The Greek Billionaire's Innocent Rrincess(57)

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