by Nikki Ash
I walk away without saying another word to her.
When Mamá gets back, we’re going to need to have a chat.
I’m just seeking out Talia when someone clears their throat.
“Good evening, everyone, your table is now ready,” Vince, the restaurant manager, announces. He opens the doors leading to the private dining room, and everyone herds in like cattle. My cousins, aunts, and uncles all find a seat on one side of the table, along with my brother. Father sits at the head of the table, and Mamá, who has just now returned, sits to his left, next to Aris. I notice that Niles and Phoenix are wisely standing away from the table, waiting to be asked to join.
Talia practically clings to her mother and stepfather while her grandparents remain polite and stoic beside them, on the other side of the table. I’ve allowed her to avoid me by riding with them from the chapel to the restaurant, but I’m done playing gracious host. I want my woman at my side. Where she belongs.
“Talia, come,” I bark out, making her jolt and her stepfather glower at me. “It’s time to make some toasts.”
She grimaces but doesn’t argue. I hold my hand out and wait for her to take it. A server walks by and begins handing out glasses of our house chardonnay. I release her hand so we can each take a glass.
“You can’t hide from me forever,” I taunt lowly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’m not hiding. I was spending time with my mom. You should try it sometime.”
I wince at her low blow, darting my gaze over to Mamá. Aris seems concerned as well, which has my nerves ratcheting up. When I catch my mother’s gaze, I expect to see her eyes light up like usual. Instead, she tears up and looks away.
What the fuck? Is it possible she’s really that upset over what Melody might’ve told her? She knows the score, and while she might’ve thought Talia and I are marrying for love, deep down she has to know nothing we do is without motive.
“Did you say something to upset her?” I demand, turning to look at Talia. Maybe it wasn’t Melody, but Talia who upset her. She’s gotten close to Mamá this week. If she’s using her to punish me, she will regret it.
She seems offended because she huffs. “No, if anything, I’ve done the best job of convincing that poor woman that I’m madly in love with you.”
“Obviously not convincing enough,” I mutter, sliding my palm to her cheek. “Maybe you should practice.” I press my lips to hers in a slightly provocative kiss meant to serve three purposes.
Piss off her family.
Make my mother happy.
And remind both Talia and Aris I’m the fucking fiancé.
Talia grips one lapel of my suit jacket and starts to pull away, on the verge of saying something. I deepen the kiss, lashing out at her tongue with mine. My free palm slides to her ass and I give it a little squeeze before breaking away. She shoots me a flustered, go to hell look, before draining her chardonnay. I chuckle and sip mine, assessing to see if our kiss did what it was intended.
Her family is pissed. In fact, I’d say her brother and stepfather would love to take turns pummeling my ass. And Aris looks jealous as fuck. Good. But my mother?
Hot tears roll down her cheeks as she shakes her head at me. Her bottom lip trembles. What the fuck? Is she ill? What have I done to upset her? And then her gaze darts over to Melody, confirming my suspicions. Meddling bitch. I’ll have to remind her she has a reason to keep her mouth shut. I know she doesn’t want her daughter to pay for her sins. Poor girl is already in a life sentence from her father.
“The toast?” Father urges, from the head of table looking regal as a king. “We’re all waiting.”
I clench my jaw and motion for Niles and Phoenix to join the table. Phoenix sits beside his mother in Talia’s vacated seat with his father beside him. The weak Nikolaides all sitting in a row are fucking pathetic.
You’re marrying one, asshole.
And she’ll become a Demetriou.
Demetrious are not fucking pathetic.
“Tomorrow, Talia and I will become one,” I say with a smile. “I’m sure the wedding will be a beautiful, extravagant affair because my mother has the magical touch when it comes to these things.” I implore my mother to look at me, but she remains staring at her lap. Unease coils in my gut, but I continue. “I’m looking forward to marrying the most exquisite prize in all of Greece.”
That jab is for Niles.
A jab that makes my mother flinch.
Fuck.
Talia grips my bicep and shoots me a stern look. As though she disapproves of my speech. But I can’t help and agree with her. My mother is disgusted with me.
