by Angel Sefer
"Dimitris, what's wrong?" she asked. "Aren’t you feeling well?"
"I'm okay," he replied.
"What are you doing here?"
“I had to talk to you.”
“Talk to me about what?” Helena inquired. “When did you get here?”
“I’ve been here for a while,” he admitted.
Helena looked at him and could tell that there was something seriously wrong. Her mind was racing, and she thought about her aunt.
“Is Aunt Sophie all right?” she asked.
He stared at her, surprised. “Sophie is fine,” he reassured her.
“Then what is it?” she insisted.
He walked over to the window and looked outside.
“I have so much to tell you,” he said. “However, I don’t know where to start…”
“Then start from the beginning,” Helena replied and went to sit at a chair, folding her hands on her lap.
Dimitris stood by the window silently for a few minutes, and then he turned to face her.
“Are you going to marry Steve?” he asked suddenly.
“What?” Helena was taken by surprise.
“Are you going to marry Steve?” he repeated.
“What makes you ask that?” she questioned.
“I saw you,” he said.
“You saw me? What do you mean, you saw me?” she insisted.
“The other night,” he admitted. “I saw you at the restaurant with him.”
Helena stared at him, puzzled. “Where were you?” she asked.
“Right outside,” he said. “I had come to talk to you. I was trying to build up the courage to make it to your door when I saw Steve, and I decided to wait. Then I saw you leaving together… and I followed you.”
“You followed us?” She was shocked. “But why?”
“I couldn’t help it,” he admitted and glanced outside the window again.
Helena didn’t know what to think. She thought he would be married to Stella by now, and here he was, standing in her living-room, telling her that he followed her and Steve the other night.
“I don’t understand anything anymore,” Helena said and let out a deep breath. “The only thing I know is that I’m not going to marry Steve.”
Dimitris turned to look at her. “But I saw you kiss him,” he said.
“So what?” she asked. “Steve is a dear old friend, and I love him very much. However, I’m not in love with him.”
Dimitris let out a deep breath and seemed relieved.
Helena got up and went towards him. “Dimitris, what are you doing here?”
"I came to take you home,” he said simply.
Helena stared at him, shocked, and shook her head in disbelief.
“Don’t play games with me,” she snapped.
“I’m not playing games,” he replied. “I know you don’t love me, Helena, but I can’t fool myself any more. I’m crazy about you, and I can’t live without you… I fell in love with you the first time I laid eyes on you. Not when you came back to the island, but before that… here in England.”
Helena watched him, speechless.
“I came to England some years back out of curiosity to see the girl I was betrothed to. I loved your eyes, your smile; I loved everything about you. Then I met Steve, and he told me you were engaged… and I left, thinking that you’d moved on with your life. When you came back to Greece, I started hoping…”
“Dimitris…” Helena whispered, too scared to believe everything he was saying.
“And then there was Alex,” he went on. “But after the talk I had with him at the Aliveris’ house, I was convinced there was nothing going on between the two of you, and I was determined to make you love me… I just had to be patient. However, you came to me that night, and I couldn’t control myself anymore. I had decided to give you time… and there I was, forcing myself upon you. I was furious with myself. I had to leave… to give both of us time to adjust.”
“Force yourself upon me?” she cried out. “You didn’t force yourself upon me, Dimitris. I wanted you as much as you wanted me…”
Dimitris stared at her with eyes wide open. “Then why did you leave?” he asked, confused.
“It was you who left, right after we made love,” she reminded him. “You left me in your bed and ran to Athens to meet Stella.”
“Stella?” he asked, sounding confused. “What about Stella?”
“As soon as I found out you left for Athens, Alex came and told me that Stella was going to Athens, too.”
“So?”
“What do you mean so? After everything that had happened… after her behavior all this time… after having seen her in your arms the night of our engagement party, what else did I need to know?”
Dimitris was left speechless.
“Besides, I saw you with her,” she said bitterly.
“You saw me?” Dimitris inquired. “What do you mean you saw me? When? Where?”
“I saw you in Athens. You were together at a café in Kifissia, and you were holding hands.”
