump my body far out in the sea are you?"

At this point anything was possible and I couldn't help but wonder if all this secrecy was to gain my compliance before killing me and then disposing of my body. Maybe Antonio had really gotten bored of me. The scariest thing was that I wasn't even panicking about it. Sure I was happy at the moment but now I knew how quickly a situation could change. Look at Ryan, I had been happy with him once then it all went to shit. Then I finally thought things were getting better but now I'm here. Who knows what the future held for me, was it even worth finding out?

Antonio still had no clue about my nightmares. I was having them every single night but just wasn't waking him because he was a heavy sleeper. I suppose it also helped that I had now pretty much trained myself to wake in silence, I'd then roll over and cry myself back into a dull slumber. It worked for me because it meant that I at least got some privacy even if it was just about the thoughts in my head.

The villain of my dreams rarely seemed to be Antonio instead it was almost always Ryan. Despite everything Antonio had done I guess my abusive ex still had the edge and therefore tortured my conscience. I hated myself for it but couldn't help but start to feel safer around Antonio.

"Sir, will you be needing life jackets?"

A man's voice pulled me back into reality. Ahh so I guess his intention wasn't to kill me.

We were now a fair way out into the turquoise sea and the worker who had boarded with us, along with the driver, was holding a box which contained the life jackets he was asking about.

"I'll take one, small."

I raised a brow when Antonio fastened the bright orange jacket around my body but not himself.

"Why don't you need one?"

I questioned, slightly annoyed that my fashion had been somewhat damaged by the safety precaution yet his was not. I wasn't a little kid who was incapable of swimming.

"I'm a very strong swimmer."

He flashed me with his familiar smirk, before leaning in closer to whisper in my ear.

"Besides, I don't want to take any chances."

He stood up but not before planting a quick kiss on my now rosy cheek.

"Will you finally tell me what's going on and why we are a few miles out from the shore?"

The driver had now stopped the engine so we were simply hovering in place above the dreamy ocean below us. I was silently praying that Antonio wasn't going to throw me into shark infested waters but I swear this man was unpredictable so you could never know too certain.

"Why don't you look for yourself?"

I eyed Antonio suspiciously before slowly turning around and walking towards the edge of the boat. Even then I couldn't help but glance over my shoulder, checking he wasn't about to push me in but was reassured when I saw how he was stood smiling at me as if watching and waiting for my reaction. I hesitantly leaned out to look down and squealed at the sight.

"Oh my God!"

I let out a chain of excited expressions and suddenly all of my worries had left my tense body and been replaced with pure joy.

Turtles!

There were so many adorable sea turtles swimming around us.

With a huge smile on my face I turned to the man behind all of this.

"How did you know?"

Turtles had always been my favorite animals and I had seen them in zoos but it was a dream of mine to see them in their natural habitats.

"Do you like it?"

He dodged the question but it didn't really bother me. He most likely just checked through my old social media accounts. I'd deleted most of them but it was more than likely that a mafia boss could still see my information, even if it was as silly as discovering my favorite animal. He had the ability to trace anything and anyone if he wanted to.

"I love it."

Antonio just smiled back at me knowingly and gently took my hand before helping me down the boat's ladder and into the salty water below us.

I began to instinctively kick my legs around, not expecting the water to have been this deep but stopped when Antonio wrapped his arms around me in a very protective way.

"I got you."

I automatically relaxed at his voice and despite his hold was still grateful for the life jacket that he'd insisted I wore.

Any emotions other than glee suddenly escaped me when I saw my first turtle. It was about a meter or two away from us and seemed to be cautiously watching me from a small distance. Antonio took my hand in his and filled it with some slimy green stuff, which I correctly identified as some sort of seaweed. I unconsciously held my breath as I waited for the turtle to approach me. Then I literally shook with pride and elation when it fed from my very own palm.

We spent the next hour or two feeding and snorkeling with the magnificent little creatures. Antonio had told me that Anguilla was renowned for it's decently large population of varying turtles and they came out a lot, especially during the summer. Tourists were not usually allowed to hand feed them but because Antonio made a deal with the trip orchestrater and was feeding them the exact same seaweed from the ocean anyway, we were allowed.

Every time we dunked our heads under the water we would get glimpses of other animals. The turtles weren't the only sightings of wildlife here, we saw tons of fish and bizarre looking creatures. To my surprise, Antonio was also equipped with snorkeling gear which added extra flair to our excursion.

"Thank you for this."

I stated my genuine appreciation for what Antonio was doing. I knew that he could see how much I meant it. Sure I'd said thanks before but it had never been as true and real as it was now. I loved the way that he was treating me with kindness and at least he was respecting me. Unlike many others who would just take and take, regardless of my opinions or feelings, Antonio cared. I could tell he was trying.

He let out a deep sigh as he drew his attention away from the turtle that he was feeding and onto me.

"I'm sorry Alice."

I looked away from him, not able to face him while I was reminded of everything. But he softly grasped my chin and turned me to stare back at him directly in the eyes.

"I shouldn't have hurt you. I had no right to touch you without your consent and I truly regret doing what I did."

I nodded my head in response. I didn't know what to say but I knew that his apology was sincere. I was trained in reading body language and if Antonio's in the last few days was anything to go by, he really was suffering with the guilt. Though I was never one to be bribed by expensive things, this treatment was definitely helping him to win back my trust.

"Sir, do you want a picture?"

The man who had assisted us out here was holding up a disposable camera and gesturing towards the cozy image that we'd created together by sharing this moment.

As if unsure of what to say Antonio glanced at me but upon seeing no negative response he simply nodded. A strong arm was wrapped around my side and I placed my head on his shoulder without even thinking about what I was doing. Antonio stiffened at my sudden warmth but our bodies naturally melted together and he placed a kiss on my forehead just as we heard the snap of the camera.

Even though we both sensed that the picture had been taken and we no longer had to hold our pose, we stayed in the intimate position until we eventually let go of each other and prepared to head back to land. We said one last farewell to the turtles before climbing back into the boat. My life jacket was removed and Antonio began to dry my soaking wet body off with a pristine white towel. For the remaining duration of the ride back to shore we sat snuggled up together while drying off beneath the sun.