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Zoe

Two Months Later

“You might feel a bit sore in your arm, miss,” the nurse who had just given the first shot of the vaccine tells me.

Contrary to our initial thoughts, there were already enough shots for everyone, even though they prioritized senior citizens. I decided to get mine before the wedding because, even at the risk of being bigger on the day of the party, I knew I’d feel more relaxed knowing that everybody is immunized.

Bia came along. This is the first time we’ve met after all the tragedy, even though we’ve spoken on the phone almost every day. Lately, mainly in relation to the wedding.

“I don’t like being in pain,” she tells the nurse, pulling up her sleeve to get her dose.

“The other option is much worse,” I point out.

“Don’t tell me that. Thank God life will finally get back to normal. Once you’re married, I’m finally going on vacation to the Caribbean, starting my long-awaited sabbatical year.”

“A cruise?” I ask as we walk back to the car.

“No. My friend married a millionaire.” She stops and smiles. “ Another friend of mine besides you,” she corrects herself, “married a millionaire. Although, in Christos’s case, the right thing to say is billionaire.”

“And will they lend you an island?” If she wants to travel, she could go to Christos’s island in Greece.

“Are you jealous?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Perhaps during my wanderings next year, I might pass by yours.”

“Just let me know if you really want to go.”

“Speaking of Greece, the commercial and catalog you made on Christos’s island are scattered all over the world. Do you have any idea how many phone calls and emails Miguel has received every day from brands wanting you to represent them?

“Let’s get rich,” I joke.

“You’re already rich. The contract you closed with Christos got you to such a level you’re envied among the catwalk elite. But according to Miguel, you got a proposal from Vanity’s rival. They are willing to double Christos’s offer for an exclusive contract and still pay his fine if you decide to change boats.”

“Does this company know that my Greek is not only my employer but also my future husband?”

“Probably, even if you haven’t announced your marriage in public yet.”

“Because Christos decided to do that when we go to the opera, in an exclusive introduction to high society, a little more than a month from now. My belly will already be visible, and the gossip websites present will have two topics to talk about at once. It will be good, even, because when they find out I’m pregnant, they’ll quickly give up offering me a fortune to model.”

“I don’t know. This new Vanity commercial is so popular now, I believe they would be willing to wait for you to have the baby.”

“I doubt very much that they don’t know that Christos and I are together. Gossip runs wild in our industry. Do they really think I would break a contract with my future husband in exchange for more money?”

“Love, you don’t know what some people are capable of for a few extra bucks in their account. ”

“Some people are, but not me. Even if I wasn’t in love with Christos, no amount of money would make me break a contract. I will stay exclusively with Vanity for the agreed five years; then, I’ll stop modeling altogether.”

OPERA NIGHT

A Month and a Half Later

“I’m a little nervous,” I say before he opens the limo door. “No, let me rephrase that. I’m very nervous.”

“I know. I already know you, Zoe. You are emanating electricity.”

“They’ll eat me alive when I get out of the car. Mainly because of the dress I chose.”

He looks at my rounded belly. Because I’m thin, if I wore a loose dress, I could still hide it, but with this tight and strapless dress, there’s no doubt.

“Did you do it on purpose?”

“Yes. I’m not ashamed of our boys.”

We found out we are having twins. It was a surprise and a joy, too. Two babies at the same time are a blessing. I just didn’t understand how it was possible until talking to Madeline on the phone—my cousin and, I think, the only blood relative who likes me. She told me that her mother had a miscarriage of twins once. Then she told me about cases of twins in the family, saying that’s probably why I was blessed.

She’s a sweetheart, and she’s going to be here tonight. Unfortunately, so is her mother, but life isn’t perfect, is it?

“Fuck gossip, Zoe. What matters is the two of us. Or rather, the four of us. No one will make us ashamed of our family.”

“Never. I think the nerves are more because I don’t like to be in the spotlight. ”

“Not drawing attention in your case is impossible. You are beautiful. Go inside with your head held high. I will be by your side every step of the way.”

The car door opens, and I see the bodyguards already in place. Christos gets out and offers me his hand, and as I step out, I’m blinded by flashes. It’s scary because even with the security guards’ human barrier, they look like flies on honey.

