He sucked in his breath. “My father’s bias against Castor and his children for being who they are has been unconscionable, Stephanie. After what he did to my mother and the way he spoke to you, I can’t be in the same room with him.”
She put a hand to his cheek. “But she’s forgiven him and so have I. As you told me, he’s afraid and doesn’t know how to make things right. If you don’t show him the way, his fear of losing you will send him to the grave a desperately unhappy man. What joy could there be in that for any of us?”
Nikos felt sick to his stomach. “I can’t do it. Don’t ask that of me.”
Stephanie pulled her hand away from him and stared out the window. “Then you go to Tassos’s family for Christmas. I’ll go to your parents and take your family their gifts.”
Seeing black, Nikos started the car and drove straight to the dock.
* * *
As Stephanie passed the lounge on her way to the bedroom, she saw a five-foot Christmas tree studded with colored lights set up over by the entertainment center. Yannis had been busy while they’d been gone. She walked over to it and examined some of the ornaments.
After the devastating silence in the car while Nikos drove them back to the yacht, the sight of this brought her immeasurable delight. There was no one like Nikos. But the lights brought pain, too, making a mockery of the peace and joy Christmas was supposed to bring. They’d reached an impasse. His mother’s invitation and Stephanie’s acceptance had ruined this beautiful day.
Desperate to make things right between them, she hurried to his room before he could lock her out. That’s what he’d been doing for months. The night before last she’d heard the gut-wrenching moaning and sobbing that came from his bedroom. So far she’d counted four episodes she knew about since their wedding.
When she discussed this with Yannis, the older man said it was a good sign that they weren’t happening as often as they had in the beginning, which could only mean Nikos was slowly getting better. Stephanie wanted that for him more than anything.
He was such an outstanding man; she couldn’t reconcile everything she knew about him with the side of his nature that had caused him to shut down just now. She couldn’t leave it alone. This was too serious. Without knocking, she opened the door, determined they were going to talk everything out.
She couldn’t prevent the cry that escaped when she discovered he’d removed his clothes and had just pulled on his black bathing trunks. With his back still to her, she saw the bruising at the lower part of his spine. Since he’d always worn his wet suit when they went swimming, she hadn’t realized how deep and pervasive his injury had been. To think of his lying in that hospital bed broken and in despair... She couldn’t bear it.
He wheeled around, a live, breathing, angry Adonis. That awful glittery look in his jet-black eyes impaled her, freezing the breath from her lungs. “I don’t recall inviting you in here.” The wintry tone he’d once used with her was back in full force.
Stephanie couldn’t swallow. “I was afraid I might not get an invitation. I came in to tell you how sorry I am that I didn’t let you know about your mother’s visit until now. You’ve suffered years of pain over a situation I haven’t fully comprehended until today. I’ll call your mother and tell her we can’t come.”
It was as if he’d turned to stone. She couldn’t reach him.
“I should never have attempted to tell you anything about your life or your thoughts,” she went on. “I do have an audacious nature and realize it’s a glaring flaw in my makeup. So I’ll make you a promise now that I’ll never keep anything from you again, or try to influence your thinking in any way. I swear it.”
Desolate at this point because of his silence, she turned to leave, but paused in the doorway. “I love the Christmas tree. No woman in the world has a better husband than you. I’m sorry you can’t say the same thing about your wife. To tell you I’m sorry I came to Greece would be a lie, but I’d give anything if I’d been honest with you after your mother left the other day. I’ve trespassed on your soul, Nikos. Forgive me. It will never happen again.”
She rushed to her room and lay down on her back, pressing the pillow against her face to stifle her sobs. It wasn’t long before she heard the familiar sound of the cruiser. Who knew when Nikos would be back? And when he did return, there was no guesstimating how soon he’d speak to her again.
Stephanie knew he couldn’t tolerate the sight of her right now. She didn’t blame him. That’s why he’d taken off. Perhaps the best thing to do was give him some space. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. While she put a plan into action, she ate a substantial lunch and made a phone call.
Once that was done she packed an overnight bag with several days’ worth of clothes. On her way out she stopped in the lounge to put some presents under the tree for Nikos. Presents made it look ready for Christmas. After that she wrote him a note, leaving it on his desk where he would see it.
Dear Nikos. We’ve been together constantly since I barged into your life. What was it Kahlil Gibran once wrote? “There should be spaces in your togetherness.” I agree with his philosophy, so I’m taking myself off until the day after Christmas.
Don’t worry. I won’t be far. Please be assured I won’t embarrass you by bothering anyone you know or care about. Our business stays our business. I think you know I would never do anything that put me or the baby in danger. I want Alex to know his father. S.
Nikos could be gone for the rest of the day. As for Yannis, he’d said he’d be back at three. She had a half hour to leave without him seeing her.
The town had only two taxis. One of them was waiting for her at the dock. She got in and told the driver to drop her off on a corner where she’d seen used cars for sale. Her passport still showed she was single. The man who sold her the car had no idea she was Kyria Vassalos. That suited her fine. It didn’t take long before she was in possession of a clunker that cost only five hundred dollars.
Free to do what she wanted, Stephanie drove to a wonderfully sited convent nestled among pines and ringed with a magnificent garden. The weary traveler was welcome to stay at their hospice, which was located on the west side of the island, about ten minutes from town. During one of their lessons Borus had told her she should visit to learn its history.
En route she passed several quiet coves, enchanted by the scenery and grateful she could use her bank card to draw money from her final paycheck. She still had enough to pay the fee for board and room for a week.
The convent suited her perfectly. For the time being she intended to get some reading done and keep her feet up. But when she got restless, she could take short drives around the island. It helped to know she’d be out of Nikos’s hair for a while. He’d been hurtled into a world of pain after he’d left the Caribbean, and deserved a break.
As she’d told him, she was the ball on the end of his chain. By her staying here at the convent, out of sight, he didn’t have to drag it around. For the time being he didn’t know where to find her and that was good. He hovered too much.
On the plus side, she could give in to her emotions, which were out of control at this stage of her pregnancy. If she wanted to cry her heart out at night, no one would hear her through the thick walls.
Once in her simple room, she sank down on the bed. Right now she was so exhausted she couldn’t move. For the last hour she’d had pain in her lower back. It was from all the walking she’d done today. Tomorrow she’d go out in the garden, but not now.
* * *
Evening had fallen before Nikos returned to the dock. Yannis was waiting to help him tie up the cruiser. But there was a worried look on the older man’s face that raised the hair