“First, every woman I parted ways with?—”
“Dumped,” I corrected.
“It was on good terms,” he continued, pretending not to hear. “And my son will turn out to be a better man than both of us. All our children will.”
The corner of my lips tipped up. “They will.”
“Now get your ass out of here, go knock on your doctor’s bedroom door, and inform her it’s dinnertime. If you can squeeze in a quick fuck before then, do so.”
“Get out of my office,” I grumbled. “I have work to do and you’re wasting my time.”
He stood up and laughed all the way down the hall.
And ten minutes later, I found myself in front of Violet’s room, knocking on her door.
TWENTY-TWO
VIOLET
By now, I had worn a path into the hardwood, pacing from the door to the window, from the window to the edge of the bed, pivot, turn, repeat. I knew every corner of this bedroom in a foreign country that also happened to be my one-night stand’s home.
And still, I had no idea what to do.
The promise I’d made to Aria sat heavy in my chest, pressing against my ribs like something alive. I had given my word. I wanted—and needed—to keep it. Years ago, I made a decision to protect my baby. Today, I was making a decision to remain in her life. However, Lykos was still a married man, and I refused to be the other woman in any relationship. And then there was the fact that if I was to be in Aria’s life, I would have to rip her away from everything she’d ever known? I didn’t think so. I’d known better than most that stability was extremely important in anyone’s life, especially for children.
And then there was Lykos, a force of a man who would never stand for it.
Lykos’s earlier words came rushing in, stinging my soul. Of course, he would think I walked away from Aria of my free will. Years of my silence made it appear so, and unfortunately, that wouldn’t work in my favor. Any court would see that Lykos provided for Aria, he’d given her a stable life, took care of her and raised her.
And I… I hadn’t been there at all.
The thought twisted painfully in my chest, because no matter how fiercely I loved her and she was my flesh and blood, a part of me feared that if I made a wrong move, I would lose the privilege to even talk to her and I couldn’t allow that to happen.
I’d stay around Lykos despite the fact that the man tempted me with every breath, because it meant being in the vicinity of my daughter too.
A shudder rolled down my spine and I wished it was that of disgust, but I feared it was the opposite. Staying here was dangerous. It felt like stepping too close to the edge of something steep. He was gravity, pulling me closer, and it was impossible to ignore it. He was a temptation that hummed quietly, waiting patiently. It was as if he already knew how this would end, and that terrified me more than anything.
Because part of me wanted to let him and this attraction rope me into its embrace and keep me there.
Except, there was a wife.Hiswife.
The madwoman who had tried to kill her own husband and son, tried to killAria.
The thought of what she was capable of slid cold fingers around my heart.
I’d dealt with psychopaths, narcissists—hell, I grew up with my father as one, and sociopaths, but what I’d seen in Amara Costello’s eyes was entirely different. It was unhinged and animalistic, but also calculative. She saw more than she let on, and it seemed like she was waiting to pounce.
She was a threat, not only to Lykos and me, but also to the children. And that was something I couldn’t simply overlook.
“Can I really do it?” I whispered, my voice fraying at the edges.
I stopped at the window, pressing my fingertips against the cool glass to steady me. The view was vast. Outside, Athens stretched under the golden, early evening light.
It called to me with the possibility of an escape, but I couldn’t take it. I could barely see it, because all I thought about wereconsequences.
My thoughts tangled and collided, weighing every choice that splintered into a dozen possible disasters. Stay, and risk losing myself. Leave, and lose the chance to reclaim the piece of me I’d been chasing for so long.
Leave now, my reason urged in a whisper.Leave while you still can.
