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Instead of being offended, or even miffed at the unflattering distinction, Alexandros threw his head back and laughed. “Harpies they might be, but they are still your family, yineka mou.”
But Polly wasn’t feeling the humor and shook her head firmly, her frown severe. “Oh, no, they are not. I married you, not your family and if I never want to see either your mother or your sister again, then that is my prerogative. And I’d believe you were really changing in your attitude toward me if you had come to that conclusion on your own.”
She turned and headed toward the street, knowing the car would be called, if not by her husband then by security. No one wanted her wandering off.
That had been drilled into her from the beginning. And maybe just this minute she was acknowledging a certain level of resentment because of it.
When she’d first come to realize just how much her life and personal freedom had changed, Polly had told herself she had to just deal with it. She had fallen in love with a billionaire and married him. Her choice. So, she had to accept the good with the bad.
And if there seemed to be more bad than good, well, it had still been her choice.
Only it hadn’t been an informed one.
How could it be? Polly had never had any experience with the kind of life the truly wealthy lived.
And Alexandros had made no effort to warn her in advance. Not of any of it. He’d expected his mother and sister to help Polly navigate her new life, but they resented the heck out of his new bride and just wanted her gone.
Polly had been so focused on him and what Alexandros made her feel, she’d never considered how much her life was going to change. That she would never again be able to wander the streets of a downtown, or go to a mall alone to shop, walk and think.
Never be able to take her children for a walk in the park without security, would have to look for hidden motives in overtures of friendship.
Wouldn’t even be able to cook in her own kitchen anytime she wanted.
Once her children were old enough, they still wouldn’t be able to stay with her parents for a week in the summer. Polly’s mom and dad’s humble home didn’t have the security measures to keep her children safe.
Who was Alexandros to tell her that, on top of everything else she’d had to give up in her life as his wife, she had to claim his mean-spirited and manipulative sister and mother as her family?
Not in this lifetime.
> Suddenly he was there, right beside her, his arm offered. “Come, let us finish our shopping.”
She jerked a nod but made no move to take his arm.
The silence that reigned in the car was not the companionable silence they’d shared so often the past week. Tension thrummed between them. Polly had no desire to dispel it and ignored any efforts her husband made to do so.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ALEXANDROS’S SURPRISE FOR Polly turned out to be a shop for a master carpenter who specialized in baby furniture.
Pushing away negative thoughts and feelings, as she’d learned to do, Polly ignored the presence of her husband and allowed herself to enjoy the beautiful handmade pieces.
She found a crib in dark wood and matching dresser with a changing mat on top. The old-world style charmed her, and she started asking the sales associate about the construction and adherence to safety guidelines.
“All my furniture meets the strictest safety guidelines because I ship internationally.” The deep, pleasant masculine voice had Polly turning.
“You made all this?” she asked, with a little awe, indicating all the beautiful pieces in the showroom.
His smile was warm, and understandably proud. “I did.”
“How? I mean…”
“My grandfather was a master carpenter. He had me in his shop when I was a small boy, learning to sand and oil wood.”
“And you followed in his footsteps?”
The man nodded.
“That’s so neat. I started baking with my grandmother and became a pastry chef.”
