Page 18

Paradise

The second half of the season opens dark. The first thing Marsh can sense is sound. A gentle, rhythmic shushing, almost like waves on a beach.

She is on a beach, she realizes as the frame brightens.

A gorgeous beach.

Caribbean? Hawaii? She’s not sure she’s ever seen sand this white, or water so pristine, or jungly leaves so green.

Fortunata111: Is this place real? It looks like heaven!

Another gentle crest of crystalline water rolls in, just reaching her toes. The sand is cool, and the breeze is warm. There’s a hand in hers, and it squeezes gently now.

“I think I just saw a dolphin,” Ren says.

Marsh turns to look.

She can’t spot anything leaping on the horizon, but it doesn’t matter. Everything is so beautiful—the waves, the sky, the palm trees, the little grass beach huts where other couples gazing deeply into each other’s eyes are scattered. As she marvels, she spots Harper, too, standing with a bunch of other teenagers at the edge of the water, all of them holding up sets of goggles and fins as a snorkeling instructor explains how to use them.

“This is incredible, Ren,” Marsh says at last.

“I’m so glad you like it,” Ren replies, and then somewhat teasingly adds, “I knew it was going to be hard to top that big Mexico vacation you told me you took with Dylan, but I hoped Tahiti might do it.”

What?! Marsh gasps, shocked.

Ren took her and Harper on vacation to... Tahiti??!

TopFan01: Amazing! Ren is really pulling out all the stops for her!

Moms4Marsh: He’s so romantic!

She can hardly believe it. He’s flown them around the world, to a place she probably would never have been brave enough to travel to, either because of the cost or the distance.

Before Marsh can protest—before she can become her old, worrying self again—Ren takes her hand, where his engagement ring sparkles dazzlingly on her finger.

“More than worth it,” he says, staring deep into her eyes. “It’s not every day you get to propose to the woman of your dreams, and she says yes.”

Marsh leans in as their lips meet, and she drapes her arms over his shoulders to pull him close.

He’s right, she knows Talia would tell her. She’s allowed to enjoy this.

She’s surprised to find that for once, she actually can let it go.

“Well, if all I have to do is whisk you away to a tropical island to get a kiss like that, we’re going to have a lot of flights in our future!” Ren jokes when they finally pull back. “Although, now that you accepted Victor’s offer, vacations like this really might be able to be more than just once in a lifetime for us.”

“Victor’s offer?” Marsh asks.

“To help start up the Asia division of your firm,” he replies, giving her a funny look.

JesterG: What a promotion!

TopFan01: Wait. WAIT. Ren just said Asia Division. That must mean...

SagwaGold: 佢住香港? !!!

YanYan242: HONG KONG!!!!!

The comments explode. The ecstatic cheering and confetti animations obliterate her view of the gorgeous beach, and Marsh is grinning like an idiot, she knows, but she doesn’t care.

Not only is she still a lawyer, but she’s gotten a huge promotion. And not only that—she confessed to Talia in the recap that she’d always imagined Hong Kong as the ultimate test for herself. That if she could make it in such a vibrant, chaotic, beautiful place, she’d finally believe that she could make it anywhere, do anything she wanted.

Now she’s going to get the chance.

“And you like it? Our new home?” she asks Ren at last. “And Harper does, too?”

“Are you kidding? I don’t know who loves it more, me or Harp!” he replies. “She’s got one of the best violin tutors in the world now, she’s getting to see a whole new continent, and I’m finally doing real journalism. No more fluff pieces or pitching things just to meet the bills. With my own column, I can really write about the things I care about. The things that are important.”

Ren is positively exhilarated.

“Things really worked out for us, Marsh.”

“They really did,” Marsh agrees, just as thrilled.

Things really are bigger and better in the second half of this season already. And not just for her, but for Harper and Ren, as well. Because this is about all of them. She might be reaching for the stars, but she’s not going to leave anyone behind.

Well.

Except for maybe Dylan.

Marsh sighs. Things really ended badly with him in that last episode. And since her engagement has continued into the second half of her season, this must mean that that Dylan has permanently relegated himself to sad, minor background character in her story. He’ll probably appear to visit Harper from time to time, and gaze longingly at Marsh from afar as she does something adorable with Ren, but no more than that.

But it was his fault, just like it was in real life. He’s the one who quit the show, not Marsh. And Marsh refuses to give up. She’s forging ahead.

She’s going to make her life everything she’s dreamed of.

With or without him.

“What now?” Marsh asks Ren after another passionate kiss.

“Now we just have to figure out how to spend the rest of our lives together.” Ren grins. “It’s going to be even more amazing than before. In fact, I think we’ve gone from pretty damn close to actually perfect now,” Ren says, winking as he calls back the phrase Marsh used at the dinner just before he proposed. “Don’t you?”

“I’d say it’s definitely super super super damn close, ” Marsh replies with a laugh.

She meant it as a joke. He’s just so earnest, so romantic, all the time, everything a grand gesture, every moment a Moment. But Ren is so wrapped up in his enthusiasm, the jest catches him off guard.

