Page 38 of Breaking the Annulment

Her gaze flicked to him, her brow furrowing. “What’s going on?” she asked, her voice tinged with worry. “I heard—” She stopped abruptly as a muffled cry echoed from behind Dimitris, the sound sharp and raw, cutting through the heavy air.

Dimitris didn’t falter. He shifted slightly, his tall frame blocking her view of the door behind him. “It’s nothing you need to worry about,” he said with an easy smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Michalis is handling some business, that’s all.”

Her frown deepened as she fidgeted with her wedding ring, twisting it round and round. “You already said that,” she said, skepticism threading her voice. “What kind of business?”

Dimitris’s expression didn’t waver. “The kind that doesn’t concern you,” he said, his voice dropping slightly. “Michalis wouldn’t want you down here. Come on, let me take you back to the main house.”

Aurelia hesitated, her instincts screaming that something was wrong. The faint sound of a pained sob leaked through the heavy door, making her stomach twist. “Dimitris,” she said softly, her tone uncertain, “who’s in there? What’s happening?”

“A mistake was made,” Dimitris replied evenly, his calm demeanor never faltering. He rested a hand lightly on her shoulder, steering her away from the door. “And Michalis is fixing it. That’s all you need to know.”

“But—” she started, her voice faltering as another muffled sound reached her ears. Her chest tightened, unease prickling at the edges of her mind. “I don’t understand. Did…did Michalismake a mistake?” She hesitated, her gaze flicking between him and the door. “Dimitris…is he okay?”

Dimitris softened slightly, his smirk fading as he straightened. “He’s fine,” he said, his voice quieter now, more sincere. “He’s just busy. Let him finish up, and I’ll bring him back to you when he’s done. Come on, let me walk you back.”

Her lips pressed together, uncertainty still clouding her expression. But the calm certainty in Dimitris’s tone, combined with his easy smile, made her hesitate. Finally, she nodded, though the tension in her shoulders didn’t ease.

“All right,” she said softly. “But tell him…just tell him I was looking for him, okay?”

Dimitris nodded, stepping aside to guide her toward the stairs. “Of course. Now, let’s get you back to the main house before one of those rats decides to say hello.”

He placed a light hand on her shoulder, steering her away from the door. As they walked, she glanced over her shoulder once, but the door remained firmly shut, the faint echoes of the basement fading into silence as they ascended the stairs.

As the door clicked shut behind Dimitris, sealing the room in oppressive silence once more, Michalis stood motionless, his full attention fixed on Petros, who was now openly sobbing, his shoulders shaking as he choked on his pleas.

“You’ve been here long enough to know how this ends,” Michalis said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. He rolled up his sleeves with deliberate precision, the faint rasp of fabric against skin the only sound in the room. “Traitors don’t get second chances. But before you die, you’re going to tell me everything you know about David.”

Petros whimpered, his words garbled and incoherent as he tried to plead for his life. But Michalis didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate. His expression was carved from stone, his gaze sharp and unrelenting.

“Elias,” he said quietly, his tone carrying the weight of command. “Lock the door.”

Elias stepped forward without a word, his heavy footsteps echoing as he turned the key in the lock. The faint sound of the bolt sliding into place reverberated through the room, final and unyielding.

17

Aurelia paced the length of her room, her footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, her thoughts racing. She couldn’t shake the heavy knot in her stomach, the sense that something was wrong—verywrong.

The basement door. Dimitris intercepting her. The muffled sound she couldn’t explain away. Michalis’s cold, distant expression. It all churned in her mind, a whirlpool of uncertainty and dread.

She wasn’t completely naïve. She knew the Giannopoulos family wasn’t made up of innocent businessmen. Her mother’s warnings from years ago had made that clear. But this was the first time since she was kidnapped that the truth had brushed up against her so directly. It was the first time she couldn’t ignore it.

Her steps slowed as an old memory surfaced unbidden, the edges sharp and vivid.

The stench of sweat and blood had clung to the air, suffocating her. Aurelia had been bound to a chair in a damp, dimly lit room not unlike the basement she’d been near today.Her wrists had been raw, her heart pounding as her kidnappers circled her like vultures.

She had been terrified, her mind a blur of desperate prayers and half-formed plans for escape. And then the door had burst open.

Michalis had been a force of nature, his movements efficient and unrelenting. The men who had taken her didn’t stand a chance. The sounds of the struggle—the sickening thuds and pained cries—had haunted her for weeks afterward.

Those men had wanted to hurt her, maybe worse. She had been glad Michalis had done what he’d done.

Does that make me a hypocrite?How can I approve of what he does when it’s for me, yet disapprove when it isn’t?

The thought left her restless, torn.

Unable to sit still any longer, Aurelia grabbed a cardigan and slipped it over her shoulders before heading out of the house. The warm breeze greeted her as she wandered aimlessly across the estate grounds, her feet carrying her toward one of the outbuildings. The sound of voices and clanging metal reached her ears, pulling her from her thoughts.

Curious, she followed the noise until she reached a garage tucked away near the edge of the property. Inside, several of Michalis’s men were gathered around a car, its sleek black frame gleaming under the overhead lights. The hood was propped open, and the men were talking animatedly, tools in hand.

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