Page 79 of Secrets, Lies and Love

She gasps, perhaps scared by my aggression. “What did he do wrong?”

“He drank, used drugs, and beat her, even after finding out that she was expecting a child.”

I stop at a light, and in the rearview mirror, I see the bodyguards following us. When I look to the side, Cecily is rigid in her seat, her face turned to the window.

“How did he die?” she asks, without looking at me.

“Does it matter? He deserved to die. I would kill him with my own bare hands if he was still among us.”

She still doesn’t say anything.

“Scared of my other side, Cecily? That’s me. A Kostanidis. I don’t forgive or feel sorry for my enemies.”

“It’s not that.”

“What’s wrong, then?”

“Nothing. I’d like to hear the rest of the story.”

“When I met her, Sue was in need. I found her on the street, in fact, very similar to what happened to us. She was trying to climb the sidewalk with a stroller. She was alone, hungry, and didn’t know what to do to take care of the child that was about to be born. I helped her. We ended up forming a bond. When Joseph was born, I fell in love with him and wanted him for myself.”

“And then you married her.”

“Yes.”

“Did you love her?”

“Not in a passionate way. As a mother and my partner, I felt affection for her. There were never any sparks or . . .”

“Or what?” she asks, turning in the seat to look at me.

“Hunger, redhead. I was never hungry for her like I am for you.”

Dionysus

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

“Shishi, Babas?*,”Joseph says, running towards us as soon as we enter the living room of Odin’s house.

I bend down to pick him up, and when I have him, I hold him against my chest. I’m not one to show emotion in public, but the idea that something could have happened to my son takes away any chance of restraint.

“He was anxious. I’m sorry about that, cousin,” Elina says, embarrassed, after giving me a kiss.

“It was an accident. I trust you, or I wouldn’t leave Joseph here. Thank you for acting quickly.”

“It was Odin who thought of everything,” she says, looking back when she notices her husband approaching. “In fact, I was desperate. I have never dealt with allergies with my children.”

Joseph is in my arms, but he also extends his little hand to Cecily, who accepts it and kisses it nonstop.

“I missed you so much, love,” she says, and my boy melts.

“Did you arrive today?” Odin asks, but I’m sure he already knows the answer.

“Yesterday.”

Elina doesn’t hide it when she looks from me to Cecily. I see my redhead blush. “Spent the night at home?” she asks.

“Yes, we did.”

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