“What do you mean?” he asks, looking confused and hurt all at once. “Are you not happy? What’s missing? Is there something I’m not doing?”

“Oh, no! I didn’t mean—no!” Marsh cries. “Nothing’s missing.”

But Ren still hasn’t realized she was trying to be funny. “Something could be different, then?”

“No, no! I’m sorry, Ren. I was trying to make a joke and it was stupid. Pretend I didn’t say any of that at all. I wish I had a ‘rewind’ button.”

In fact —her eyes dart for a moment—but no, Talia isn’t around yet.

“Please, Ren,” Marsh says. “I didn’t mean it at all.”

“But you must have, on some level,” he replies, wringing his hands together. “Otherwise, the joke wouldn’t even have occurred to you.”

“Ren.”

She waits until he looks up at her.

“Forget what I said. Our life really is perfect.”

Ren studies her for a long moment.

Then he smiles.

“Well, then I’m going to make sure it’s even better than perfect!” he vows. He has that same determined glint in his eye that she’s seen many times before—in the bar on their first date, when he was proposing—basically anytime he’s around her.

Moms4Marsh: Ren is so romantic!

YanYan242: He loves her so much!

“ Better than perfect,” Marsh repeats, shaking her head at him with admiration.

Ren puts his hand on his heart. “I promise.”

She takes it from his chest and holds it. “I can’t wait.”

Their last day in Tahiti is just as idyllic as the rest—and the night just as steamy. Marsh spends the last languid, content moments of post-lovemaking bliss before she drifts off wondering how even the most agile of cameras would have been able to keep things to a prime-time-appropriate rating, with every angle and position Ren excitedly whipped them into. After the fifth one, Marsh had almost thought to check for a list under his pillow, along with his estimations of her favorites. She wouldn’t have put it past him.

In the morning, their flight is early. Marsh and Ren are canoodling in line at the gate to their flight home as Harper rolls her eyes beside them.

“Blech! Gross! I don’t want your cooties!” she wails dramatically, mortified by their affection. She unzips her backpack and pretends to barf into it, which draws a chuckle from the passengers behind them.

“Sorry, honey,” Marsh says, but inwardly, she’s a little annoyed. She just got engaged to the man of her dreams! Can’t Harper be happy for her mother? She’s clearly comfortable with Ren now, but Marsh wants her daughter to be as thrilled that he’s joining their family as she is.

“We’re just showing you how cringey you’ll look when you get your first crush,” Ren replies jokingly, and bats his eyes at Marsh. “Is it working?”

“Good morning!” a familiar voice chirps, and Marsh turns to see that the gate agent at the desk is Talia. She’s wearing a navy-blue airline uniform and tropical silk neck scarf, but somehow still manages to make it look like high fashion.

“Good morning!” Ren replies. “We wanted to check our seats.”

“We just got engaged,” Marsh adds. “This is our first family trip.”

“Congratulations!” her host gushes. “That’s so wonderful. I’ll make sure we put you all together.”

“Perfect,” Marsh replies.

“Isn’t it?” Ren asks her—again.

She kisses him. “You’re ridiculous,” she says.

Talia cheerfully types into her little computer terminal behind the counter as they canoodle. “How’s near the wing?”

“Sounds good,” Marsh replies.

“Is it weird to say that I’m actually excited to leave paradise to go home?” Ren asks Marsh.

“Aw,” she coos. “Can’t wait for our lives to start together?”

“Obviously,” he says back to her in the same sweet tone, and pulls her into another hug so he can plant a kiss on her forehead. “But also, I’m looking forward to getting back to the office. This piece I’m working on, it’s huge. Gigantic! Honestly, I can’t believe they chose me. There must have been thousands of journalists pitching them for the profile.” He squeezes his fists. “This feels like it . My big shot.”

“That’s amazing,” Marsh replies. “Which piece is this again?”

“The Chrysalis feature, honey,” Ren says.

Notamackerel: Uh, what now??

A sudden clatter from the gate agent desk startles them.

Talia scrambles back into a calm, professional pose.

“Sorry about that,” she says.

Her grin is a Cheshire cat crescent moon.

“Dropped my pen.”

“Looks like someone could use a vacation, too!” Ren jokes, and Talia laughs politely.

“The... Chrysalis feature?” Marsh finally repeats, once Talia has gone back to typing.

“Yeah. You know.” He makes air quotes with his fingers. “The big ‘secret project’ you’ve been giving me hell about because I haven’t come to bed at a decent hour for weeks now.” He chuckles. “They’re launching a revolutionary new product soon. Top secret until the announcement—and they want me to be the one to break it! All I need is one more piece of research, and then I should be able to give a draft to my editor.”

He’s on a tear now, too excited to explain anything.

“I’m close,” he says, making an excited fist. “So close!”

Interesting, Marsh muses as he continues to babble.

Chrysalis must have been one of the bits of the show that carried over past the midseason special, into this second half of the season. And it seems bigger and more involved than before. Now it’s not just the name of a song, or a jeweler. It’s the maker of some big invention that Ren is hoping to announce to the world.

That thought sends a little chill racing down her back.

