Rafael swam until his muscles warmed and the last remnants of stiffness gave up, the sea carrying him easily, sunlight breaking into gold on the surface around him. He let himself float for a while, eyes closed, listening to the slow rhythm of water and wind, the world reduced to movement and breath and the steady, distant sound of waves breaking against rock.
It was… peaceful.
Suspiciously so.
When he finally turned back toward shore, brushing wet hair from his face, he expected to see at least the suggestion of life. A few distant figures. Someone walking the waterline. A cluster of umbrellas farther down the coast.
There was nothing.
The beach stretched in both directions, pristine and empty, pale sand curving away into heat haze and stone. No voices. No movement. No signs of other people at all. Even the nearby villas looked quiet, shutters drawn, terraces vacant.
