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CHAPTER TEN
‘AXIOS! WHAT...WHAT are you doing here?’
His face was as gaunt and ashen as the last time I’d seen it. But in his eyes purpose and determination blazed in place of horrified anguish.
Even so, the sight of him shook me, his presence unearthing a cascade of emotions through me.
When he didn’t answer, when all he seemed to want was to absorb every inch of my face, I tried again. ‘I thought you’d gone...that I’d never see you again.’
His chest heaved in a mighty exhalation. ‘I had to go,’ he replied gruffly.
Despair and disappointment slashed me wide open. ‘Oh. I understand.’
He gave a grating self-deprecating laugh that was chopped off halfway through. ‘Do you? Do you understand how utterly useless and powerless I felt? How I had to walk away because I knew I’d failed you again?’
‘What? Why would you—?’
‘We will dissect that later. But for now...’ my breath caught as his thumb brushed away my tears, ‘...it’s tearing me apart to see these tears,’ he grated roughly.
Which only made them fall harder.
‘Andreos... Leaving him...that’s tearing me apart.’
‘Just Andreos?’
The question was deep and low. But heavy with unspoken emotions.
I lifted my gaze to find him watching me with hawk-like intensity, his eyes burning with a new light. One that made my insides leap.
‘Ax...’
Before I could answer his hand seized mine, his eyes steadfast on me.
‘Will you give me the chance to make things right, Calypso? Trust me just for a little while?’ he demanded with a hoarse plea.
About to answer, I paused as we pulled up at the private airstrip and stopped next to his plane. ‘Axios, where are we going?’
He alighted and held out his hand. I slid out of the car, still in a daze, and didn’t resist when he pulled me close.
‘You’ve lived in fear for over a year, while bearing and caring for our son. You’ve loved him unconditionally when you could’ve taken a different option without judgement. But you don’t need to be alone in this. You never need to be alone again,’ he vowed.
The depth of his words made my heart pound with tentative hope. That hope turned to shock when I spotted the middle-aged man standing at the door of the plane.
‘Dr Trudeau...what are you...? What’s he doing here?’ I asked Ax.
‘He’s here to help. As are the others.’
Taking my hand, he led me onto the plane. And my shock tripled.
‘Mama?’ Seated amongst three other distinguished-looking men was my mother. When she smiled tremulously and held out her arms a broken sob ripped through me as I rushed forward and threw myself into her embrace.
‘Your husband rightly felt that you should be surrounded by those you love in your time of need.’
Did that include him?
Fearing I’d give myself away if I looked his way, I kept my gaze on my mother.
‘You should’ve told us, Callie.’
