she conceived his baby, but Kitty knew instinctively that it had been more than that. Had he
loved her? She was startled by how much the idea hurt, and she pushed her ridiculous jealousy
away. If he had cared for Greta, then her betrayal must have been doubly agonising.
She understood now why he wanted his child so desperately. He had lost his only blood relative
when he was a vulnerable teenager, and later suffered the most terrible betrayal by his first wife.
The baby inside her meant everything to him, and she knew then that whatever happened
between them in the future—even if they ended up rowing constantly— she could never separate
him from his child.
But she could not contemplate a time when she might want to end their marriage. She loved
him, Kitty admitted silently. From the very beginning she had been drawn to him by more than
just the sexual chemistry that burned between them. She had thought he was cold and heartless,
but how could he be anything else after the pain he had suffered in his life? She wished she could
go to him and tell him that she would always be there for him. But he did not want her love, and
she did not want to burden him with it or make him feel guilty that he could never love her in
return.
She was at a loss to know what to say to him, and even though he was standing only a few feet
away the distance between them seemed unbridgeable. Tiredness rolled over her in a wave, and
with it a feeling of defeat. After all he had suffered he would never lower his guard and feel
normal emotions like trust and caring. When they had married he’d told her bluntly that he
would never love her, and she had accepted it. But it hadn’t stopped her secretly hoping that over
time their physical relationship would develop into something more. Now she knew there was no
hope of that ever happening. His emotional scars ran too deep and she could not blame him for
refusing to risk being hurt again.
Nikos was staring unseeingly out of the window, lost in his bitter memories, but he suddenly
swung round and pierced her with a sharp stare. ‘So, where did you go today?’
Kitty took a deep breath, ashamed of her stupid deceit now that she knew how badly he had
been deceived in the past. ‘I went to visit a youth centre for underprivileged children and
teenagers. I read about it in the newspaper, and remembered the priest who runs it, Father
Thomaso, from Aristo.
‘I know I should have told you, Nikos, but I was afraid you would stop me. You have no idea#p#分页标题#e#
what terrible lives some of those children have had,’ she said urgently. ‘I’ve spent my whole life
as a pampered princess, and I want to do something useful and meaningful. I know I can give
money, but what the children really need is someone to listen to them, someone to care—’
She broke off, not encouraged by his frown, and fully expecting him to accuse her of putting the
baby at risk, but his reaction surprised her.
‘Actually I know only too well from my own childhood experiences what their lives are like,’ he
said quietly, staring at her intently as he tried to understand her. She was a princess from one of
the wealthiest families in Europe, yet despite her privileged upbringing she wanted to help the
poor and desperate who lived on the streets. None of the women he had ever dated in his past had
had a social conscience, and he didn’t know quite what to make of her.
‘I told you that I inherited Petridis Shipping from Larissa.’ He broke the silence that had fallen
between them. ‘But I did not want Larissa’s personal fortune, I was determined to make my own,
and so I put her money into a charitable fund which provides financial support to a number of
causes, including, as it happens, the youth centre you visited today. I have never met Father
Thomaso, but I know of his work and I have already organised for Larissa’s charitable fund to
make a significant donation to his centre.’
Something flared in his eyes, a new respect for her that lifted her heart. ‘I don’t think you should take on too many commitments while you are pregnant, and after the baby is born you will be
busy. But I am looking for someone to become president of the charitable fund I’ve set up. The
position is yours, if you want it.’
He walked over to her when she eagerly nodded her head, and slid his hand beneath her chin,
tilting her face to him. ‘We married for the sake of our child, and if I’m honest I believed you
were as shallow as the women I dated before I met you,’ he said bluntly. ‘But you constantly
surprise me, Kitty,’ he finished, his frustration that he did not understand her tangible. He was