Husband By Request

That way Dominique had been able to convince herself that when he reached for her it was because he wanted her. Later, when he’d fallen asleep, she would lie there in the dark with hot, silent tears trickling onto her pillow, fearing he’d made love to her out of pity.

When she’d left Andreas, it had taken months of psychiatric therapy in New York for Dominique to understand her feelings of inadequacy, to comprehend why she’d run away from her husband. Through those tough sessions she’d learned why she’d bought into Olympia’s and anyone else’s comments, which at times could have been construed as insensitive, even cruel.

Once she’d faced her demons, Dominique had undergone a dramatic emotional healing, allowing her to make choices that were right for her.

One of them had been to treat herself as the attractive woman she’d been before she’d ever been diagnosed with cancer, rather than resign herself to being a withered shadow of her former self.

Another choice had been reconstructive surgery, a decision that had indicated she was in good mental health, in charge of own happiness, because no one else could choose that for her but herself.

Understanding that principle had made her free. She no longer feared being cut and probed again. It was a necessary step in the process of achieving total emotional and psychological recovery. The result was that, whether she and Andreas ended up together or not, now she felt whole and feminine.

If her cancer came back, and she had to have the other breast removed, so be it. Never again would she allow herself, events, or other people, to sabotage her self-image.

For the first time in their lives she was unafraid to be with Andreas. No more inhibitions. She was eager to meet him head on, whether it be in love, war, or everything else in between.

A vital issue was at stake here. If he’d been unfaithful to her in his heart, then she needed to hear those words from his lips before she decided on her next course of action.

But first she had to find a way to regain his trust so he would confide in her. Until that happened, their marriage didn’t have a prayer of making it.

She turned on her side as if she were facing Andreas

, and waited for him to come to her.

CHAPTER FOUR

ANDREAS finished doing laps in the pool before he levered himself to the patio and phoned Olympia.

“I’ve been waiting to hear from you. Did you catch up with Dominique?”

As concerned and understanding as Olympia had always been, he didn’t like discussing Dominique with her.

“Yes.”

“I assume you worked everything out and she’s on her way back to Bosnia?”

Your assumption’s wrong.

All their theories of Dominique wanting money had to be tossed because of Dominique’s request. It had blown him away.

Before he joined his estranged wife in the bed she hadn’t slept in for more months than he cared to remember, Andreas had needed a workout in the pool to get his head on straight.

He sleeked back his wet hair. “Olympia—”

“When you say my name that way, I know something’s wrong. What is it?”

“I won’t be able to spend any time with you and Ari for a while. But the yacht is yours to enjoy for as long as you wish. Feel free to come to the villa on Zakynthos. Check with Paul if you need anything.”

“That’s very generous of you, Andreas. I assume a business problem has come up you have to deal with?”

“No. This is personal.”

“I see. How long do you think it will be before we can spend some time together, then?”

“I’m not sure. Possibly next month.”

“Next month? What’s happened?”

Dominique had come back into his life. That was what had happened.