Page 45 of The Greek Billionaire's Rejected Secretary

You didn't have to ask? It's all part of the plan that Adriano Kontides live the rest of his life in torment?

"I received a call from Hope as soon as I finished praying," she says shakily. "And she told me..."

Ah.

"How you lost your mind because you were jealous of a dog."

I honestly wouldn't put it that way, but...

That was what it was.

And when Shayla actually starts laughing...

It can't be this easy, God.

It can't.

How can you not punish me for hurting someone like Shayla?

I wasn't expecting an answer. I didn't think I deserve one. But God...

God.

I'm finally starting to understand just how much He loves even cruel idiots like me as I hear Him say,Forgive yourself, son. Just like Shayla and I've already forgiven You.

SHAYLA

The past two weeks have been hard. But bearable. I kept waiting for myself to lose hope. But I never did. I kept waiting for myself to start feeling alone again. But I never did. And most of all, I kept waiting for my heart to finally break into pieces. So I could start hating him and stop loving him. But none of those things happened either.

And it was only when I received Hope's call yesterday that everything became clear.

A dog, for goodness' sake!

A dog!

Adriano is one of East Coast's toughest and smartest litigators...and yet he still ended up dumping me because of a dog?

It made me laugh and cry while listening to my friend excitedly discuss her every hypothesis, all of which I also believe to be true.

Because I know my boss.

I've been working for him for eight-and-a-half years.

I know what makes him tick. What makes him smile. And most of all, I know what would make someone who's always been noble...do something so, so cruel out of the blue.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness."

His words make me want to laugh. And cry. I know there's a saying about how opposites attract, but I think in our case, it's the other away around. We're each other's mirror image, and it's why, even from the start, we've always understood each other.

Just like how I understand he's punishing himself the way I used to punish myself.

Needlessly.

I place one trembling hand on his cheek, and his big body shudders at my touch.

"We've both hurt each other because of our past, Adriano. But when it comes to what we've both said and done to each other?" A smile wobbles to my lips. "Everything we did, every day we've spent together, it was always good and beautiful. We were falling in love with each other from the first day we met. We just didn't know—"

His jaw suddenly clenches, and I stop speaking as fear gets the better of me.

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