Page 48

Odin

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

I wait, rather anxiously, for her to decide our future. There's nothing else I can do besides that.

Maybe the things I said were brutal, but every single one of them was true.

If this is the beginning of our life as husband and wife, as well as the beginning of our lives as parents, I want it to be based on honesty.

“I can't deny that what you're saying shakes me, but from the bottom of my heart, I believe it's much more because we grew up being told that we should love and respect father and mother rather than any feelings I might have had for him.”Her face is as serious as ever. “Leandros was never a father to me or to any of my siblings. He was the provider, but mainly, our tormentor. I don't know if I'll ever fully recover from the things he did to me. I don't even have the courage to say it out loud. The humiliations, the beatings?—”

“No one will ever lay a finger on you again. I promise.”

She nods in agreement. “People think that having a father and mother in the house is the same as having love. They are wrong. To Greek society, the Argyros family was exemplary, but no one had any idea about what happened behind closed doors. ”

I know I should wait until she's finished, but I can't. The sadness in her voice compels me to touch her.

"Do you remember when I told you I didn't want to get married? Like most girls, I dreamed of having a family, but as I grew up and saw the way my mother was treated, marriage began to look like a prison.”

“Do you feel stuck with me?”

“Yes, but in a good way. I don't want to leave.”

“I don't want you to go, my Elina. Before you, life was just a series of meaningless days.”

“Does it make sense now? Life, I mean. We haven't talked about having a baby, and I'm pregnant.”

“I didn't want to promise anything without being sure what our future would be like when it all came to an end, but I need you to know that every breath I take from now on will be for you and for our son.”

“Come here.”She reaches back on the bed and pats the spot beside her.

I take off my shoes and, after lying down, pull her into my arms.

“Is it done? Is the past behind us? I need your word.”

“Yes. You have it.”

“Odin, when I left home today, I weighed everything and decided that I am exactly where I want to be, but I need you to promise me that there will be no more hatred or rancor in our home. I love you more than I could ever explain, but I will only stay if you can give all of your heart and soul to our family. I want to build a home with you, but one where there is love between us and the children we will have.”

“That sounds like heaven to me.”