Page 84 of Slightly Married
“Hello, Dimitrios,” I said, glad to see his friendly face.
Matthaios appeared next, his expression darkening when he spotted me. Unlike the others, there was no welcome in his eyes.
“You came back,” he said flatly.
“Matthaios,” Irida warned.
“Where’s Simone?” he demanded, taking a step toward me. “Is she with you?”
I raised my chin. “I’ll tell you where Simone is when she’s married to another man and they’re expecting their third child.”
His face flushed with anger, but before he could respond, another voice cut through the tension.
“Matthaios, get lost.” Konstantin stood in the doorway, his tall frame locked with apprehension.
“I’m simply askingmy sistera question, Kostas,” Matthaios shot back. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“Back off, Matthaios. My wife doesn’t answer to you.”
Our eyes met across the foyer, and everything else faded away. He looked tired. There were new lines around his eyes, and his longer facial hair was streaked with silver.
“Michaila,” K said, his voice holding a question.
I placed a protective hand over my belly. “I thought it would be easier this way. For the appointments.”
His eyes dropped to my rounded stomach, lingering there before returning to my face. “You should have told me. I would have sent my plane.”
“I made it here safely,” I stated, suddenly aware of the audience watching our exchange with undisguised interest.
Domna cleared her throat. “Perhaps Kayla would like to rest after her journey.”
Konstantin stepped forward, bridging the gap between us with careful movements. “I’ll escort you up.”
I nodded, grateful for the escape. The others parted wordlessly, creating a path for us. Their eyes followed us as we crossed the foyer.
We ascended the staircase in silence. Konstantin followed close behind me without touching me.
“The nursery furniture you ordered was delivered yesterday,” he mentioned. “The assembly team is coming tomorrow morning.”
I nodded, surprised he’d kept up with the purchases as I handled arrangements with Andreas.
The corridor stretched before us, ending at our old bedroom. He pushed open the double doors, revealing the room exactly as I remembered.
“I moved back to my bedroom,” he explained.
Disappointment swept over me. “Alright.”
Our eyes met briefly before I looked away.
“I’ll let you rest,” he said, retreating toward the door.
When the door closed behind him, I sank onto the bed, unsure if I’d made the right decision in coming. I’d spent months telling myself I was fine without Konstantin, that our marriage had always been temporary, that the deceit had simply accelerated an inevitable end.
Moving to the window, I gazed out at the familiar view of the gardens where we’d walked countless times. Pride and hurt and anger had kept me isolated during the most transformative months of my life.
I missed his presence beside me at night. The way he’d rest his hand on the small of my back when we walked together. Even his irritating habit of reorganizing my toiletries.
But it wasn’t just Konstantin I’d missed. It was Sunday lunches on the terrace after church, Domna’s folklores, Santo’s terrible jokes and even Dimitrios’s flirtatious banter with every woman who crossed his path. They had become my family too, making the betrayal cut deeper and the separation more painful.