“I…” I trail off, unable to find the right words. Nothing is genuine because this entire thing is a fraud. Sure, I’m getting the good end of the deal, wrangling a hot-ass wife, but it’s not real. And my mother knows it. Either she heard it from Melody or she can sense it. Either way she knows. This isn’t some business that gets taken care of in a dank cellar with a sharp knife—business my mother never has to see. No, this business is infiltrating our personal lives. Her life.
“We just want to thank you all for coming,” Talia says, saving me from utter humiliation. “Nora and I have tirelessly planned a gorgeous wedding. I’m thrilled to wear the loveliest gown to ever be created. Marrying Kostas will be quite the adventure, I am sure. Here’s to adventures and new memories.”
Everyone but my mother raises their glass. Since Talia’s glass is empty, I hand her mine before stalking over to Mamá. I grip my mother’s shoulder and lean down.
“Everything okay?” I demand, shooting Aris a worried look.
She reaches up to grab my hand and then takes my brother’s hand with her other. “Just feeling a little emotional. I love you boys very much. Not a second of regret when it comes to my love for you both.”
O-fucking-kay.
“We love you too, Mamá,” Aris and I both say in unison.
“Good,” she chokes out. “Make sure you keep on loving those who deserve it, so you don’t end up like your father.”
Talia’s eyes meet mine from across the table where she must choose to sit beside her father or mine. In the end, her hatred over what her father has done to her wins out because she sits directly across from my mother, at my father’s side. Weirded out by the whole thing, I walk back over to her and take my seat between the slimy Nikolaides and the beautiful one who’ll shed that last name soon. The servers begin bringing out food. My stomach is in knots. I busy myself with a Mediterranean salad, stirring it up to coat each piece of lettuce with the dressing. Everyone is talking loudly and the restaurant buzzes with voices and laughter.
Glancing up at my mother, I realize she’s left the table to stand directly behind my father. She rests a hand on his shoulder.
“Everyone,” Mamá calls out. “I’d like to say something.”
A polite hush falls across the table. I meet Aris’s stare and he’s getting the same weird-ass vibe from our mother because he’s tense as fuck. Father stares directly ahead, the amusement gone from his face.
“I have something to say, and it will be in everyone’s best interest to let me say it. Understood?” Mamá’s eyes are slightly wild. She’s normally serene and calm. Currently, she’s in a manic state. Her body trembles and her face is red. Sweat beads at her temples and above her upper lip.
“Mamá,” I start, but she cuts me off with a sharp look I remember from my childhood.
“Especially you, my son. You need to hear what I have to say the most.”
I stiffen and slide my gaze to my father. His nostrils flare, but he remains tightlipped. Since when does my father not put my mother in her place if it means she’ll embarrass him. Since he’s not coming to my aid, I simply nod at her.
“You know,” she says bitterly, “when I saw this beautiful woman who was to marry my son, I was thrilled. Beyond thrilled. I thought, perhaps, my boy had enough of me in him to break the horrible Demetriou curse. To be anyone but hi
s father.”
“Mamá,” Aris mutters.
She shakes her head at him. “Let. Me. Finish.”
Talia of all people should enjoy this and be gloating, but she’s tense beside me.
“I thought things were changing for our family,” Mamá says, tears welling in her eyes. “I thought we’d moved past all the hate from our past, Ezio.” She edges closer to my father, patting his shoulder and making his eyes widen. “But you didn’t forget the affair, did you? No, you held onto that revenge and waited all these years to get back at me.”
What?
I glower at my father, who won’t even look at me. Again, I’m in the fucking dark and I hate it. Aris shoots me a confused look.
“Father,” I growl. “Shut this down. Now.”
“Your father won’t say a goddamn thing, Kostas,” my mother bellows and waves a gun in the air before pushing it against my father’s back.
Fuck.
No wonder he’s being quiet. She’s holding him at gunpoint.
