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Her eyes glimmered, but she squared her shoulders and looked at him as though she were looking down and not up. Her height did nothing to dampen the power of her presence. “That’s not good enough for me. I deserve to be happy.”
“If you need me to pretend to be in love, then you’re not going to be happy here.”
The words sucked the life out of the room. But his wife didn’t flinch. She didn’t protest. She simply nodded and handed the test results over. “I understand. I’ll pack my bags now.”
She lingered a moment longer, but Nico couldn’t find it in himself to say anything further. He was hollowed out. A shell. For the second time that week, Marianna left his office with the soft click of the latch punctuating her exit. This time was no easier than the last.
He had no idea how long he stared at the envelope and the cat. What was wrong with not wanting to change? With wanting to protect himself?
Wasn’t it smart for him to learn from the mistakes of his past? To try and avoid a situation where he got hurt again? After all, it was a survival mechanism. How else would the human species have lasted the test of time? Get bitten by a tiger once, don’t mess with the tiger again. It was simple caveman logic.
Nico sat in his office chair until he heard an engine rumble outside the house. The sound of suitcase wheels rattling over the stone driveway made his stomach revolt. Then came the slamming of doors, tires turning. And then silence.
He picked up the envelope and the porcelain cat and made his way into the bedroom.
…
Marianna had been gone for a week when Nico returned to the Precision Investments headquarters. He’d been in his office for no longer than an hour when his assistant buzzed him.
“Are you settled in this morning?” she asked.
He set his coffee down. “Just about.”
“I’ve got Ms. Karras here. She doesn’t have an appointment.”
Shit. The last thing he needed was to deal with Alethea now. She’d been calling him again, trying to convince him to see her. Seems she’d gotten impatient with his silence.
“Helena, I don’t have time—”
The intercom went dead, and the sound of arguing got louder outside his door. A second later the door flung open and Alethea stood there. Helena was behind her, wearing an angry scowl. “I’m sorry, Nico, she wouldn’t give me a chance to finish talking to you.”
“This is happening. Now.” Alethea folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not leaving.”
Nico drew a fortifying breath. “It’s fine, Helena. Hold my calls until I’m done.”
“I didn’t want to resort to barging in here like that,” Alethea said, taking a seat. “But the softly-softly approach wasn’t working.”
“Marianna mentioned that you wanted to talk,” he replied, easing himself back into his seat.
“And she couldn’t convince you to hear me out?” A sad smile tugged at her lips. “Glad to know I’m not the only one who can’t get through to you.”
He frowned at the memory of Marianna finally giving up and handing over the envelope.
“It’s a long list.” Nico glanced at the clock displayed on the corner of his laptop screen. He’d give her fifteen minutes and not a second more. Then he was going to have a lock installed on his door. “Can we get this over with?”
Alethea nodded. “You never came to Dad’s funeral.”
His nostrils flared. Bracing himself for a painful discussion never did much good in the end. Old wounds still festered no matter how hard he tried to stitch them up.
“I assumed I wouldn’t be welcome,” he replied.
“I invited you. Specifically.”
He snorted. “Yes, but that was merely a formality, wasn’t it? I know your mother wouldn’t have wanted me there. Or your sisters. Unless they suddenly have decided not to blame me for causing a rift in your family? For bringing shame onto your name?”
“I think with hindsight it’s clear that I was as much to blame as you. My silence made it look like you were the instigator back then, but I was scared. I was so young, and I knew they would be angry.”
“So you made out like I led you into temptation? Like you were an innocent party to my devious nature?” He struggled to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “Your father acted like I coerced you.”
She hung her head. “I made it clear you didn’t force me.”
“After he’d kicked me out.” Bile rose up the back of his throat. He couldn’t even get the word out because it made him sick to his stomach. “He made it seem like I’d taken advantage of you.”
“You didn’t. But I had no idea how to walk the line between you and them.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Nico.”
“And I could have forgiven it all if you hadn’t gone behind my back.” He pressed his fingertips to his temples. Every time he thought of the son or daughter he’d never had the chance to know, he wanted to scream.
“I made the decision that was right for my body,” she said, her eyes glimmering with tears. “I know it’s not what you wanted, but every day I hated what was happening inside me. I was too young.”
