Page 181 of Love Among the Ruins
CHAPTERFORTY-EIGHT
ELENI
Dominic wouldn’t let her walk back home alone in the early hours.
Eleni couldn’t remember if he had always been this protective about her, or if it was something recent, but it made her feel cherished, and that gave her some solace.
Her life had become the stuff of soap operas; the sort of show her mother would watch if it ended up as a show on TV.
But this was her life, and she was suddenly weary of facing more curveballs. What was supposed to have been just a short term job in Athens, had now resulted in something much bigger, with life-changing consequences.
She’d fallen in love with Dominic, had moved on with her life, and now she stood at the precipice of discovering who her father could be. That there was a possibility it might be Hector Galatis, one of the richest men in Greece, made her insides hollow out at the thought.
The irony of it, if it were true.
She had despised the rich, until she’d fallen in love with Dominic, and now one of the richest men in all of Greece might turn out to be her father.
“Of all the men, in all of Greece, it had to be him.” She turned to Dominic. “Are you… is this…?” She tilted her head, because the coincidences were too many.
“What?”
Involved, somehow,she wanted to say. In the silence that followed, she tried to think it through. How it was all tied together. Dominic and Galatis, and her. It was either a conspiracy, or fated, her and Dominic meeting, but her brain was fogged over and she couldn’t quite work it out.
“Why did you give Miranda your watch?”
“I don’t honestly know. I wasn’t thinking straight. I don’t think straight when you’re around.” His voice was at a lower frequency, one which only her heart could hear and make meaning of.
“But—”
“I guess it was some sort of ransom. I take you and give them my watch. But you’re much more precious than the watch, than anything I could ever own.” Silence hung in the air while she absorbed his words and let them seep into her.
He’d come all this way to tell her face to face when he could have summoned her to his office instead. That had to mean something. Shewantedit to mean something. Now she understood why he’d been cold to her that day. She was reeling from the news herself and could see how much of a shock it must have been for Dominic. Maybe he felt torn, about the deal, about Galatis? She hoped not.
They stopped at the door of her apartment building. Dominic’s eyes were dark, the shadows under them making him look haggard and suddenly so much older. Her heart softened. She wanted to put her arms around him and forget the mess that was her life, the landscape of ruins she’d been trying to navigate these last few years.
She wanted the bubble that had been Santorini. The magic and music of being adored by Dominic Steele, even if just for a night. He had cherished her like no other and now that she’d had a taste, she wanted it for always.
“I have to do this, alone.”
“I know.” That muscle flexed along his jawline again. “I’m going back to Athens. You take all the time you need. Paid, of course.”
A small fissure formed in her heart. “It’s not always about the money, Dominic.”
“I know. I just want to make sure that you’re okay.”
There was so much unsaid between them, and it seemed rude to walk inside and leave him. She didn’t know whether to shake his hand or touch his arm. Or …
“Goodbye, Eleni. Good luck.”
She took a deep breath and walked in.
Her mother was up, floating around in her short nightie, a cup of coffee in her hands. “This is late, Eleni. It must have been a good night.” She patted the space on the small sofa beside her. Eleni walked over and sat, her heart in her throat.
“Where are your friends, Leni?
Miranda.
She’d forgotten all about Miranda and Stefanos. Stefanos would have taken Miranda back to his place.
