For ten years, she must have molded her character, changing her appearance, remaking her identity to get close to him—all to repay him in kind. She’d attended the charity ball in Venice on his rival’s arm just to get his attention. She’d purposefully set out to seduce him, so she could stab him in the heart.
It was a kind of hatred he’d never imagined in his whole life.
And now she was pregnant with his child.
No wonder she’d crashed her car when she’d found out she was pregnant. No wonder her traumatized mind had gone blank. It was like a severely injured person falling into a coma. It was for survival.
He watched her now at the outdoor market, laughing and haggling over two pairs of baby shoes, one pink, the other blue. Her face was beautiful and lit up. With the new feminine fullness of her pregnancy weight, he recognized the girl she’d once been. She looked so alive, so bright and innocent.
All this time, he’d thought this version of Eve was an illusion.
He’d been wrong.
This—this—was the real Eve. This was who she would have been if she’d grown up without grief or pain. This was the woman she would have become if Talos hadn’t taken everything from her when she was fourteen years old.
Suddenly, he couldn’t breathe. The air stifled him. He felt as if he was choking. He yanked off his tie.
If she ever regained her memory…
She would hate not just Talos, she would hate their child.
Eve suddenly turned as if she felt his glance. Their eyes met across the crowd. Joy suffused her expression. Her violet eyes shone with adoration and love, her cheeks were pink as spring roses.
She was the most desirable woman he’d ever known. The perfect lover. The perfect wife. The perfect mother. And at that moment, as Talos stood, he came to a sudden wrenching decision.
Slowly at first, then faster, he crossed the market. Taking Eve into his arms without a word, he kissed her fiercely. She kissed him back, then drew back with a laugh.
“What is it?” Suddenly frowning, she searched his face. “Is something wrong?”
“Not a thing.” And he was going to make sure nothing was ever wrong for her again.
He held her tightly against his chest, cradling her as if he would never let her go, pressing a kiss against her hair.
He couldn’t lose her. Couldn’t bear to lose this precious, bright angel who’d burst into his life like a miracle. He knew he didn’t deserve her. But he couldn’t let her return to the person she’d been—another bitter, hardened soul in this cold gray world, seeking revenge, seeking payback. Calling it justice.
For the first time in his life, Talos didn’t care about justice. Instead, he prayed for mercy.
Where could he take her? Where could he keep her safe, far from anyone who could remind her of the truth? What place could they hide where no old memories could ever ambush them?
Holding her hand tightly in his own, he pulled her away from the market.
“Where are we going?”
“Home,” he said suddenly. “I’m taking you home.”
“To the penthouse?”
“To Mithridos.” He took a deep breath, and a cloud of fear lifted off him. “My island.”
To save his family, to save them all, Talos had to pray she’d never remember—anything.
CHAPTER TEN
THE sunlight was bright, almost blinding against the palatial white villa.
Looking between the sky and sea, Eve thought she’d never seen so many shades of blue—turquoise, cobalt, indigo. As she stretched out on the lounge chair beside the infinity pool, the sky seemed to blend with the sea below. Putting down her pregnancy book, she watched the wild surf of the Aegean crash onto the white sands below.
They’d only been here a few hours, but she’d already happily changed into a new yellow floral bikini and pretty, translucent pink cover-up with a loose belt. She now had a closet full of comfortable, pretty clothes, brought here by her very own personal assistant. Curling her toes in pure bliss, she closed her eyes, relishing the feel of warm sunshine on her face and body.