It’s as if now that they’re all vaccinated, they’ve given themselves the right to forget about good manners. I’m used to the harassment, especially at the end of a fashion show, but what’s happening today is surreal.

It can only be because of Vanity, or possibly for being on Christos’s arm, or perhaps for both things together.

I keep a frozen, impersonal smile, and my face is stiff with tension. The only thing that reassures me a little is Christos’s arm around my waist while his other hand cups my abdomen.

I ignore the questions that seem to come from all sides, concentrating on not tripping.

My heart beats too fast, and my hands are cold. It’s more difficult than I imagined, and I can only breathe a sigh of relief when we finally enter the theatre.

“Everything ok?” Christos asks.

“Yes,” I lie and then correct myself. “Anxious.”

He kisses my lips. “I don’t want to be here either, but we need this public appearance. Otherwise, the world would turn upside down when they found out about the marriage and the pregnancy. It will be better this way. Tomorrow, Yuri will make an official statement in the newspapers.”

I nod, praying that the night will go by quickly.

“Zoe?” a hesitant voice calls out to me, and I turn around to see who it is.

It’s my cousin, Madeline Turner.

“I can’t believe we’re finally meeting again,” she says.

We don’t kiss or hold hands. It’s horrible, but people have avoided doing it even after taking the shot. I think this will be another scar in the collective memory: the fear of hugging and kissing .

“Madeline, I’m so glad to see you. You’re beautiful.”

“Thanks,” she says shyly. She really is beautiful. Fair skin, huge blue eyes, and delicate as a fairy. She wears a long, red, flashy dress that doesn’t match her personality at all. I’m sure she wasn’t the one who chose it.

“Madeline, this is my fiancé, Christos. Christos, this is the cousin I told you about, Madeline.”

They exchange pleasantries, and a man approaches, catching my fiancé’s attention. I turn to talk to Madeline but freeze when I hear someone say, “Zoe, how wonderful to see you again, darling!”

Oh, Jesus. Hypocrisy has a first and last name: Adley Turner, my aunt. Or rather, Madeline’s mother, since she was never an aunt to me.

And “darling”? She offered me a maid’s uniform the last time we saw each other!

I turn towards the voice begrudgingly.

The woman has a smile so wide—and fake—it looks like she’s got a tattoo on her face. “You never visited me again, but I’m not one to hold grudges, so I’ll disregard your ingratitude.”

I can’t hold back an eye roll.

“I’m very happy with the campaign’s success,” she says, looking at my pregnant belly, clearly marked by the dress.

Maybe I’m too sensitive, but I feel like she’s insinuating I got the job because of the belly bump since Vanity is Christos’s.

“Thanks,” I reply dryly.

“But I see you won’t be able to shoot for a long time.” She takes a step forward with her hand outstretched as if to stroke my belly.

I walk backward, but before I can move any farther, Christos’s voice booms. “No.”

It’s an undeniable ‘no’—the kind that leaves no doubt and is brimming with subtext:

Don’t come any closer.

Don’t bother my wife.

Don’t touch my children.

She freezes, her smile fading a little. “Christos Lykaios. I heard some talk that my niece was”— she pauses dramatically, and I want to hit her—“ working with you.”

I hear a disgusted sigh from Madeline, and I feel sorry for her. She’s probably ashamed of her mother’s behavior.

My fiancé puts his arm around me. “She is not just working,” he says at a volume anyone inside the VIP can hear. “She is mine in every way. Zoe will be my wife and the mother of my children.”

An “ohhhhh” is heard, and then silence reigns for almost half a minute.

Adley is the first to recover. “Oh, what a joy!” She completely changes her tone. “Congratulations, Zoe. I am very happy with the news. When is the wedding?”

I hit my limit of masochism for the day.

Ignoring the viper’s question, I turn to Madeline. “Can you join me in the toilet?”

“Of course.”

I take Christos’s hand and give it a kiss. “I’ll be back.”

He looks at me like he wants to say something but holds himself back. As we walk away, I notice a bodyguard following us.