Something is off about this, she can’t help but think.

Why does Chrysalis keep appearing?

And what does it want?

“Great news!” Talia says brightly. “I managed to get you three seats together.”

“Awesome!” Harper replies.

Marsh stares at Talia. But her host is still grinning broadly at her, her eyes sparkling.

“Yes, that’s great,” Marsh finally says. She takes the newly printed boarding passes from Talia. “Thanks for your help.”

“Enjoy the flight!”

The three of them walk back to their luggage and get settled in their seats. Ren disappears to the kiosk a few gates down to buy coffee and pastries.

After a moment, Marsh stands up again.

“Harp, stay here and watch our bags,” she says. “I’m going to see if we can get upgraded.”

At the counter, Talia beams again, radiant. “Welcome to the second half of your season, Marsh!” she sings. “It’s already super amazing, isn’t it? What a perfect vacation, and a perfect guy! Also, wow, your suntan is positively golden. This life is really working for you, I have to say. And let’s talk about that promotion—”

“Talia, what’s going on?” Marsh cuts her off.

Talia clears her throat, plasters her smile back across her face.

“What do you mean?”

“With Chrysalis.”

“The article Ren just mentioned?” she asks. “He’ll do a great job with the piece.”

“I’m sure he would.” Marsh grimaces. “But I don’t want him to write it.”

“Why?” Talia gasps. “It sounds like a great opportunity!”

“Because it’s not just the article,” she says. “I don’t know what Chrysalis is, but something weird is going on. It’s like—”

Marsh gulps.

“It’s like it’s following me.”

Talia laughs. “I think you’re worrying too much.”

“No! Listen!” she insists. “I don’t know when it started, but I swear, if I look hard enough in an episode, I can find Chrysalis. No matter what path I choose, it keeps appearing in all of them, changing shape each time. Getting bigger, closer. Now it’s pulled Ren into it.”

“Why, Marsh.” Talia pauses. Marsh can’t tell if she looks surprised, or almost— a little irritated ? “Have you been... tracking this silly thing?”

Immediately, Marsh is embarrassed. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You should have just asked me,” Talia says. “You should always come to me with any concerns. That’s why I’m here!”

“I know. At first, the instances were so subtle, I didn’t want to seem paranoid or ungrateful,” Marsh admits. “But I’m worried something bad is going to happen.”

“Nothing bad is going to happen,” Talia says. “I swear. There’s absolutely nothing to worry about. Little anomalies like this happen all the time in the Bubble! Remember, no life can be transformed without a few quirks.”

“Even so.” Marsh swallows. “I don’t know if I want this path.”

“What?” Talia cries, dismayed. “But this is everything you’ve ever wanted, isn’t it? A career as a high-flying lawyer, a movie-worthy romance, and an exciting place to live? Not to mention your stunning makeover, and Harper’s musical success. Why would you want to leave all that behind?”

Because something’s not right, Marsh wants to say.

“Because I still have time,” she answers instead. “You said right before the midseason special that this is my one and only chance to change everything I want about my life. Shouldn’t I use some of my remaining episodes to go anywhere I want, try anything I can imagine, before choosing a final path?”

Talia finds it hard to argue with that.

“This is so brave. I’m so glad you opened up to me, Marsh,” she gushes. “And you’re one hundred percent right! We have plenty of episodes left before the finale to get everything just right. Let’s take full advantage of that! What do you want to change?”

Marsh takes a deep breath. “Well... do I have to go home to Hong Kong right now?”

Talia’s laugh is like a musical chime. “I mean, your flight boards in four minutes, silly!”

“But what if the flight didn’t go to Hong Kong?” Marsh asks. “What if it went somewhere else instead?”

Talia’s eyes flash, already scheming. A thump rattles the entire gate agent desk—she’s pulled out the Show Bible from some hidden shelf, and begins flipping through it.

“Let me see what we’re working with.”

Maybe, with the right path, she can escape Chrysalis for good, Marsh hopes. She can go somewhere else entirely, where they can still be happy, but Ren might not be writing this article. Where their lives can be even more perfect—just like he promised.

“I see an excellent option,” Talia pronounces at last, looking satisfied.

Fortunata111: I love this surprise shake up!

JesterG: Me too! She can always go back to Hong Kong at the end, if she really wants!

The comments are screaming at her, a million a second.

SharpTruth: C:\ATAM\Bubble\access

A new user catches her eye.

What? Marsh blinks. Bubble? Access?

But then the line is pushed from the chat, lost almost instantly as a thousand more comments flood in after, taking up the finite space.

N3vrGiv3Up: Let’s go, Marsh!

GoluGolu: ?? ????? ??? !

TopFan01: Everyone, head to our poll to enter your guess for where Marsh will end up next!

Talia folds the crushing weight of the Show Bible over the finger she’s left stuck in the pages, to keep her place. “Ready for some real adventure?”

Marsh holds up her plane ticket. Instead of the words Hong Kong, the destination field is blank now.

“I’m ready,” she says.

Talia grins. “You could have All This ...”

“ And More, ” Marsh replies, and closes her eyes.