Page 136 of About Love and Revenge

“What are you afraid of?”

“That Leandros might do something to hurt him.”

“Oh my God! I'm going to talk to Christos. I don't think he knows that Odin has left the country."

“I don't want to involve your husband in this. You are also pregnant."

“Stop it right now. Christos is very close to his family and would be mad if he knew that his cousin was at risk but nobody warned him. Now, promise me you'll try to relax. You need to think about your child."

“The doctor prescribed some vitamins.”

“Have you bought them already?”

“Yeah. I will start taking them today."

“Elina, don't worry. Try to rest. I'll talk to Christos, and as soon as he gives me an answer, I'll let you know."

Two days later

I need to get my head straight, and organizing things always works for me. I'm in our suite's closet, tidying up some boxes, when one in particular catches my eye. It’s at the very back of one of the shelves, and it was hidden at first glance.

When I pull it down, I notice that it's a little smaller than a shoebox, covered in brown leather, and while there's a clasp like trunks usually have, it isn't locked.

I sit on the floor and place it in front of me.

I know it must be Odin's, and it looks like it's ancient too. I don't usually go through his stuff, but something tells me I should open it. I'm tired of so many secrets, and maybe, inside of it, I'll find the answers to some of them.

Before I can even think about changing my mind, I release the clasp.

There are brown paper envelopes inside. I open one of them and see that it contains photographs. I don't need to look very closely to realize that they’re of Odin. Even in the ones that show him as a baby, I can stillsee my husband's eyes there. As I go through the photos, I realize that they are from different stages of his life. In all of them there is a smiling little boy with a mischievous face, and I wonder if our son will have that same impressive strength as his father.

The energy inside Odin was already visible from childhood onwards.

Fascinated and wanting to know more, I open the second envelope. The first photo I find inside is of a beautiful blonde woman. I think it must be my mother-in-law. The woman my husband said was a traitor. She doesn't look like a traitor. Instead, her gaze is honest, and her face is so sweet that I feel an immediate connection.

There are several photographs of her, mainly from her childhood and adolescence. Then I find photos of who I believe to be the rest of her family. I see one of a couple, perhaps her parents, and it's clear to me that Odin mostly inherited his father's physical traits. Few would actually believe that this fragile-looking blonde woman could have given birth to such a large, dark man.

And then I find a photograph of his entire family.

What surprises me is the little girl in his father's arms. If it's a family photo, then that could only be my husband's sister. He has never talked about her.

Why?

I look at the four Lykaios members and feel my throat constrict at the thought of what he's told me.

My father is responsible for destroying Odin’s entire past, and now, knowing there was a little girl involved, his actions seem even worse, if that's possible.

I open the last envelope and see that there is a letter inside. I can read a lot better now, but the words there don't make any sense to me, and I realize they're written in a language which I don't know.

I set it aside, and underneath it there are more photographs. This time of an older Odin, a teenager already very tall and strong. In one of them, he looks the same as when he lived on our island, but there, in his gaze, there is no longer any warmth. The mischievous air is gone, and all I can see on his face is defiance.

It is no longer the face of a child. He looks like a mini-adult carrying secrets.

These photos hold my attention more than the previous ones because, in them, I can see Odin’s transformation. Before and after. And only now can I understand the extent of the damage my father has done to him.

At the same time, the certainty hits me that he hasn't gone to Greece to arrest Leandros.

All the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place.

---