Page 39 of His Secretly Pregnant Cinderella

He did not want to know about that either. What his parents did in their spare time was their business, and Constantine wished that it was never his.

“You will come from where you are vacationing to the wedding, I trust. We will be at the estate in Athens.”

“If you wish.”

“It is right,” he said.

“Yes. We will be there. It is... It is appreciated, the way that you have cared for Alex in the aftermath of all this.” As if Alex was still alive to be cared for. “There is still something of him to protect, and that is a gift.”

But it felt like a commission being given. To continue to care for him even in his death. Something he could not do for Athena, who he had failed.

His father had said that to him once. Ragingly drunk and weeping bitterly. “You should have protected her.”

Constantine had not shouted back, “You should have protected us both.” But it had burned in him, and even still...

Even still he had felt his own failure.

After that his father and mother had gone away for weeks, partying their way through Europe.

Trying to forget the pain of Athena, and possibly the pain of what Cosmo had said to him. It was why, even though his relationship with them was difficult at times, he never hated them.

It all came from pain.

So much pain.

He never wanted to cause more.

Athena.

He had been meant to protect Athena.

He had failed.

And in that same way, he felt he had failed to protect Alex. From himself, if nothing else. And then of course he had taken Alex’s woman...

What if they are yours?

No. It was unacceptable. Unforgivable.

He had made his own vows. About what would not be his.

Love, marriage. Children.

Those were things Athena would never have. How could he have them?

And this marriage... It was different. It would be different.

“We will see you there,” his father said, and he hung up the phone.

He was ready to leave, and he had not seen Morgan yet.

He stomped up the stairs and flung open the door to her bedroom.

She was standing there, holding a sundress up against her body, and he caught a glimpse of pale flesh. She was wearing a set of pale lilac underwear, and nothing more.

And he cursed the dress for providing such an effective shield for her.

“I’m getting dressed,” she said.

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