“That’s not true!”
“You never named your source. Who was it?”
“I gave my word I wouldn’t reveal that,” he said quietly.
“Because you forged those documents yourself!” She gave him a last, contemptuous glance. “My father should have left you in the gutters of Athens to die. And that’s what I’m doing now. Leaving you—”
He grabbed her shoulders desperately. “He was guilty, Eve. I can only imagine what lies Dalton told you, but he was guilty. He stole almost ten million dollars from his shareholders. When I found out about it, I had no choice. The man deserved justice!”
“Justice!” Gasping, she slapped him across the face. “He deserved your loyalty,” she cried, drawing herself up in a fury. “Instead, you betrayed him. You lied!”
“No!”
“After you ruined him, he drank himself to oblivion then crashed his car. My mother’s death was slower. She went back to England to marry and make sure I’d be looked after. But within months of marrying my stepfather, she took a whole bottle of pills to bed!”
Releasing her, he stared down at her in shock. “I heard she died of heart trouble.”
She gave a scornful laugh. “Heart trouble. My stepfather loved her. He wasn’t going to let anyone speak ill of her or of the way she died. So he and Dr. Bartlett cooked that little fiction for the press. She was only thirty-five years old.” She narrowed her eyes. “But you’re right. She did die of a broken heart. Because of you.”
“Eve, I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I did what I thought was right. Forgive me—”
“I will never, ever forgive you.” She looked at him, cold and proud. “I never want to see you again.”
“You’re my wife.”
“I’ll be filing for divorce as soon as I return to London.”
“You’re pregnant with my child!”
“I will raise this baby alone.”
He gasped, “You can’t cut me out of my child’s life!”
“My baby will be better off with no father than with a faithless, treacherous bastard like you!” Tears rushed into her eyes, tears she no longer even tried to hide. “Do you think I could ever let myself trust you? Do you think I could ever forgive myself if I did?”
“Your father was the one who betrayed and hurt your family.”
“You have no proof of that,” she said coldly. “You are the only liar I see. You said you loved me!”
“I do love you!” His voice was ragged, anguished.
“You don’t know what love means.”
She heard his harsh intake of breath.
“I do now,” he said hoarsely. He reached toward her, inches from her cheek, and in spite of everything, her breath quickened as she recalled all the times he’d tenderly stroked her face. “When you lost your memory, you regained your lost innocence and faith. And somehow you made me find mine,” he whispered. “Just give me the chance to love you. Test me as you will. Let me prove my love for you.”
She thought she saw a shimmer of tears in his eyes.
Talos Xenakis, the scourge of the world—crying?
No. Impossible. It was another of his cruel, selfish games. She thought of how he’d ruthlessly wooed her in Venice, tricking her into marriage with romance and soft words only to punish her the moment they were married. Crossing her arms, she drew herself up stiffly.
“Very well,” she said coldly, lifting her chin. “I will let you prove you love me. Give up this child and never contact us again.”
He gasped. “Don’t make me do it, Eve,” he choked out. “Anything but that.”
“If you don’t do it, you prove you don’t love me,” she said with satisfaction. She started to turn away.