Dimitris seemed puzzled for a moment. “Oh! My God!” he finally said. “I can’t believe you saw us that night. Why didn’t you talk to me?”
“That’s not important,” Helena replied. “The fact is that you left me on the island and were having a good time with Stella in Athens,” she continued and swallowed hard, fighting back the tears.
“Oh! Helena! You totally misunderstood. Stella called me that same day and told me that her parents made her leave the island and come to stay in Athens. She told me she needed to talk to me about getting a job. She wanted to meet, and I agreed only because she sounded so desperate. Besides, one of our secretaries was on pregnancy leave, so I told her she could fill in for her. As a matter of fact, she started the very next day.”
“So that’s why she was at the office when I called,” Helena thought out loud.
“What do you mean? When did you call?” Dimitris asked.
“You mean she didn’t tell you?” Helena was upset, but not surprised at all. It sounded just like Stella.
“Tell me what?”
“I called you the very next day to let you know I was leaving, but your secretary told me you were in a meeting. Then I heard Stella’s voice, and I asked to talk to her.”
“She never said a word about all this…” Dimitris breathed out heavily, and Helena could tell he was very upset. “She had no right hiding something like this from me.”
“That was the least that she did,” Helena went on.
Dimitris stared at her, confused.
“She also told me that you were glad I was gone, because you were miserable having to go through with this marriage just to keep a promise.”
“She said what?”
“She said that the two of you were in love, and now that I was out of the way, you would get married.”
“I’ll kill her!” Dimitris burst out furiously. “She had no right to say these things. I knew she had a crush on me, but I made it clear to her long time ago that nothing was going to happen between us…”
“Well, obviously, it wasn’t clear enough,” Helena said, bitterly.
“Helena, I never led her on or promised anything to her. As a matter of fact, I avoided her every chance I had. But the girl has a serious problem, and I’ll take it up with her parents when we get back.”
“You mean you’re not in love with her?” Helena asked, unable to believe it.
“But of course not. What am I telling you? I love you, and I can’t leave without you. I want you to come back with me, but even if you want to stay in England, I’m prepared to move here, so we can be together.”
“Oh! Dimitris!” Helena threw herself at him, hugging and kissing him, unable to hold back the tears any more.
Dimitris was taken by surprise, and closing his arms around her, he stared into her eyes.
"I love you so much, you big fool," she said.
"You love me?" Dimitris held her so close she co
uld hardly breathe, kissing the tears on her face.
"I can’t believe it,” he said. “All this pain and suffering for nothing," he went on, and squeezed her even closer.
"Now, be careful!" she said. "You don’t want to suffocate the baby."
Dimitris stood still. His eyes searched her face. "You mean…"
"Yes," she admitted. "I’m pregnant."
"This is wonderful!" he cried out. "We have to get back as soon as possible. We have to get married before you can’t fit in your wedding gown anymore…" he said, and crushing her in his arms, he kissed her passionately.
Helena was so happy; she was floating. This had to be a dream. She loved Dimitris, and he loved her, too, and she was going to have his child.
"Oh, Lord!" Dimitris cried out.
"What's wrong?" Helena asked concerned.
"I can just imagine what people are going to think when you have a baby only a few months after we get married… This is something they’re going to talk about for a long time on the island," he went on and laughed.
"I guess we’re never going to be the typical Greek couple," she said.
"My love, there is nothing typical about you," Dimitris replied. "But I love you just the way you are…"
Epilogue
A BEAUTIFUL, WARM DAY a year later, Helena sat in a lounge chair on the veranda, holding her son in her arms. She stared at the adorable little face and couldn’t believe this miracle was hers. He was sleeping so peacefully…
She heard a car pulling up and smiled. Sophie and Michael were back from their honeymoon. What a beautiful couple, she thought. She was really happy for her aunt.
She raised her eyes and looked at the amazing blue waters of the Aegean. I’ll never get used to this view, she realized. Feeling a soft breeze, like a caress on her cheek, she whispered, “Thank you, Grandma. I know you’re watching over us from Heaven—just like in the painting you drew for me…” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling her heart overflowing with happiness and joy.
