Page 18

Brooklyn

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"What happened earlier today between you and Athanasios?" Madison asks after all the Kostanidis brothers have left and Silas and Soraya are tucked into bed.

I’m in awe of the care my sister has put into decorating my children’s room. Even if I didn’t already love her as much as I do, I’d still spend a lifetime trying to repay everything she’s done for the three of us.

We’re sitting on the bed in the room Eleanor’s prepared for me. Madison told me the previous house was a bit smaller, but to me, this one feels like a mansion.

She told her husband that she would spend the night here with me and Eleanor, for my first night back home. Her controlling—and devoted—husband decided to stay too. He’s in the guest room, probably waiting impatiently to have his wife back in his arms.

"I don’t really understand, to be honest," I finally reply. "We kissed in the car on the way here, and then, just minutes after telling me he wanted me, he left."

"You kissed?" she asks, smiling. "Wow! How was it?"

I close my eyes, replaying the memory of his passionate lips on mine. "I’ve never experienced anything like it. It’s like I’ve never really been kissed before. He’s so intense, you know? The way his hand held the back of my neck—my God! I’ve always thought of myself as someone who’s not particularly passionate, but I swear I literally melted in his arms."

"It was the same when Zeus kissed me for the first time. I was terrified of what he made me feel, but even so, in that first moment, I just knew."

"Knew what?"

"I knew that no matter how many guys I met afterward, none of them would ever compare to him."

I nod, understanding what she means, while my thoughts turn to the father of my children. Moses and I also had a significant age difference. He was only two years younger than Athanasios, but if I compare the two, my ex-partner comes across as incredibly immature.

Moses had a volatile temperament, easily swayed by others’ opinions—even at something as simple as a restaurant visit. He seemed to care so much about appearances, and now I realize it might have been because, after lying so much and assuming so many false identities, he’d probably lost sight of who he really was. Regardless, for someone like me who craves stability, his behavior created a lot of anxiety. One day he was fine, feeling invincible, and the next, he was taking out frustrations on me that I couldn’t even identify, treating me coldly.

Athanasios, on the other hand, is self-assured and doesn’t seem to care one bit about what others think. He doesn’t need validation because he knows exactly where he stands in the world.

"I’m scared."

"You’d be crazy not to be. But what exactly are you afraid of?"

"I don’t want to deceive myself, Madison. If I fall for Athanasios, it won’t be like it was with Moses—a dive into a swimming pool. It’ll be a leap into an abyss. I can’t afford to let a man break me. Soraya and Silas depend on me."

"I’m not saying you should dive in without thinking about the consequences, but don’t close yourself off completely either. I know what you went through was a nightmare, Brooklyn, but you have a chance to start over, to leave the past behind."

"The past will only truly be behind me once those men are convicted."

"I know, sister. I’m still trying to make sense of all this craziness: Moses not being Moses, the babies’ birth certificates being a sham...Jesus, it feels like something out of a movie."

"And then there’s that so-called cousin, Enya. Who is that woman, Madison? Thinking about it now, after everything I’ve discovered, I don’t think they were even related. Why did he agree to take her to dinner with us the day I found out I was pregnant?"

She falls silent, deep in thought. "I have no idea."

I shake my head, bewildered.

I always wanted children, but not so soon, and certainly not without planning, with a guy I barely knew. But what I’ve learned over the past few days goes beyond simply getting pregnant by a new boyfriend. I spent months living in a lie.

"What was his reaction when you told him you were pregnant?"

I try to recall. I was terrified, as we’d only been together for two months.

"He didn’t seem scared—he seemed happy, which is strange considering what the detective uncovered."

"Yeah, that reaction doesn’t align with the fact that he lied about his name. I don’t want to hurt you with what I’m about to say, but think about it: if he truly loved you, he would’ve told you the truth about who he was."

"I never thought of it that way. So what do you think happened?"

"I think it started as a game. He wanted to be with you because you’re beautiful, and then he got genuinely involved. I don’t know if he loved you, but when he found out you were pregnant, he wanted you—and the babies too. But by then, he’d lied too much to reveal his real identity."

"I still can’t believe how foolish I was, Madison."

"You weren’t. Don’t blame yourself for that scumbag’s lack of character." She pauses and hugs me. "Regardless of the police investigation, I know Zeus will dig into your ex’s past. There’s more to this story than we initially thought, sister."

"You’re scaring me."

"I don’t want you to be scared—I want you to stay alert. Zeus has already told me he’ll keep the bodyguards watching over you, Eleanor, and the kids."

"Bodyguards?"

"Yes, he assigned them as soon as I told him about how you ended up in a coma."

"My God, you married a saint, Madison!"

"Far from it, Brooklyn. I’ve already told you the story of their family. All the Kostanidis brothers have their sins to bear, but above all, they’re honorable men. Now I need to go, sister, or my bossy Greek will come fetch me in his impatient caveman style."

Despite the heavy topic, I laugh because I can totally imagine Zeus doing just that.

Madison is almost at the door when I call out to her.

She turns back. "What is it?"

"What if he’s already given up?"

"Athanasios?"

"Yes. What if the kiss didn’t mean anything?"

"Clearly, you’ve never dealt with a Greek man before, Brooklyn. They don’t give up on what they want so easily. I don’t know why Athanasios left, but I’d bet a lot that it wasn’t a definitive departure. You said he assigned you to another neurologist just to avoid any ethical conflicts between doctor and patient. That doesn’t sound like something a man like him would do unless he was serious about pursuing a relationship."