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It’s as if life is forcing me to rip off the pride bandage, I’ve been wearing, as if I’m receiving a call from above, an awakening.
For two years now, I’ve been going in circles, keeping my distance, stuck in a true abyss, when I knew all along that there was no chance of burying what had happened between us in the past.
I decide the game is over.
I could have lost her today. She is the one woman to ever mess up my world in a short period of time and make me feel and want more.
I don’t know what will happen from now on, but I won’t keep my distance anymore.
“Christos, I’d like to speak with you alone,” her mother asks after the doctor and Zoe’s Dad walk out into the hallway.
“Of course.”
She motions to the armchair next to her bed. As soon as I arrived, I arranged for them to be transferred to a private room. “Please sit. I want to talk about Zoe.”
“About me beingtheman from Barcelona?” I repeat the words she used.
“Also, that. For now, let me tell you about my girl. First of all, keep in mind that I’m very old, but I’m lucid. Yesterday, I talked with my daughter, and now that you’re here, I just put two and two together.”
“I don’t know if I understand.”
“I believe you want to see Zoe right now. So, do I. But from what the doctor said, she’s still sedated; we have time. I’ll start from the beginning: I’ve always wanted children, but who knows why God determined that I wouldn’t have any of my own—at least, not biological ones. When my husband and I decided to adopt, we thought and evaluated a lot beforehand. We were never rich but rather regular working class, both with jobs from Monday through Friday and humble paychecks. However, we believed that we checked all the right boxes to be called father and mother: plenty of love to give.”
“When we first met in Barcelona, Zoe told me she had been rejected from several homes,” I tell her, and in fact, that memory serves me well.I don’t know if I have forgotten the details. More likely, I pushed them to the back of my mind in a sort of defensive instinct against the woman who, I now have the courage to admit, hurt not only my pride but also my feelings.
“Yes, we took her in during her preteens, and I swear on all the holiest of holies, I’ve never seen a sadder look on a child. She was always beautiful, but that wasn’t what made me so sure I wanted her for myself; it was the hopelessness on her face. I’m not going to go back in time and recount every detail, because I don’t feel emotionally strong enough to do so. It was a difficult time for the three of us until we managed to convince her that we would never give her up.”
I give my full attention to the conversation. Hearing Macy’s words is like watching a teen movie starring Zoe. She tells me how the girl was afraid to state her wishes, always afraid of not pleasing them and ending up back in the state’s care.
“Why did people reject her?’
“Who knows? Probably because they didn’t realize parenting someone was a 24/7 job. You can’t switch off a child when you get tired of playing with them. You need to pay attention and give love. It requires dedication. But I am telling you this so that I can get to the time you two met in Barcelona. I don’t know what happened there. She didn’t tell me what happened on the ship nor that she had met anyone. But when she came back, she was deeply depressed. Even the prospect of a new career, which began shortly after she returned, didn’t improve her condition. She traveled a lot but locked herself in her room and hardly spoke whenever she was home.”
“Do you think I’m the cause?” I ask, confused as hell. “Zoe left me with just a note.” It’s uncomfortable to share details of our short relationship. I’m not one to confide in anyone, but since the cards are on the table, so be it.
I remember her asking me about whether the money in the envelope was some kind of payment.
Was that possibly the reason she left? Did she think I paid her for the night we had?
No, there had to be more to it. I may have been determined to win her no matter what, but I never treated her like a luxury escort.
“Keep in mind she was only eighteen. She was always mature for her age but still very young.” There’s no scolding behind her tone. “If you’re here after all this time, it’s because what happened between you two isn’t over yet.”
“Not for me.”
She nods. “I can’t say if the depression was linked to what she experienced in Spain, and I don’t even want to get involved in your relationship, but I’m telling this whole story so I can beg you, Mr. Lykaios . . . if what you want with my daughter is just an adventure, please leave right now.”
I open my mouth, but she holds a hand up, stopping me.
“Zoe is much stronger now than she was a few years ago, but she’s already experienced too many losses. You are a rich man and also generous. I thank you with all my heart for what you’re doing for me, but don’t hurt my daughter, or I’ll curse you all the days I have left on Earth.”
Christos
CHAPTER THIRTY
It’sthree in the afternoon, and Zoe’s parents have already been transferred to the clinic that was set up exclusively for them. I also asked Yuri to arrange a property to install them in if they wish to return to ahome,and to help them get new documentation.
I transferred a large sum of money to Scott’s account. They lost everything in the fire, including bank details and credit cards.
