I lift my chin, facing off with the man who raped me, praying I don’t burst into tears. I need him to know I’m not afraid of him. The slight wobble in my bottom lip suggests otherwise.
“I figured you would want this back,” Aris says. He extends his hand, holding my phone out for me to take, but when I reach out to grab it, he brings it back in. “We need to talk.” He steps forward, and I take one back, bumping into the door.
“We can talk out here.” I push his chest with enough strength, he’s forced to take a step back. There’s no way I’m letting him anywhere in my home.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, tilting his head to the side slightly. “Are you afraid to be alone with me?”
“Can you blame me?” I glare at him. “The last time we were alone, you—”
Aris cuts me off. “Had sex with you?”
“More like you raped me,” I hiss.
His eyes go wide, and he takes a menacing step forward into my space. He drops his voice low to a frightening growl, as though he fears we might be overheard. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“I said you raped me.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Or were you too drunk to remember?”
“Like fucking hell!” he booms, pushing me into the villa and slamming the door behind him. My back hits the table in the foyer, and Aris towers over me. “I don’t know what game you’re playing at, but I suggest you think twice before you make that kind of accusation.”
Accusation?
He’s delusional.
Not one bit of what happened was consensual.
“It’s not an accusation,” I choke out. “It’s the truth! And we both know it.” This time, I can’t keep the tears at bay. They burn my eyes.
Aris’s hand comes up, and I flinch, thinking he’s going to hit me, but instead he grabs something on the table. A paper crinkles. “You and Kostas got married?” He holds the marriage paperwork Father Nicholas gave us in my face.
“Yes, yesterday,” I admit.
Aris drops the paper back onto the table and barks out a humorless laugh. “So, let me get this straight. You fuck me Friday night, and the next day marry my brother. And now you’re crying rape?”
“I’m not crying anything. You did rape me.”
“Do you really believe my brother is going to believe that? I’m his flesh and blood. You’re a fucking Nikolaides. You’re a liar by birth. It’s in your blood. You came to my villa to comfort me, we ended up having sex, and now that you’re married to Kostas, you want to cry rape, so he doesn’t kill you for sleeping with his brother.” At his version of what happened, my bones grow cold as fear slides through me. He’s right. Kostas isn’t going to believe me. I’m my father’s daughter. The man who had an affair with his mother.
“I like you, Talia,” Aris says. “And I don’t want to see you die, so you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to tell him what happened between us.” He leans in close, until his body is flush against mine, and then he whispers into my ear, “It will be our secret.”
A shudder ripples through me. Sharing secrets with this monster is the last thing I want to do, but what choice do I have? If Kostas finds out…
He can’t.
He simply can’t.
Aris backs up and extends his hand, offering me my phone, but before I can grab it, he drops it onto the table. “Welcome to the family, sis.”
The moment he leaves, I lock the door behind him, then attach the chain just to be on the safe side. The nerve of that asshole! And to think I thought he was the nice one. The one with a heart. He’s nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. At least Kostas owns the monster he is.
Grabbing my cell off the table, I check to see if Kostas has called or texted. He hasn’t. He’s busy dealing with the shitstorm that’s become his life. His father is in the hospital. His mother is dead.
It’s only ten in the morning, and we’re not meeting for dinner until seven. I glance around the room. It’s quiet. Empty. It’s only me here. I consider calling my mom, but what would I say? Do I tell her I got married? Will I be able to keep it together enough that she won’t know how upset I am about Aris?
Needing to calm the blood that’s boiling beneath my skin, I take a cool shower, taking my time to wash and shave every part of me. My thoughts go to yesterday with Kostas. He could’ve easily taken advantage of the fact I was drunk, but he didn’t. We’ve yet to consummate our marriage. At one time I would’ve been dreading it, but now I just want to get it over with. I want to replace the horrid images of Aris with Kostas. I wonder what kind of lover Kostas will be. I assumed he would be rough. Ungentle. But the way he made me feel by the pool was the complete opposite. Maybe I have him all wrong. Maybe he’s not the monster I’ve made him out to be. But then I remember the way he tortured that man for lying. Would he torture me like that if he believes I’m lying about Aris raping me? A body trembling shiver runs down my spine.
Turning off the water, I step out and wrap myself in a towel. It’s the same towel from Aris’s villa. They all have the same towels. Because they live on the same property. The thought has my heart rate picking up and my chest heaving. I was hoping a shower would calm me, but it only had the opposite effect. Maybe I just need to get out of here. Get some fresh air. It will help me take a deep breath.
After blow drying and straightening my hair, and applying a little bit of makeup, I feel a little more like myself again.
Just as I’m finishing getting dressed, my phone rings. It’s my mom. I hit ignore. At the same time, my stomach growls. I consider taking a walk to the restaurant but stop myself. The last thing I need is to run into Aris. Space. We need space. Out of sight, out of mind. Right?
Instead, I place a call to room service and order breakfast and coffee. I glance at my phone again to see if maybe Kostas has texted. He hasn’t. It’s only eleven o’clock. It’s only been an hour. I need to get out of here.
Remembering the patio that Kostas and I passed through to get to the pool yesterday, I head out back. The patio looks out at a beautiful, private flower garden. There are two Adirondack chairs and a matching table. They look untouched. I laugh, imagining Kostas coming out here to lounge out on his day off. Does he even get a day off? I doubt crime organizations have a set of working hours.
Dropping into one of the chairs, I take a deep, calming breath and then dial my mom’s number. She answers on the first ring, her frantic voice bringing tears to my eyes.
“Talia!” she screeches. “I’ve called you so many times, but you haven’t answered. Please tell me Kostas hasn’t hurt you because of me. I’ve been so worried!”
“Oh, Mom,” I choke out. “I’m okay. I miss you. Kostas hasn’t hurt me. I’m sorry I haven’t called. A lot has happened. I have so much to tell you.”
“Talk to me, cara mia. Tell me everything.”
“Well, for starters, Kostas and I got married.” There’s a deafening silence, and for a second I wonder if she’s hung up on me. But then I hear a sniffle through the line and I know she’s still there. She’s crying.