Forever and Ever, My Greek Billionaire(3)

It wasn’t Stavros’ question that had Willow biting her lip, hard enough for her to taste the blood in her mouth.

You’re really going then?

No. It was his voice. Oh God, his voice.

Shiiiiiiiit.

Why did he have to sound like that? A perfect Greek billionaire like him wasn’t supposed to sound so dead.

I’m sorry, Stavros.

She had to say it, even if it was just an unheard whisper from her heart. She had to say it, knowing that what she was about to say and do would hurt him. Again.

She stared straight into his haunted eyes – she wanted him to know she knew he was hurting – and then slowly, her lips moved in an uncomfortable smile.

The smile said it all, and everyone who cared to look would know what it meant.

If you’re here to beg me to come back…

Awkward.

Stavros’ jaw clenched. “I see.”

I’m sorry, Stavros. She whispered the words fiercely even as she raised a brow at him, mockingly. Do you? She wanted, needed him to hate her. Hate her so much he wouldn’t ever forget her. Hate her so much he would realize one day how much she loved him.

One day, he would understand that all of this was for him. That even though it hurt to have him hate her, she would welcome the pain over and over if it meant that he would one day be free of all the scars that his own parents had left.

Walk away. That was the only fucking thing left for him to do. But instead, Stavros heard himself ask in a lifeless voice, “What do I have to say, Willow?” He had no fucking pride left. Nothing. “What do I have to do so you won’t leave?”

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

She screamed the word in her mind, but this time it wasn’t enough. No matter how loud she screamed it inside her, it just wasn’t enough, wasn’t loud enough to block out the sound of pain in his voice, the look of devastation in his eyes.

Oh God, she wanted to go to him.

She wanted to sink to her knees and beg him to forgive her, to make Stavros understand that all of this was for him.

And for one moment, temptation won.

She looked at Stavros and tried to say everything with her eyes.

Stavros, I love you.

I’m doing this for you.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

And one day, I want you to know you are loved, want you to know that no woman could ever love a man more than the way I love you.

Stavros sucked his breath in. There was something in her eyes, something that almost made him believe in the impossible. “Willow—”

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

She had said too much without even speaking a word.

Spinning around, she walked away, leaving Stavros without a word.

Even knowing it would humiliate him, she did it. She had to. If she stayed a second longer, she would have given in, would have been weak and let him take her in his arms. They would have lived happily ever after, but the doubt inside Stavros would have never gone away. Forever and ever, a piece of his heart would remain scarred by the belief that she couldn’t really love him completely. Forever and ever, he would always believe he was the one who was lacking, the one who was at fault for not being capable of making his parents love him.

And she didn’t want that.

She would rather hurt herself over and over than let that happen.

When Stavros tried to stop her from leaving, she wrenched her hand out of his touch.

Stavros’ face was white. “Just let me—”

“No!” She screamed the word at him. She couldn’t, mustn’t let him speak. “Enough, okay? You’re being pathetic.” She didn’t wait for him to answer, didn’t allow herself to look into his eyes at that moment.

If she did, it would be all over.

This time, Stavros didn’t stop her from leaving.

Shiiiiiiiiiiit.

People began to talk around her.

Shiiiiiiiiiiit.

She badly wanted to turn around and throw herself at Stavros.

Shiiiiiiiiiiit.

Willow managed not to run as she made her way to the back exit of the club. But the moment the door swung shut behind her, she lost it. Her fingers were clumsy, her desperation evident as she spilled the contents of her bag so she could easily find her phone—

Ah. There. Her entire body shook as she plugged her earbuds in and connected it to the phone. Tears fell on her screen, fast and furious, forcing her to wipe the screen dry several times before she could unlock her phone and get to her player.

Play.

The song played.

She closed her eyes, willing herself to believe.

She cried as she listened, cried as she sank to her knees, cried as she told herself over and over that one day, she and Stavros would make every damn love song in the world come true.

One day.





Chapter Two





A few more minutes and she would be here. The thought had Stavros’ lips tightening with self-disgust even as excitement rippled through him.