He wasn’t coming with her. He was sending her away. Dimos’s words echoed in her head. He will dump you and the brat in some apartment far away from here. She tried to block it out as her heartbeat roared in her ears. “I’m not leaving you.”
“It’s for your own protection.”
“Stergios, don’t do this, please.” Jodie bit her lip. She knew better than to beg. Her fingers ached to grab his clothes and plead her case, but that would only drive him away. “I don’t want to go.”
He straightened his shoulders and clasped his hands behind his back. “I wish it hadn’t come to this.”
“I don’t want to leave you.” She finally found that someone with whom she wanted to share her life. She belonged with him and Stergios belonged with her. “I want to stay here.”
“But I want you to go,” he said as the harsh lines in his face deepened. “I won’t forgive myself if anything happens to you or our child.”
I want you to go. The words sliced through her like a jagged knife. He wanted this so-called temporary separation. He wouldn’t miss her. Why should he? He didn’t love her.
Jodie’s legs shook and she thought she would fall into a heap at his feet. “When am I supposed to leave?”
He watched her carefully. It was obvious he didn’t trust her flat voice or her sudden acceptance of the situation. “The helicopter pilot is waiting for you.”
She felt the tears rolling onto her eyelashes. “Now?” Her voice cracked.
“I don’t want to give this guy any opportunity to hurt you.”
He was rushing her. Not giving her time to think. He was treating her like an opponent, determined to win before she knew what hit her. “I’m not packed.”
“You don’t need much. You have an apartment in New York,” he reminded her. “And you’ll be back soon.”
He’s telling you what you want to hear. You are infatuated with an illusion. She knew why Dimos’s words stuck with her. She had often been guilty of believing what she wanted to be true. How many times had she believed her parents’ promises before they had shipped her off to school? They had given her hope because they had been tired of her tears and bargaining. The more she had protested, the more they drew away.
“Are you coming with me? Just to make sure I’m okay?” she asked. She wasn’t ready to walk away from Stergios. Maybe she could convince him on the long plane ride that they would do better as a team.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “It’s not a good idea.”
She felt like she was bleeding inside. “When will you come visit?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted in a gravelly voice.
She knew what that meant. He wouldn’t visit her. He might contact her. At first there would be a flurry of phone calls and texts. There would be promises to visit soon and proclamations of missing her. And then it would start to taper off. There would be a series of missed calls. Unanswered texts.
Tears burned her eyes and she took short, choppy breaths. Jodie tried to tell herself not to expect the worst. Stergios was not like her parents. He promised a commitment. He promised that she would come first.
So why did it feel as though he was abandoning her? His life would go on while hers was put on pause. She was going to be uprooted and sent away.
Stergios glanced at his wristwatch. “We need to leave as soon as possible. I have a jet waiting for you at the airport.”
He wasn’t even lingering. She knew the threat scared him. It was like his nightmare coming to life. She needed to respect it and yet...would he send her away if he loved her? Would he insist on this separation if he couldn’t live without her?
She didn’t know why she was torturing herself with these questions. She needed to accept the truth. He could live without her.
Jodie staggered back as the truth pierced her. She needed to protect herself before she splintered into pieces. “I’ll go get my passport.”
Stergios’s relief was palpable as she walked to the bedroom. She felt stunned and yet she was aware of her surroundings. She heard him reach for his cell phone before he spoke in a low, urgent tone.
Once Jodie closed the bedroom door, she walked to the middle of the room and stopped. She looked down at her engagement ring. It represented hope and commitment. Promises and family. But it had all been an illusion.
The tears clogged her throat as she pulled the ring off and placed it on the table by the bed. If Stergios wanted her back, if he wanted to marry her, then he was going to find her in New York and convince her to return.
Because right now, she was better off on her own.