Thinking back, she realized that ever since she came back to Greece with Dimitris, she’d been on an emotional roller-coaster… especially those first weeks when the police discovered her father’s and Asimina’s bodies buried in the cave.
Dimitris and Michael had been wonderful, standing by Sophie and her, while they had to go through the devastating experience of having the bodies retrieved and properly buried.
At the same time, they had to accept the fact that her uncle was lost in his own world—this time for good—and had to be committed to an asylum. Helena was heartbroken. She really liked her uncle, and Sophie and she had been visiting him, ever since.
On the other hand, she couldn’t care less about Katie. She was always crazy—literally obsessed with money and power—but that final confrontation had sent her over the edge. After having attacked the policemen who arrested her and the doctors who tried to evaluate her condition, she tried to commit suicide. She was finally committed to an asylum, as well.
The three men who were responsible for her father’s and Asimina’s death, as well as the attempts on her life, confessed their crimes. They even told the police the exact location they had sunk her father’s boat after they killed him at the cove. They went through trial and were sentenced to a lifetime in prison.
A few months later, after everything settled down, Dimitris and she were finally able to get married. Helena smiled, thinking of the look on people’s faces as she appeared at the church, eight months pregnant. Oh, well, as her adorable husband once said, there is nothing typical about me and my family…
The End
Note from the Author
The Greek Isles Series
The Greek islands—alluring destinations which cast a spell on the visitor from the very first moment—are among my favorite settings. I’ve written a whole series of romance and mystery novels—The Greek Isles Series—each taking place on a different island.
In this series, while sharing with my readers the development of the romance between my hero and heroine, and the unfolding of the mystery, I also take the opportunity to share with them the unbelievable experience of visiting some of the most enchanting Greek islands— places of impeccable beauty, where nature exists lavishly in hundreds of shades of green and blue, and in which centuries of Greek tradition coexist harmoniously with cosmopolitan activity.
Award-winning bestseller Spellbound in His Arms—taking place on the alluring island of Corfu—was the first novel published in The Greek Isles Series.
Deadly Secrets is the second novel published in The Greek Isles Series.
The Heiress of Santorini, the third novel in this series, blends mystery, romance, and adventure in Atlanta, New York, and on the awe-inspiring island of Santorini—a precious gem in the Aegean, which is still an active volcano with spectacular rock formations, impressive lunar landscapes, and breathtaking red and black sand beaches.
Website: AngelSefer.com
Let the allure of romance and mystery take you to an enchanting destination…
Also by Angel Sefer
Spellbound in His Arms (Mystery) Reporter Jackie Alexander and Detective Michael Apostolou are forced to work together to investigate the mysterious deaths of the heirs to the incredible fortune of Greek tycoon Andreas Demiris, but their suspicions and unanswered questions are devouring them, just like their rising passion for each other.
More Great Reads
From Booktrope
A Tainted Mind by Tamsen Schultz (Romantic Suspense) Vivi DeMarco is a woman running from her demons, but now she's facing the worst demon of all; a twisted mind that leaves behind a string of bodies that all look suspiciously like her.
Between the Sheets by Sárka-Jonae Miller (Romance) A sensual story of making mistakes, overcoming obstacles, and finding love in the strangest of places.
If I Say Yes by Brandy Jellum (Romantic Suspense) Liza Winters changes everything to avoid association with her mother’s scandalous murder, but a sexy complication derails her careful plans. Life can’t get worse… Until her past begins to haunt her.
Tea and Primroses by Tess Thompson (Romantic Suspense) Money, love, power and loss – a mother shares the truth about them all with her daughter, but is it too late to help her shape her life differently?
Unbridled Hearts Collection by Heather Huffman (Romantic Suspense Collection) The “Unbridled Hearts Collection” bundles together three works of romance and suspense, spanning the globe from the South Seas to the jungles of Ecuador in a sparkling yet socially relevant collection.
Discover more books and learn about our new approach to publishing at www.booktrope.com
