She moved away from him, and stood, nibbling her lower lip as she tried to work out how to move forward. “It’s important to find the right fit,” she said quietly, toying with the silky blonde ends of her hair.
“Of course,” he agreed, standing and redressing.
But Sophie was anxious. “Do you have long before you go?”
“I am already later than I intended to be, courtesy of my wife.”
She swallowed past the anxiety in her throat. “I’ll see you tonight?”
“I’ll be late. Don’t wait up.” He kissed the tip of her nose and then stalked from the room. She watched him go with the certainty that she no longer knew who she was.
How had she let that happen?
She’d known him for barely a month! A month! And she could no longer see where she ended and he began.
She kept herself busy to stave off the way she missed him. Corfu was a beautiful island, and the town was a relatively short drive from Alessandros’s villa. But she didn’t yet feel up to driving one of his expensive sports cars, especially on the wrong side of the winding roads. And so she explored his villa instead. Rooms of beautiful things, it had been expertly decorated. There were photographs of Helena and the children in several of the rooms, and in the loft upstairs, a collection of pictures they’d posted to him over the years.
Sophie ate well. She had a whole week to make up for, and Alena seemed intent on spoiling her. The olives, cheese, tomato, baguette, cured meats and roast lamb seemed to stretch forever, but Sophie wasn’t complaining.
It was a relief, though, when dusk fell over the island, casting a pale golden glow over the villa, which gradually gave way to darkness.
Sophie settled with her iPad and was about to email her sisters when the phone began to ring. It was late, and she didn’t want Alena to be disturbed, and so she scrambled for the handset.
It was at that exact moment that Alex arrived back at the Villa. His day had been long, though fruitful. He had selected an excellent candidate for Helena. A woman with miles of experience, and a distinctly unglamorous bearing. She would be of little interest to Eric; the children and Helena would be safe.
He reached for the phone instinctively, grabbing it just as the ringing stopped.
“It’s me.”
He froze in the hallway as he recognised Eric’s voice instantly.
“Eric, is everything okay?”
“I suppose so.” Alex grimaced. His old friend was grumbling like a child.
“What’s the matter?”
“We miss you.”
“I miss you, too. I was almost in tears today, thinking of those boys.” Of course, missing the twins had only been a part of her sulking. Mainly, it had been her husband she’d been thinking of.
There was a long silence, heavy with Eric’s worry.
“Eric, how’s Helena?”
“That’s what I’m calling you about.”
“What is it?”
Something in Sophie’s voice caught Alex’s attention. She was worried. He gripped the handset tightly.
“Did you tell Alex anything?”
“No!” She sighed softly, and Alex could just picture her, the way her beautiful mouth would have swelled around the soft exhalation of breath.
“You mustn’t. I’ve been thinking about it. He would never forgive me.”
A dark emotion coursed through Alex.