Page 88 of Love on the Rocks
Chapter 35
Mia knew the danger of opening her heart to this man. How could she fall for him after he had ruined her family? They never spoke of her father, who even now, was in a sanatorium in Switzerland. But she had to know if he regretted what he had done.
“My father, you destroyed him. Why did you do it?” she asked as he nuzzled her neck. He pulled back, eyes dark as flint.
“Because I could.”
- One Week with the Greek
CALLIE
Iwas not going to cry, dammit. Not over another man. He wasn’t worth it.
At least that’s what I told myself as I swallowed down the ache in my throat and chest. Buried it under mounds of righteous anger, so I wouldn’t have to feel the drowning emptiness in my gut. I guess that’s what happens when you let someone take up space inside you, the emptiness you feel when they’re gone.
Or in my case, when you find out it was all a lie. Why did I let myself get swept up in fantasy when cold reality had been staring me in the face since the beginning?
I took a shaky breath and dialed Liv. She picked up after one ring, her voice chipper. “Hey! You’ve been quiet recently. What have you been up to?”
“Oh, you know, the usual. Making bad decisions.”
“Wait, I thought things were going well. Is it Gaz?”
“Ha! If only.” I had forgotten to tell her about getting kicked off theTastemakerslist and quickly filled her in on that particular humiliation.
“That bastard! I swear, next time I’m in London, I’m going to punch him in his smug face.” The image of Liv with her swollen belly attacking Gaz made me laugh. And then I started to cry.
“Cal, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, Liv. I can’t believe I have to say this out loud.” A ragged sob escaped me. “Turns out Nikos is married.”
“What?!”
“Yup, I’ve been sleeping with a married man. I’m that woman now.”
“Okay, wait. Tell me how you found out.” I took a deep breath and explained it all, amazed that I could talk about it like it had happened to some other gullible fool who had let herself catch feelings for a serial liar.
“So that’s that. I continue my streak of falling for shitty men.” It was the first time I’d admitted how I felt about him and saying it out loud made it even worse. I swiped angrily at my tears. “And I just feel so stupid, you know. For not listening to my instincts, for letting him in.”
“Oh, Callie. You’re not stupid. Jake and I both saw how crazy he is about you.” She let me cry more.
“I wish I was there to give you a hug.” She sounded like she was crying too. Such a little empath, my Liv. “Listen, I’m just going to say something, and I don’t want you to get mad. You should talk to him. There must be an explanation, right? His mom said that he and his wife are estranged.”
“There you go, defending him again.” I sniffled petulantly. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am! But, speaking from experience, it’s terrible to leave things unsaid.”
“I will let him explain, Liv. But my mind is made up. I need to focus on my career. I don’t need a distraction like this right now. It’s better to nip it in the bud before . . .”Before I get too attached, I thought but didn’t say out loud because I knew Liv would see it for the lie it was. I was already too attached . . . and it wasn’t even the right word for how I had let myself feel about him.
* * *
Somehow, I slept like the dead. With a groan I rolled from bed the next morning and shuffled to the kitchen to make myself a pot of strong coffee. I hesitated to go out on the terrace. Nikos would see me and drive his boat over and try to seduce me.
Well, I wasn’t falling for that again. Hoping work would distract me from the permanent lump I’d developed in my throat, I opened my laptop and peeked at my emails.
There was a message from my mom forwarding my aunt Thelma’s family newsletter. Usually it was a hoot, but I couldn’t read about my cousins’ perfect lives when mine resembled a car tire bogged down in mud, spinning wildly in place.
I briefly considered sending my own life update:Callie is barreling toward thirty, banished to a rocky island with only an old donkey for a friend. She spends her days wandering the hills like a mad woman collecting herbs and fending off the narcissists she keeps attracting. Her food is mediocre and derivative at best. She should just move back to Ohio and open a Denny’s.
