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Chapter One
Three days later
The twins were running around like puppies let loose for the first time, unbearably excited about their unplanned vacation. Arkansas was fairytale land for them, a chance to relive their mother’s childhood stories, and that they could also spend time with their grandparents was an added bonus.
Leo ran after the twins, as fast as his chubby legs could carry him, caught up by all the excitement.
With everyone distracted, Pollyanna was left alone for the first time with her husband. Standing stiffly beside him, she found herself wishing, unfairly, that the porters would move more quickly in loading their luggage in the trunk.
For the past two nights, she had slept in Annalisa’s room and had avoided speaking to him at all.
Because, she thought painfully, what was there to say, really?
All necessary communication had been done through his secretary, and when she had made the decision to leave yesterday, she had been beside herself while waiting for him to respond.
Would he stop her from leaving? What a selfish jerk he was, if he did—-
But then his secretary had called Pollyanna, telling her that he had been instructed to make the travel arrangements, and she had thought, He’s itching to get rid of me to be with HER.
Pollyanna took a deep breath. Even she knew she was being perverse, and honestly, she didn’t really want to think about HER at all.
But even with this thought still on her mind, heartbreak had the words tumbling past her lips.
“She’s my godparents’ daughter, isn’t she?”
Kyr froze.
“I kept thinking she was familiar,” Pollyanna said jerkily under her breath. “And it’s not just that she’s an actress.” She let out a brittle laugh, the sound causing her husband’s head to snap towards her.
“Polly—-”
She cut him off, saying very brightly, “I know, total understatement, right? My bad. I should have described her as one of the most popular actresses today.” And as soon as the words were out, she wished she hadn’t said anything at all.
This had to be the worst love triangle to be in, she thought hysterically.
A Greek billionaire, a Hollywood star, and a mother-of-four with a high school diploma as her only achievement in life—-
The sound of his wife audibly choking back a sob had Kyr’s fists clenching. “Yes,” he forced himself to say.
Pollyanna paled.
“She’s the Floros’ daughter.” He was determined to never lie to her again, no matter how it fucked things up for him. “We grew up together.”
Oh. They had grown up together. Pollyanna’s head reeled at what this meant.
“She’s my ex.”
Well, she had sort of expected that—-
“For nine years.”
But not that.
And it was like a blow to the heart, and Pollyanna almost swayed at the devastating pain of it.
My God, nine years, Polly thought numbly. Even her marriage hadn’t been that long. And if they had grown up together, then they must have known each other longer than nine years then. Maybe even been in love with each other far longer than nine years?
Oh God, she could just picture it.
A teenage Kyrillos Gazis, heartbreakingly handsome, wooing the island’s golden girl, and oh God, oh God—-
Suddenly, she felt like she was the most stupid girl in the world.
The entire island had to have known about them.
They had to.
Everyone here had grown up together, everyone knew everyone’s business.
They had to have known about Kyr and HER.
And they hadn’t told Pollyanna about them.
She could just imagine what everyone was thinking, every time they saw Pollyanna, wearing her heart on her sleeve so damn proudly.
“I hate you.” The words were torn out of her in a jagged whisper, and she meant it. She wished there was something worse she could say, but she was just so broken she couldn’t think of anything else.
But her husband only looked at her. “I love you.”
Liar. Pollyanna’s head snapped to the front, and she hugged herself, feeling frozen even when summer was still in all its sweltering glory on the island.
“Why didn’t you just marry her?” She knew she shouldn’t even care about it, but she did.
“Because she married someone else first.” And knowing that to hide the truth would only make it worse, he gritted out, “I learned about it...the day I took your virginity.”
Pollyanna paled.
That night came back to her, excruciatingly vivid, the memory enshrined in her mind.
But her husband’s words turned it into a nightmare in an instant.
She remembered that night, of undressing herself, of seducing him, of wanting to heal his inexplicable pain with her body, of practically forcing herself on him—-
Oh God.
All her special memories, the most special people in her life—-
It all belonged to that woman first.
The bed, the GODDAMN bed that they had made love in for the first time, had belonged to HER.
The Floros, whom she had thought of as her second parents, was HERS.
And this man, her entire world had revolved around him, not knowing that his world revolved around THAT WOMAN.
