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‘It would have been better for everyone if that had happened,’ Theo bit out. He raked his hand roughly through his hair and came back into the room, shutting the door behind him.
Kerry felt a wave of anxiety roll through her as she looked up at his livid expression. What had made him close the door, even though the helicopter was waiting for him outside?
‘Hallie is an alcoholic,’ Theo said. ‘And Corban was desperate to take care of her. But instead of accepting the best care in a private facility abroad she crashed her car, with Nicco in it, on the busiest square in Athens, narrowly missing a souvenir stall surrounded by tourists. There was quite an audience when the ambulance men pulled her from the car, crying that her husband planned to steal her child from her.’
‘Is that what stopped you taking Nicco?’ Kerry gasped.
‘No,’ Theo grated. ‘It stopped Corban putting her quietly in rehab, which was where she needed to be—for her own sake and for Nicco’s sake. With all the media attention her recovery was much slower than it should have been. Your interference nearly broke up their marriage—not to mention causing what might have been a tragic accident.’
Kerry stared up at him, suddenly speechless. Was he telling the truth? That Hallie was an alcoholic? That he and Corban had simply been planning the best way to help her? Had she jumped to the wrong conclusions—putting everyone at risk and causing a whole barrage of problems for the family?
‘Because you are the mother of my son, you will soon be part of this family,’ Theo said. ‘But if you want to stay—be part of Lucas’s life—never interfere again.’
‘Don’t threaten me,’ Kerry said shakily. ‘You can’t take Lucas from me.’
‘Yes, I can.’ Theo said coldly. ‘And if you cross me I will. Never doubt that for a second.’
He turned and strode out of the door, leaving Kerry staring after him in shock.
CHAPTER TEN
THE heavy aroma of flowering jasmine hung in the air as Kerry pushed Lucas’s buggy through the streets near Kolonaki Square, passing designer stores and chic cafés filled with elegant Athenian ladies and well-heeled businessmen.
The floral fragrance was typical of Athens, and it reminded Kerry painfully of her first summer in the city—when Th
eo had swept her off her feet and she’d fallen head over heels in love with him.
She’d never stood a chance. His charm, his amazing good-looks and the irresistible force of his personality had totally overwhelmed her. At the time she’d believed she was blissfully happy with him—but she’d been living in a dream world. Now she knew their relationship had been harmonious simply because she’d gone along with everything he wanted, never doing anything to upset the balance. Never asking for anything.
As she looked back on that summer, Kerry realised a more confident, experienced woman might not have been so in awe of him—might have realised that the relationship was completely superficial. But Kerry had been too in love to see beyond the joy she’d felt just being with Theo.
She knew that some people wanted to spend their lives enjoying the present, with no thought for the future—but she wasn’t one of them. As a child she’d longed to be part of a warm, loving family, and that was what she so desperately wished to give Lucas. But now it seemed to be an impossible hope—every day Theo seemed to become even more distant from her.
They’d returned to Athens, and preparations were underway for a quiet family wedding, but communication between them was limited to brief, impersonal exchanges about Lucas. She longed to talk to him properly, to try and improve the atmosphere between them. But their last argument had been so terrible that she was afraid to disturb the uneasy equilibrium they’d reached.
At least she now understood why Theo had been so blindingly furious with her the night Hallie had crashed her car—but the reason made her feel dejected and guilt-ridden. It wasn’t just that she’d interfered—questioning Theo’s intentions and challenging his command—it was because he truly believed that he’d been doing the right thing for the people he loved. He couldn’t even begin to understand why she had gone against him.
But Kerry had never guessed Hallie was an alcoholic. Looking back on it, she realised the signs had been there. But as she’d usually only seen her friend on social occasions it had never occurred to her that Hallie drank a lot—and she knew that sometimes alcoholics became very good at concealing their problem. It was also likely that Theo and Corban had done their best to hide it, thinking that by keeping it in the family they were doing the right thing—but if Kerry had known she would never have made such a terrible mistake.
She returned to the hotel with a heavy heart. She felt so sorry for what had happened—for what she had done—but she didn’t know how to talk to Theo about it. However, she did know that the problem was not going to go away on its own. It was always going to be there, creating a chasm between them.
She took the elevator up to the family’s luxury apartments and got Lucas ready for his nap.
‘Time for a sleep, my little angel,’ she said, laying him carefully in his cot.
He settled almost immediately, and she wandered out onto the balcony, drawn by the sounds of splashing and laughing floating up to her. She looked down to the private terrace of Corban’s apartment and saw Corban, Hallie and Nicco, all playing in the pool. They were back from their trip.
A wave of emotion rolled through her. They all looked so joyful. Nicco had grown so much, Hallie was pregnant again and the love and pride Corban felt for his family shone out of his face.
They were all together, having fun, enjoying each other’s company. It was the perfect family moment. And because of her that moment might never have been able to happen.
Suddenly her throat felt tight and her eyes filled with moisture. The next second she burst into tears.
Theo strode through the hotel on his way up to see Kerry. His staff had informed him—as they always did—that she’d returned to the hotel, and he wanted to tell her that Corban and Hallie had arrived home from their travels.
He did not want her to stumble across them inadvertently, possibly creating an awkward situation. It was his intention to be present the first time they encountered each other, so that a potentially tricky moment would be under his control.
He walked through their apartment quietly, in case Lucas was asleep, and found Kerry standing on the balcony looking down at the terrace below. Something about her body language pricked his attention immediately. Her shoulders were drawn in and she was shaking.
