don’t want you to leave,” repeated Atreus, “Please. I beg of you. Stay here, with me.” He took her hands in his, gazing up at her. “Just . . . stay.”
“Atreus . . .” Carla breathed.
“Do you really want to go back there? To your old life?” Atreus asked, his eyes wild and desperate. Carla thought of Brian back in London, and how fearful she had been each night since they had broken up.
“N-no,” Carla stuttered, knowing it was the truth. How could she leave this life she had become so accustomed to? Never mind the luxury she was subject to at the villa, what about Atreus and Dios, Andria and Hanna? How could she abandon them when they needed her help so badly?
“We could be so happy together,” Atreus said, standing and taking her in his arms. “Something between us has only just begun. Don’t run now. Please. I don’t . . .” To Carla’s absolutely surprise, Atreus seemed to be holding back tears. She placed a calming hand against his cheek as he looked at her, his eyes brimming. “I didn’t think I could feel this way anymore. I thought that part of me had died a long time ago. I can’t . . . I don’t want to lose it. I don’t want to lose this.” And again he kissed her, their lips tangling together beautifully. Carla felt as though her head was rushing and her ears were ringing as their lips collided again and again, each time with more ferocious passion.
“Atreus, please,” Carla said, pulling back. “I need time to think about this. Between you and Serene—”
“Don’t worry about Serene,” Atreus said sternly. “She’s nothing to me.”
“She’s the mother of your child,” Carla insisted. “How can you say that is nothing?”
“She is mother to Dios only by blood. I will love her for giving me that child but only for that, nothing more.”
“And what about me? Someday will you only love me for the children I might give you, and nothing more?” Carla hated herself for picking a fight, but it was a question to which she needed an answer.
“That is different,” Atreus replied, wounded. “You are nothing like Serene.”
“But how am I to know that? How can you be sure you won’t wake up one morning and be through with me?” Carla felt tears rising and her throat growing tight, hysterical. This is too much all at once.
“Because I adore you!” Atreus roared. Carla’s breath caught as he took her hands once more. “Because I feel so much more for you than I ever did for her!” His shaking hands cupped her face. “Carla, I have known you for so little a time, but in that time I have fallen for you. I knew the moment I saw you that we were meant to be something. I knew we would be together. If you leave now . . . we’ll never know what we could have been.”
“I—” But Atreus was kissing her once more, and her head was positively spinning.
Overwhelmed, Carla broke away from Atreus.
“I don’t know what to think, Atreus,” she said. “I… I need some time. Please.”
And with that she rushed away and into the nursery, shutting the door.
To her surprise, she was not alone. Hanna stood near Dios’s crib, fashioning a bottle for him.
“Oh, Hanna!” Carla exclaimed, her face flushed and dappled with tears. She hastily wiped her eyes, hoping upon hope that Hanna did not notice the state she was in.
“Apologies, Miss Carla,” Hanna said, sounding truly embarrassed. “I noticed that you and Mr. Kostas were having a . . . discussion. I thought it best if I feed Dios on your behalf.” She gestured to the infant in his crib, who gazed up at the two women with happy brown eyes.
“Oh. Oh, yes. Thank you, Hanna.”
Feeling exhausted by all that had transpired, Carla sank into the rocking chair and stared out the window at the large expanse of land on which the villa sat. Silently, Hanna fed Dios, until Carla could contain herself no longer.
“I met Mrs. Kostas,” she said, and Hanna blanched.
“She came here?”
“Atreus . . .” Carla breathed.
“Do you really want to go back there? To your old life?” Atreus asked, his eyes wild and desperate. Carla thought of Brian back in London, and how fearful she had been each night since they had broken up.
“N-no,” Carla stuttered, knowing it was the truth. How could she leave this life she had become so accustomed to? Never mind the luxury she was subject to at the villa, what about Atreus and Dios, Andria and Hanna? How could she abandon them when they needed her help so badly?
“We could be so happy together,” Atreus said, standing and taking her in his arms. “Something between us has only just begun. Don’t run now. Please. I don’t . . .” To Carla’s absolutely surprise, Atreus seemed to be holding back tears. She placed a calming hand against his cheek as he looked at her, his eyes brimming. “I didn’t think I could feel this way anymore. I thought that part of me had died a long time ago. I can’t . . . I don’t want to lose it. I don’t want to lose this.” And again he kissed her, their lips tangling together beautifully. Carla felt as though her head was rushing and her ears were ringing as their lips collided again and again, each time with more ferocious passion.
“Atreus, please,” Carla said, pulling back. “I need time to think about this. Between you and Serene—”
“Don’t worry about Serene,” Atreus said sternly. “She’s nothing to me.”
“She’s the mother of your child,” Carla insisted. “How can you say that is nothing?”
“She is mother to Dios only by blood. I will love her for giving me that child but only for that, nothing more.”
“And what about me? Someday will you only love me for the children I might give you, and nothing more?” Carla hated herself for picking a fight, but it was a question to which she needed an answer.
“That is different,” Atreus replied, wounded. “You are nothing like Serene.”
“But how am I to know that? How can you be sure you won’t wake up one morning and be through with me?” Carla felt tears rising and her throat growing tight, hysterical. This is too much all at once.
“Because I adore you!” Atreus roared. Carla’s breath caught as he took her hands once more. “Because I feel so much more for you than I ever did for her!” His shaking hands cupped her face. “Carla, I have known you for so little a time, but in that time I have fallen for you. I knew the moment I saw you that we were meant to be something. I knew we would be together. If you leave now . . . we’ll never know what we could have been.”
“I—” But Atreus was kissing her once more, and her head was positively spinning.
Overwhelmed, Carla broke away from Atreus.
“I don’t know what to think, Atreus,” she said. “I… I need some time. Please.”
And with that she rushed away and into the nursery, shutting the door.
To her surprise, she was not alone. Hanna stood near Dios’s crib, fashioning a bottle for him.
“Oh, Hanna!” Carla exclaimed, her face flushed and dappled with tears. She hastily wiped her eyes, hoping upon hope that Hanna did not notice the state she was in.
“Apologies, Miss Carla,” Hanna said, sounding truly embarrassed. “I noticed that you and Mr. Kostas were having a . . . discussion. I thought it best if I feed Dios on your behalf.” She gestured to the infant in his crib, who gazed up at the two women with happy brown eyes.
“Oh. Oh, yes. Thank you, Hanna.”
Feeling exhausted by all that had transpired, Carla sank into the rocking chair and stared out the window at the large expanse of land on which the villa sat. Silently, Hanna fed Dios, until Carla could contain herself no longer.
“I met Mrs. Kostas,” she said, and Hanna blanched.
“She came here?”
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