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“I’ll be right there.” He couldn’t bear the weight of her tears. “Stay on the line with me so you don’t feel alone.” He would do anything for her. He would take the car so he could use the Bluetooth, even though parking would be harder to find. But that didn’t matter. Only she did.
But she denied him. “No. I’ll be okay. I’ll wait for you.”
She’d said those words so many years ago. She hadn’t waited.
There were so many things they both should have done. None of that mattered now. They couldn’t change it.
Sienna was his daughter. He and Angelika had made her together. It still amazed him, thrilled him, terrified him. He’d known of her existence only a few days, yet now, just like Angelika, she was part of him. He could never let her go.
And he would move heaven and earth to fix this.
On the quad bike, he found a space he could slide into right above her villa, and he dashed down the steps, through her open gate, laughter from Carter Ellis’s patio raining down. Maybe Sienna was out there with them.
But Angelika needed him.
The French doors were wide open, and she was curled into a ball on the sofa, her face buried in her hands. He could do nothing more than stroke her arm as she cried, his heart breaking into tiny pieces.
“Tell me what happened, Angelika. I will help you.”
She raised her head, her cheeks tear-stained, her makeup smudged, mascara slipping down the trail of tears. “I didn’t tell her,” she whispered.
He dipped his head, knowing his confusion was written all over his face.
“She figured it out sometime this afternoon. Tamryn said they were talking about birthdays and my trip here thirty years ago.”
He didn’t say he’d never liked Tamryn. Something always displeased her, and she bored easily. Now she’d caused trouble the first time she’d gotten Sienna away from her mother.
He’d recognized trouble from the moment he laid eyes on her. He just hadn’t known what kind of trouble. She’d done it on purpose, of course. The oldest reason in history, jealousy. She wanted Carter Ellis for herself.
But that didn’t help Sienna or his Angelika. He wrapped her in his arms. “Is she upstairs with them?”
She shook her head. “She and Carter went off. I’ve called, but neither of them answers.”
He had Carter’s number. The young man had given it to him in order to make all the arrangements. But now it rang and rang while Angelika’s ragged breaths ravaged his heart.
He waited five minutes, then called again, planning to leave an urgent message.
This time, the young man answered. “I appreciate the call, Xandros. But her mother needs to give Sienna time. We’ve taken a hotel to have some space away from the others. I’ll call you when she’s ready.”
“Is she okay?” His heart hammered in his ears.
“Of course she’s not okay.” Neither of them needed to say what was wrong.
“I mean physically.”
“I’ll make sure nothing happens to her. But you don’t have to worry about her doing anything to herself. Sienna isn’t like that.”
It pained him to acknowledge that he knew barely anything about her.
“Thank you. We’ll wait for your call.” Xandros hung up, wrapping himself around Angelika, whispering sweet nothings into her hair before he told her the situation. “She is okay, I promise. She and Carter are at a hotel. He’ll keep her safe. She needs time.”
Angelika turned her tear-streaked face to him. “She’s going to hate me forever.”
“No. She will get over it.” But he wasn’t so sure. He kissed the top of her head as if that could make her believe. “Have you eaten?”
She shook her head, her hair falling over her face. “I’m not hungry.”
“You must eat to keep up your strength during this time.”
