Page 106 of All for her Forgiveness

I take her hand and bring it to my lips, placing a kiss on her palm. "I don't want you to talk to Vina right now. I suspect she'll try to get in touch, but we're still analyzing years of footage and we haven't yet revealed Vina's role in this plot."

"Okay."

Kennedy

I don't know what I expected. Maybe that they would look at me suspiciously or act formally, but nothing like that happened.

All three Kostanidou—who will soon legally be my brothers-in-law—welcomed me.

King went crazy when he saw his cousins. It's been quite an experience for him to live with other children.

The three wives, Madison, Cici, and Serenity, hugged me and said they had been looking forward to meeting me.

None of them acted as if they were speaking to a woman accused of a crime, but rather a family member, and that calmed my heart a little.

Another thing that surprised me was the fact that Hades lives in a house, and it is huge. Maybe because of what I’ve read about him in the newspaper in the past, I imagined him in a penthouse, or something like that. A perfect place for parties and one-night stands.

I’ve also discovered that he is not a playboy. Despite being heir to one of the largest fortunes on the planet, he owns a famous advertising agency.

Come to think of it, Pam and Vina never mentioned where he lived or what his house was like, or even what he did for a living, which tells me that even though he was protective of Pam, Hades never let them into that part of his life.

I believe what he said, that he never saw Pam as a woman, but I still feel confused about his theory that Vina wanted to push me and Pam towards two Kostanidou. Could that be possible?

I look around the room. Ernest is talking to Eleanor, Hades' older brother Zeus's mother-in-law. Her husband, who is a doctor, is also nearby. Ernest seems comfortable, and the three are in a lively conversation about whether they prefer life in big cities or smaller towns.

Hades talks to his brothers, but the whole time, he watches me.

"Feeling a little overwhelmed?" Cici, Dionysus' wife, asks me.

"A little," I confess. "Since I came back from the coma, it's like I’m relearning how to live. Living in society sometimes scares me."

"The family is not complete yet. You haven’t met Odin and Elina, Christos and Zoe—oh, and we can't forget Madison's sister, Brooklyn, who—guess what—married a Greek man too."

I laugh. Cici is funny, lighthearted. "I'll need a notebook to write down all the names."

"You're welcome here, Kennedy."

"I know."

"Really? We are all aware of your history with Hades, even if several details were left out, like when you fell in love, for example, and how you made King, but no one here is judging you. We are your family now. We are not perfect, and we make a lot of mistakes too, but above all, we protect each other."

Serenity approaches. "What are you gossiping about?"

"I was telling Kennedy she's welcome."

"Yes, yes," Madison, Zeus's wife, says, joining us.

"Don't get me wrong, but after everything I've been through, I don't believe in fairy tales, and that's what this feels like."

"Why?"

"Your world is not what I’m used to at all. I grew up thanking God for the next meal."

"None of us were born with a silver spoon, Kennedy," Madison replies. "Except for Serenity, who . . .” She looks at her sister-in-law. "Well, she can tell you her own story when she thinks she should. Anyway, what I'm saying is that Cici and I came from humble beginnings too, not at all what high society expects for wives of Greek tycoons, and yet here we are."

"My case is a little more complex than just not coming from a rich family."

"We know that, darling." Serenity squeezes my hand. "But trust Hades. He will prove that you are innocent."

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