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“I’ll be placing the wreath now,” the stylist announced.
Mairi nodded, her eyes going to her reflection. The wreath was a gift from her aunts, a work of art made from gold-plated vines and pearls roped in the shape of flowers. They had spoken on the phone last night, and when the memory of their conversation fluttered inside her mind, Mairi had to take deep breaths to keep herself from breaking down.
‘We so badly want to be there, Mairi, but right now we can help you more if we stay here,’ Vilma had said.
‘This time, dear girl, we’ll be fighting for you. And all we ask is that you be strong for us. Can you do that for us, Mairi?’ Norah had asked.
The stylist stepped back to admire his handiwork. “There, we’re done...”
Mairi slid her feet into the shoes that looked very much like glass slippers, a gift from Diana Leventis and her classmates. The girls had used their own allowance to buy Mairi their gift, and they had sent it with aselfiephoto of the entire class.
We love you, Ms. Yay!
Thank you for teaching us to dream.
Slowly, she stood up, and the stylist took her hand to draw Mairi towards the full-length mirror at the side of the room.
A young woman looked back at her, dressed in a white silk dress that bared her shoulders and emphasized the slimness of her waist before falling to a loose ballerina skirt that fell a few inches past her knees.
So many people had suffered because of her foolish heart and her decision to love blindly.
This time, it would be different.
This time, she would be strong for everyone.
It might be a mistake to love Damen after everything, but it was a mistake that she knew she would make over and over again.
She loved Damen, and she would always love him but this time, she would make sure her love would hurt no one – not her aunts, not her friends, not even Damen – but herself.
“Are you ready?”
It was not the stylist who spoke. This time, the low, dark voice came from Ioniko Vlahos, one of the few persons who had remained at her side from the very start. Dressed in a dove gray suit, the Greek billionaire had insisted on the honor of giving her away when he realized that neither Mairi nor Damen would be dissuaded from their decision to marry before leaving the hospital.
She nodded.
Ioniko moved to her side and gently took her arm. Looking down at Mairi, he realized that a part of him had always known this beautiful young woman would never belong to him. From the very start, Mairi only had eyes for one Greek billionaire.
Still, he had to ask, “You are sure of this?”
A brief smile touched her lips as she answered honestly, “It’s what I’ve always dreamed of.”
Ioniko’s lips curved.
That explained it all, really.
Since Damen Leventis was no longer a Greek billionaire, that really explained it all.
****
DAMEN’S CHEST TIGHTENEDwith each step Mairi took towards him.
Beside him, Damen’s best man said under his breath, “You must allow yourself to breathe, my friend.” He was Stavros Manolis, another Greek billionaire whose looks and power had turned him into a celebrity figure. Notorious for being reclusive and aloof, Stavros had shocked the world when it was revealed that he, too, had been vying for the hand of Mairi Tanner, now labelled as a modern-day Mata Hari.
Color stained Damen’s high cheekbones at the realization that he had not taken a breath since the first step Mairi took inside his room. Having overheard Stavros’ aside, the nurses who had been invited to witness the wedding giggled to themselves.
But soon the sounds died and all that was left was the most profound silence as Mairi came to stand in front of Damen.
Their gazes met.