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Taking a deep shaky breath, she said, “When I first met Helios Andreadis, I thought he wasn’t human. It wasn’t because he was the grouchiest person ever...”
Laughter from the crowd made her pause and smile, but she hurriedly continued when she saw Helios’ glare. “It wasn’t that, really. It was because...he took my breath away with his courage, his strength, his compassion. He’s not...” She closed her eyes, remembering the time Helios had saved Rick from the men who had abducted him.
“He’s not the type to back down from a fight, to stop fighting for the people he loves...” She remembered the time he had allowed himself to be beaten up just to prove to her that he could be normal for MJ. “And just as easily, he would allow himself to be defeated if it’s what it takes to protect the ones he loves.”
Wiping her eyes, she said, “It was because of these things that I fell in love with him and did everything I could to get into this school. I wanted to see him, be a part of his life, and maybe if I was lucky, maybe I might even get him to fall in love with me.”
“You mean seduce him,” Kellion coughed not so subtly from the front row.
MJ turned red, but Helios only smirked.
“I was so excited when I was about to meet him the first time here in school. I had so many things I wanted to say but when the moment finally came...” She smiled sheepishly at Helios. “I ended up making him mad because I was talking to him like this.Do. You. Understand. What. I’m. Saying?”
Helios scowled, which only made the crowd roar with laughter.
“In my defense, it wasn’t like I wanted to make him feel stupid. I just thought he might not be so fluent in English.”
Helios slowly ran a finger across his throat.
She gulped. “Anyway, my time as a volunteer at Afxisi was made special because I got to wake him up most days. The times he was not alone, I’d rather not remember.” This time, her eyes bored through his while color stained his cheeks.
“I got to see sides of him that not everyone gets to see and all of it, the good and the bad, it just made me love him more.” She smiled at Helios, mouthingI love you.Tears stung her eyes as he mouthed the words back. The old Helios would have never done this for her, but ever since she had been taken away, it was as if Helios was determined to make her feel loved and cherished every second of her life, never mind if it meant having his pride dented once in a while.
But today, it was her turn to give back.
“Helios is the most magnificent man on earth. And in hindsight, I would never have known how much he loved me, I would never have been able to comprehend how much he loved me if not for the time...I was taken away.”
Silence descended on the crowd as her words sunk in.
Helios froze in his seat. While he had no problems hiding what had happened, he had never opened up about it, not wanting to cause MJ more distress. “MJ...”
She shook her head. “It’s okay. I got this.” And the smile she gave him was 100% the old MJ, the one who always worked hard to look for silver linings in every cloud.
“I used to ask God why did He let that happen to me. Why me? What did I do so horribly wrong that I had to go through that? But with every day that Helios made me feel loved, made me feel like the most important person in his life, I eventually understood that...maybe, maybe if that never happened, more women would have suffered the same fate, or maybe something worse if Helios hadn’t come to save me and put a stop to the entire operation. But more than that...if it didn’t happen, I might never have learned to love him as much as I love him now.”
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she continued tremulously, “If that didn’t happen, I would never have known how much Helios mattered to me, never would have allowed myself to love freely and open myself completely to the risk of being hurt. But because that happened...I can be the kind of woman who can give herself completely to the man I’ll marry. I can look straight into his eyes...”
She raised her gaze to Helios.
“And tell him,” she choked out, “that I really do love him with everything inside me and everything I can be. I will love him until my dying breath, and if it means dying now to make his life longer by just a second, I would do it. Because my every breath belongs to him. Because Helios Andreadis is my life, and I will never forget that—”
Helios had her in his arms before she broke down completely, and his lips caught hers before she could say another word. He was humbled beyond imagination at what she had revealed, knowing it was true. She was no longer looking at what happened to her with regret because for her, every second of it had been worth the lesson of learning to love freely.
“I love you,” he said fiercely against her lips. And he would love her forever.
Ten minutes later, and the priest was finally forced to stand up and go to the kissing couple. He tapped the groom’s shoulder. “The ceremony isn’t over yet, Mr. Andreadis.”
****
When Helios came outof the en-suite bathroom of his yacht’s master bedroom, he found his wife at the balcony, dressed in a silk nightgown with its matching robe. The look on her face made him cross the room swiftly, and wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her back, making her lean against his chest.
When their eyes met, he told her calmly, “You look like shit.”
The vacant look in her eyes disappeared. “I do not!”
He laughed, and after a second, she made a face, realizing he had pulled one over her again. It was his way, she had long ago realized, of making her stop thinking about memories that were best left forgotten.
Feeling his lips trail down her skin, she arched her neck to give him better access. “I love you, Mr. Andreadis,” she whispered shyly.
