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“Shut up,” Damen gritted out. He looked down at Mairi, telling her tightly, “Don’t listen to her—-”
Esther laughed madly. “Listen to me or not, you will soon learn for yourself that Damen will never learn to trust or love you. How can he? I’ve raised him myself, haven’t I?” She pointed an accusing finger at Damen. “If you really love that slut, Damen, then should you have brought her back into your life? Is it love, knowing that she would be forced to suffer at your side, knowing that it would mean having her face the whole world – knowing that every person she meets thinks of her as your gold-digging whore?” Her laughter turned mocking. “Is that what you calllove, dear Damen?”
Damen was unable to speak, his mind tortured by the reality of Esther’s words.Washe being too selfish again? Would it be better to tear his heart out now and let Mairi go rather than risk destroying hers again?
Mairi felt terribly protective towards Damen when she saw the look of devastation on his face. Taking his hand in hers, she turned to Esther and looked at the other woman in the eye. “You don’t have the right to say that to him.” She had always felt a little intimidated by the older woman, but not anymore. It was funny, the way she had never felt mad at Esther whenever Damen’s mother belittled her. But now that Esther was trying to hurt Damen, everything in Mairi wanted to defend her husband.
Esther hissed, “How dare you—-”
Mairi shook her head vehemently, cutting Esther off as she cried out, “How dareyoutalk about love when you’ve never shown it to your children?”
Esther threw back her head in an arrogant, scornful laugh. “Andyouknow about love, is that it? After being exposed as a scheming gold-digging bitch by your own husband?”
Lifting her chin, Mairi said evenly, “I don’t give a damn what the world thinks. All I care about is that Damen and I know the truth. We love each other and...and...” Mairi wanted to tell Esther that she was a soulless bitch and a heartless mother, but such cruelty was beyond her, even now, and so she ended up saying, “...our love is real, unlike your nose!”
There was a moment of stunned silence before Esther released a livid gasp, a sound that was immediately drowned by the laughter that burst out from the crowd.
Oh, drat, Mairi thought a second later. Had she really said that?
An arm curled around her waist, and then she was being spun around. She landed against Damen’s hard body and Mairi found herself looking up at him. Relief flooded her when she saw that he no longer looked devastated, and there was even a gleam of amusement in his silvery gray eyes.
When he started to speak, she held her breath, fearing he’d be mad at her for saying something so silly. At the back of her mind, she remembered all the times he had chosen not to confide in her about his problems, and she had always feared it was because he thought her too stupid and unsophisticated to help him with it.
But in the end all he said was, “How did you know my mother had a nose job?”
Head lowering in shame because she now felt she had been too petty, Mairi whispered, “I typed #EstherLeventis on Twitter and saw a magazine article about it.”
“I have never had a nose job!” Esther was screaming. “I’ll sue you for slander, you bitch—-”
“Yes, you have, Mother,” Damen said without heat, his back still to her, his amused gaze still on his embarrassed wife. Something warm and tender had uncurled inside him the moment Mairi took his hand and spoke in his defense, and the feeling only grew stronger the longer he looked at his wife. “I think we’re done here,” he told him quietly. “Shall we go?”
Mairi said simply, “Whatever you want.”
The words made Damen want to kiss her. God, how he loved this woman. Maybe he really was selfish for keeping her with him, but if she ever found it in her heart to love him again, Damen swore on his life he’d devote every second of his time to making her feel cherished.
Mairi watched Damen and Drake exchange looks before they simultaneously moved to keep her in between them while they made their way back to the sidewalk. The silent communication made her bite back a smile.Maybe one day, Mairi hoped fervently,they could even be friends. That could happen, right?
Damen’s arm was still around her waist, and silly or not, she took comfort in the possessive way he held her close to him.Was it also silly, Mairi wondered,that even though they had all the odds stacked against them, she had never felt closer to Damen?It felt like it was just the two of them against the world, Mairi thought wistfully, and stupid silly her, but she couldn’t be happier about it.
As Drake called for a cab, Mairi saw Damen reach for his phone and answer a call. He spoke Greek in a low voice, but since she stood close to him, it was easy enough for Mairi to understand his words. “I’m not alone right now. I’ll talk to you later.”
When he put the phone down, she asked, “Who was that?”
Damen stilled.
After a beat he answered, “No one important.”
All Mairi’s hopes for Damen and her died at those words. She could only think of one person that Damen wouldn’t want her to know he was talking to.
Alina.