“Your father tortured me for years, Kostas,” Mamá explains, the tears rolling down her cheeks and ruining her makeup. “Years. While you looked up to your father and wanted to be just like him, I hated him with every ounce of my being. I stayed for my boys.”
“You stayed because you had to,” Father growls, consequences be damned.
Mamá pushes the gun harder against his back. “I stayed for those boys,” she hisses. “Don’t think for a second you had me chained to you out of fear. I don’t fear you, Ezio, I hate you.”
A warm hand slides into mine and I realize it’s Talia offering me comfort. Her of all people. My hand is cold in hers. I can’t bring myself to squeeze it back. I certainly don’t pull the fuck away, though.
“I am so sorry,” Mamá says, turning her attention to Melody. “I was in love with Niles for over a decade, and selfishly, I hoped I could escape from my cold marriage and into the warmth of his arms indefinitely. I didn’t think about what it did to your family and your marriage. Please forgive me.”
It all makes fucking sense now.
“Nothing to forgive. I have Stefano now,” Melody says politely, a tremble in her voice. The woman who stole her husband has a gun. I’d be polite too.
Mamá turns her animosity on Niles. “You used me,” she chokes out. “I loved you and you used me. When it came down to it, and I was ready to run off with you, you abandoned me. You allowed Ezio to find out about the affair and then you left me to deal with the aftermath alone.” Mamá swipes a tear away. “He was cruel to me, Niles. He hurt me and belittled me. He punished me—alone—for crimes we committed together. And yet I took it all for my sons and for the love I still held onto for you.”
“You weren’t the only one punished,” Niles argues like the stupid fucking fool he is. “I’m broke because of you.” Being broke is going to be the least of his concerns if he doesn’t shut his fucking mouth.
I catch Adrian’s stare from across the room as he slowly inches closer and closer. I’m caught between wanting him to stop my mother and telling him to back the fuck away from her. Adrian is loyal to the Demetriou men, not the women.
“Talia,” Mamá says sadly, ignoring Niles. “I’m so sorry. I hoped it was a coincidence when I discovered you and Kostas were to be married. My past was a shadow that was creeping up on you, ready to shroud you in darkness as well.” Mamá looks pointedly at me. “Don’t give up on true love. If you find it, take it, and get the hell out of here, consequences be damned.”
A mixture of shame and fury rushes through my veins. Talia squeezes my hand again, and this time, I thread my fingers with hers.
“Mamá, may I speak?” I demand in a low, deadly tone.
She shakes her head. “No, you may not. You will sit and listen to every word I have to say.”
I’m not a child and yet she’s treating me like one. I glance at Aris, expecting a satisfied smirk on his face, but he’s furious too.
“Kostas, you can’t turn out like him. Your father is a monster. I know you have enough good in you that you can do better than that,” Mamá chokes out, her voice pleading. “Aris will be fine. He’s like me. Not so hard around the edges, but it’s you I worry about. I worry you’ll destroy this poor, sweet girl like your father destroyed me.”
“Mamá,” I snap, losing my cool. “That’s enough.”
Talia leans in, her shoulder brushing mine. “Kostas, calm down,” she whispers, looking up at me. “She has a gun. Just let her say what she has to say. It’ll all be over soon.”
Absently, I kiss her lips and nod before looking at my mother. Mamá stares at me, her eyes empty and her features tired. She ages ten years before us.
“Talia and you both deserve more than this,” Mamá says, her voice devoid of emotion. “You deserve to make your own choices about love, not be forced into it because of the actions of your parents.” She regards Aris with a soft look that used to bother me when we were kids because I assumed it meant he was her favorite. “Aris, my boy, I’m sorry if I inadvertently hurt you by my actions. Your father enjoyed punishing me, and unfortunately, you were too much like me.”
Aris clenches his jaw and his eyes glass over with tears.
“And, Kostas, my boy,” Mamá utters, her eyes still soft as she regards me. “I’m sorry if I’ve embarrassed you or hurt you. I love you and your brother both. Equally. I always have.”
