06/03/2026
I looked at Dream.
“That’s why you looked familiar. You’re my ex-husband’s best friend. So you knew about this?”
Dream sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Yeah, I knew. And I tried to tell you, but I felt like that conversation needed to come from them.”
I shook my head.
“I can’t do this. This is just crazy. We were just talking about getting to know each other, and now this?”
“Strom, I’m not them,” Dream said quietly. “And I’m sorry for what happened. But I respect situations, and I respect friendships.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Respect? Where was their loyalty?”
Dream looked out toward the ocean before answering.
“Life isn’t always black and white. Sometimes people make choices that hurt other people.”
“Be for real, Dream. This wasn’t a mistake. They knew exactly what they were doing.”
He nodded.
“You’re right. They did.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Dream said something that caught me off guard.
“Did you know Jax had cancer?”
My head snapped toward him.
“What?”
“He found out while y’all were going through the divorce. Amber Jay was one of the nurses helping with his treatment.”
I stared at him.
“No.”
“He didn’t tell you because he didn’t want you staying out of obligation. He knew how much you loved him, and he didn’t want your love turning into pity.”
The waves crashed against the shore as I tried to process everything.
Dream continued.
“You’re an amazing woman, Strom. Everybody knows that. But you and Jax wanted different lives. He wanted a wife that wanted the same things he did—kids, a house full of noise, family dinners every Sunday. You were building businesses, chasing goals, creating your own path.”
I crossed my arms.
“So now I’m too ambitious?”
“No,” Dream said firmly. “Not at all. You’re a boss. But every man isn’t secure enough to stand beside a woman like that. Jax wasn’t. Amber Jay fits the life he wanted. That doesn’t make either one of you wrong. Just different.”
His words stung because part of me knew there was truth in them.
Dream smiled softly.
“You know what I respect most?”
“What?”
“The fact that you could have walked over there and ruined their wedding. You could’ve embarrassed both of them in front of everybody.”
I shrugged.
“I’m hurt, not heartless.”
“Exactly.”
For the first time all day, Dream made me smile.
“Thank you,” I said.
He nodded.
“Anytime.”
I looked toward the villas.
“I’m about to go back and get some rest.”
“Okay, Strom.”
I started walking away.
“Hey, Strom?”
I turned around.
“Yeah?”
“Don’t let their story become the end of yours.”
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
Then I smiled.
“See you later, Dream.”
As I walked back toward my villa, I realized something.
For the first time since arriving in Jamaica, I wasn’t thinking about my ex-husband or my best friend.
I was thinking about what came next for me.
