Page 37 of The Billionaire's Seduction Revenge

His voice was deep and gravelly, his words ringing with sincerity.

“I was the opposite,” she said, surprised by the admission. But as she spoke, it was with the realisation that she was happy to share this part of herself with him. It wasn’t a state secret, she simply preferred not to talk about Jack and her life back in Sydney. So if she brought it up now, and felt okay doing so, that was her prerogative. “I always wanted to get married, have children, to have a family of my own. My parents were…chaotic. We moved around a lot when I was a little girl, before settling in the regions of Sydney. My dad drove trucks and was away a lot. When he was home, they fought almost non-stop. I was their only child, and I think they both blamed me, in a way—they only got married because of me. They were pretty badly suited.” She wrinkled her nose, pushing away the memories of that time in her life. “I used to dream of escaping, of finding someone I loved, who loved me back.”

“And that’s what you’re doing here?” He prompted, squeezing her shoulder. “Escaping?”

“Yes,” her voice was a whisper. “But not from my parents. I did that much sooner.”

A glance at his face showed he didn’t comprehend; she couldn’t blame him. She was speaking in riddles.

“In my final year of university, I met someone. Jack.” Just speaking his name felt strange and yet, there was also relief in it, as though a huge weight was lifting off her chest. “He was very handsome and very charming and he seemed almost obsessed with me, which I liked a lot—I was young enough to find that kind of attention flattering rather than to see it as a warning sign.”

Vasilios’s pace slowed a little, the only outward sign that he was listening, and very intently. But Emma stalled here, the personal history so big and difficult so she didn’t quite know how to relate it.

“Was it a warning sign?”

“Oh, yeah,” she grimaced. “I mean, he was a good guy but very intense and protective, and I guess, controlling. Given his line of work, I understand it, but at the time, I couldn’t see any of that.”

“What is his line of work?”

“Was,” her brow furrowed, and now Vasilios stopped walking altogether, shifted a little so they were facing each other. The arm that had been around her shoulders dropped, to wrap around her back, holding her close. “Jack was a cop. He worked undercover. Eighteen months ago, he was killed by one of the gangs he was embedded with.” She bit down on her lower lip. “I was with him. We were out walking. I hadn’t seen him in almost a month before that—he’d been deep undercover but had been able to get a weekend off. He was talking about leaving the squad, to transfer to something else, but I don’t know if he ever would. Jack was a good guy but at the same time, it wasn’t a stretch for him to mix it with the gangs. There was a duality in him,” she whispered, the weight of Vasilios’s attention on her features twisting something inside of her. She thought she’d feel bad talking about Jack, but in fact, it felt good to open up to Vasilios. It felt important and right.

“He died before I could even tell him I was pregnant,” she added. “When he was undercover, we didn’t really get to talk. It was too dangerous. He called me sometimes, but never for long, and I didn’t want to give him that kind of news over the phone.”

Vasilios’s face was white. “Pregnant?”

She nodded once.

“I lost the baby.” She said it matter of factly, even when the admission cut right through her. “The shock, I think, of seeing Jack killed, of waiting with him while the ambulance came. All the blood,” she closed her eyes against the horror of those moments. “It was awful.”

“I’m not often at a total loss for words but I have no idea what to say,” he admitted. “Except…I am so sorry that happened to you. You deserve so much better, Emma. You deserve to never know that kind of pain.”

“No one deserves to know that kind of pain,” she corrected shakily.

“And this is why you came to Italy?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I was desperate to get away for a while. I had to testify. Well, I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. I knew there was a risk, but Jack had died, and I’d lost my baby, and I didn’t want that to be in vain. In testifying about what I’d seen, four of the gang members received life sentences. The thing is, so much came out after Jack’s death…” She hesitated, not admitting to his lack of faithfulness because it embarrassed her. It was stupid, but it felt like admitting failure, even though she knew the fault was all Jack’s.

“That was very brave of you.”

“Brave, maybe stupid. I didn’t care. But it seemed wise to go away for a while, and start fresh.” She bit into her lower lip. “There was a lot of insurance money. From his death. It means I can travel, and live, without having to worry about money and work. All I want is to be free for a while.” She blinked up at him. “It’s strange, isn’t it? I used to crave family and stability and now I find myself aching to be untethered from anyone and anything, just like my parents. I didn’t see that coming.”

He shook his head once. “How could you? Your life took some totally unpredictable twists.”

“Yes, it did.” She frowned. “That’s exactly what happened. For a while, I let life happen to me. I think the last decision I really made for myself was that I would date Jack. After that, he took over. He was naturally very dominant, and I thought I was so in love with him that I was perfectly okay to go along with it. Whatever he said was fine by me. We married quickly, and then, his work got busier and I barely saw him. It was strange.”

“And you worked, in the meantime?”

“Yes, I had my work,” she agreed. “Thankfully. Otherwise I would have been incredibly lonely.”

He brushed his lips to hers, then let them linger before kissing her properly. “I’m glad Costa met you and perceived that you were someone to be trusted.”

“I think he perceived that I was someone in a total state of panic!” She said on a shaky laugh. “I was over the other side of the world, and there were times when I’d look at my life and wonder what the hell had happened.”

“Nonetheless, I’m glad that all the twists and turns brought you here, Emma. You deserve to be happy.”

10

VASILIOS STUDIED HER SLEEPING face with a strange heaviness in his chest. “Emma.” She stirred, and he regretted waking her. But he’d regret it even more if she woke and found him gone. “Emma.” He tapped her shoulder lightly, naked and as soft as a petal beneath his fingertips.

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