Talia squeezes my hand again, a reminder that even though we’re on different teams in this shit show, she’s offering her support. Confusing emotions war within me, but gratitude that she can put down our differences to comfort me wins over. Maybe this marriage will work out after all. Mamá has said her piece and embarrassed the shit out of everyone. Now, we can get back to dinner and Mamá can take a Valium.
“It’s time to put an end to this,” Mamá utters. “And the only way to do that is to eliminate the person who is the root cause of everyone’s pain.”
Pop!
Father’s eyes widen as his chest blooms red.
“Mamá!” I roar, rising to my feet as Aris does.
Adrian rushes forward and several women at the table scream in horror. I’m already stalking to my mother when she mouths, “I’m sorry,” before sliding the barrel of the gun between her lips. My eyes slam shut at the same time another pop is heard. Chaos ensues around us. When I reopen my eyes, my mother lies on the floor, a large pool of blood already forming around her head.
No.
No. No. Fucking no.
Something hot trickles down my cheek and I hastily swipe it away. Aris slides across the floor on his knees to pull Mamá into his arms. Her brain is blown across the wall. She’s fucking dead. I turn away from the horror scene and catch Talia’s horrified stare. When I see Talia’s grandfather, Emilio, and Adrian hovering over my father, speaking in low, calming tones, I realize he’s not dead. Yet.
“Father,” I choke out, rushing over to him and kneeling.
His face is pale. Adrian holds a dinner napkin to the wound to staunch the bleeding where the bullet came through his chest. I grab my father’s hand, another hot tear leaking from my eye.
“Father, don’t leave me too.”
He flutters his eyelids, but he doesn’t close them. No, he locks his gaze with mine, harnessing his inner Demetriou strength, and holds on.
“Stay with me, Patéras,” I plead, sounding every bit like his little boy. “Just fucking stay with me.”
“An ambulance is on the way,” someone shouts.
“Get everyone out of here,” Emilio barks out to Stefano. “Now.”
The room empties out save for the ones trying to keep my father alive and the ones sobbing over my mother’s death.
My only focus is my father.
I won’t lose them both.
Talia
The visual of Nora placing the gun into her mouth and pulling the trigger is imbedded in my brain. Everywhere I look, all I can see is crimson. There was so much blood everywhere. The wa
lls and the floor were all streaked with red. I’ve seen people shot on shows, and every time it’s gory, but I had assumed it was done like that for show. To make everyone cringe. I never imagined, in real life, one gunshot could create so much red. So much blood.
I stood frozen in place, watching as Aris held his lifeless mother in his arms the same way my mom would hold me when I would scrape my knee from falling off my bike. He brushed her hair off her face, not caring that it was mangled and bloody. Almost unrecognizable. Begging her to wake up. Pleading with God to bring her back.
Kostas focused on his father, who was hanging on by a thread. He barked out orders. None of them made any sense, but it didn’t matter. Kostas just needed to feel in control in a situation that was completely out of his control.
I wasn’t sure who to go to. Before that moment, going to Kostas wouldn’t have even been an option. The only thing I wanted to do was run from him. But as I watched the drops of grief race down his face, all I wanted to do was hold him. Tell him, even though it was a lie, that everything would be okay.
At the same time, I knew Aris needed someone. He was clutching his mother’s body like she was his lifeline, and I wasn’t sure he would be able to let her go on his own.
But before I could decide who to go to, my grandfather took control, demanding everyone leave. He ushered us out the door, and Phoenix walked us to the room my mom and stepdad were staying in. It wasn’t until we were inside, with the door closed, and the silence overtook, that I realized I was trembling. Mom pulled me into her arms and held me while I cried into her chest. I cried for the two boys who lost their mother. For the woman who felt she had no choice but to take her own life. I didn’t know her well, but from the short time we spent together, I know she loved her sons more than life itself. And when the tears began to slow, and it felt as if my tear ducts were drying out, my sadness began to turn into anger. And that was when everything Nora said hit me like a wrecking ball.
“Niles cheated on you,” I say to Mom, sitting up. Her body stills, and her arms tighten around me. “He cheated on you with Kostas’s mom.”
