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“What? No.”
“Look, if you’ve changed your mind about me meeting your family...”
“You should know by now that no one forces me to do what I don’t want to do, Zoe.”
“Okay, so what’s wrong, Christos? This guessing game makes me anxious. I’m already nervous about meeting your parents, and your expression doesn’t help.”
I take her hand, which was resting on her thigh, and bring it to my lips, giving it a light kiss. “It has nothing to do with the trip. I still want you to meet my family.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“I’m thinking of how to tell you something.”
“Is it about Mike? If you’re worried about how I’m feeling about his death, don’t worry. I won’t lose five minutes of sleep over this. I’m not sure what happened, Christos, but I’ve already decided that I’m going to save my tears for those who deserve them. Dead or alive, I will never forgive him for what he did to my family. How could he have the gall, knowing my mother has cancer, how hard she’s been fighting to survive, to burn down the house with both of them inside? I mean, I understand that, in his crazy head, he wanted revenge. But my parents? No, you won’t see me mourn his death.”
“It has nothing to do with the jerk’s death.” I take a detour off the road. I see in the rearview mirror that the two cars with our bodyguards do the same. I turn off the engine and look at her. “Your marriage to Mike was invalid.”
“What?”
I’ll never win an award for diplomacy, so I dump it all at once. “It’s not in me to sit idly waiting for the police to discover his whereabouts. I asked a friend to go after him.”
“Wasn’t he the one who broke the news of Mike’s death?”
“No, that was my cousin. Anyway, my friend found out that Mike had a wife already, which makes your marriage invalid. And there’s more,” I continue, because it doesn’t make any sense to keep the rest of the information. “You wouldn’t have thought of checking your bank account with all this shit going on lately, but he cleaned it out, as well as the stocks you had invested.”
Christos
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
She unbucklesher seat belt and opens the car door. I see her walking away, both hands on her head.
I go after her. I knew she would be pissed when she found out Howard stole from her, but I didn’t anticipate such a desperate reaction.
“My good God!”
“Zoe.”
“It’s too much information, Christos. What did I do with my life? I’m relieved that our marriage was a sham. Not only the relationship itself but also legally. What else should I have expected from a liar who waited to put a ring on my finger before telling me about his lifestyle? His sexual deviations? That’s not what I’m nervous about right now, but rather the fact that he sold the shares. They were my only investment. My mother’s illness . . . The treatment requires a lot of money.”
“I can afford it.”
“I know you can, but it’s not your responsibility. That’s not why I’m with you. I always pay the bills myself.”
“Zoe, we signed a million-dollar deal, which is still standing. You will be able to get your finances in order.”
“It doesn’t feel right to get the money. We don’t even know when I’ll be able to go back to work . . .”
“But you will. Don’t worry about that. Now, let’s get back to the car, or my mom will pull our ears when we arrive. She doesn’t like to be late for dinner.”
She comes close and hugs me. “I’m not being dramatic. I’ve gotten used to being alone and paying my family’s bills. I don’t share these concerns.”
“I’m not good at sharing either, but I’m the best at dealing with problems,” I joke because she still looks tense.
She lifts her head from my chest. “Your self-confidence has always turned me on. You’re very arrogant but in a sexy way.”
“Everything about you turns me on.”
She stands on her tiptoes and wraps her arms around my neck for a kiss. I don’t usually give public displays of affection, mainly because I know my bodyguards are likely watching us, but nothing with Zoe plays by the rules. I’ve already made peace with the fact that she’s the only one in my life.
