Chapter 1
Carla stared down at the pregnancy test, her heart in her throat. She had always been so careful about protection in the past but the passion that had overwhelmed her when Atreus gazed deep in her eyes, as if into her very soul, had left the world and its rules and logic and reason long forgotten. And now she was pregnant with his baby.
She peered into the bathroom mirror and worried about how she looked, fiddling with her blonde waves and trying, unsuccessfully, to tease them into submission. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, but after the events of the previous day she could not muster up enough feeling for her appearance to really care.
What did it matter, anyway, when Atreus truly loved her? What did it matter when she was carrying his child?
She leant against the sink and drifted away into happy imaginings. First, Atreus stroked her cheek as they gazed down at their perfect newborn. Dios leaned over and gave the baby a loving, big-brotherly kiss. Then they were by the pool at their Greek villa, Carla and Atreus basking in the golden heat as Dios played with the baby on the grass under the shade of a parasol.
“I love you, Atreus,” she would say.
“And I love you, Carla,” he would reply, sliding his shades onto his head to gaze into her eyes. “More than you will ever know.”
All was blissful in their family union until Brian crept out from behind a bush and snatched both their babies away.
No, it was not safe at the villa. That was the reason she was on the private plane on her way to Atreus’ private Bahamian paradise in the first place.
She lifted up the blind and looked out of the window to see if she could spot the sand and turquoise water and lush greenery of the Caribbean islands but saw only the ocean, overlaid with the wet white wisps of cloud they flew through. She figured they must still be flying over the Atlantic.
She stared at the ocean for a moment before closing the blind, a blend of fear and awe and respect rising in her. It was so vast, so powerful. She laid her hands on her belly, which was still flat but held the promise of life, and felt the same way. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of having a whole new life within her, a life it was her responsibility to keep safe and happy.
Carla did not find it a good omen that she had found out about her pregnancy when she was stuck on a flight with the man who made her feel the most unsafe. It was only the threat of his knife piercing through her flesh that forced her to allow him to follow her to the airport, pretend to be her brother and get on the plane with her.
She wished she could stay locked up in the bathroom for the rest of the flight and not have to look at him, but she was desperate for something to drink. She even considered drinking out of the bathroom tap but the sign with a drawing of a cup and a big red X slashed through it was enough to convince her otherwise.
The pregnancy test safely tucked back into her purse, she unlocked the bathroom door and headed back to her seat. Much to her relief, Brian was asleep when she returned.
She watched him as she sipped her water and wondered with revulsion how she had ever loved him. Her eyes wandered to his half-eaten dinner on the table in front of him, the heavy silver cutlery askew on the plate.
It flashed through her mind that she could pick up the knife and ram it right into his heart. After all, he had kidnapped Dios, he had threatened her life so many times she had lost count, he had pursued her at every turn when all she wanted was to move on and live her life without him. Clearly he still had plans to make her life miserable until he got what he wanted: her. She dreaded what would happen when they arrived on Atreus’ Bahamian island, finally bringing Brian and Atreus face to face.
Yet she could not bring herself to lean over and feel the silver in her palm. She turned on the
Carla stared down at the pregnancy test, her heart in her throat. She had always been so careful about protection in the past but the passion that had overwhelmed her when Atreus gazed deep in her eyes, as if into her very soul, had left the world and its rules and logic and reason long forgotten. And now she was pregnant with his baby.
She peered into the bathroom mirror and worried about how she looked, fiddling with her blonde waves and trying, unsuccessfully, to tease them into submission. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, but after the events of the previous day she could not muster up enough feeling for her appearance to really care.
What did it matter, anyway, when Atreus truly loved her? What did it matter when she was carrying his child?
She leant against the sink and drifted away into happy imaginings. First, Atreus stroked her cheek as they gazed down at their perfect newborn. Dios leaned over and gave the baby a loving, big-brotherly kiss. Then they were by the pool at their Greek villa, Carla and Atreus basking in the golden heat as Dios played with the baby on the grass under the shade of a parasol.
“I love you, Atreus,” she would say.
“And I love you, Carla,” he would reply, sliding his shades onto his head to gaze into her eyes. “More than you will ever know.”
All was blissful in their family union until Brian crept out from behind a bush and snatched both their babies away.
No, it was not safe at the villa. That was the reason she was on the private plane on her way to Atreus’ private Bahamian paradise in the first place.
She lifted up the blind and looked out of the window to see if she could spot the sand and turquoise water and lush greenery of the Caribbean islands but saw only the ocean, overlaid with the wet white wisps of cloud they flew through. She figured they must still be flying over the Atlantic.
She stared at the ocean for a moment before closing the blind, a blend of fear and awe and respect rising in her. It was so vast, so powerful. She laid her hands on her belly, which was still flat but held the promise of life, and felt the same way. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of having a whole new life within her, a life it was her responsibility to keep safe and happy.
Carla did not find it a good omen that she had found out about her pregnancy when she was stuck on a flight with the man who made her feel the most unsafe. It was only the threat of his knife piercing through her flesh that forced her to allow him to follow her to the airport, pretend to be her brother and get on the plane with her.
She wished she could stay locked up in the bathroom for the rest of the flight and not have to look at him, but she was desperate for something to drink. She even considered drinking out of the bathroom tap but the sign with a drawing of a cup and a big red X slashed through it was enough to convince her otherwise.
The pregnancy test safely tucked back into her purse, she unlocked the bathroom door and headed back to her seat. Much to her relief, Brian was asleep when she returned.
She watched him as she sipped her water and wondered with revulsion how she had ever loved him. Her eyes wandered to his half-eaten dinner on the table in front of him, the heavy silver cutlery askew on the plate.
It flashed through her mind that she could pick up the knife and ram it right into his heart. After all, he had kidnapped Dios, he had threatened her life so many times she had lost count, he had pursued her at every turn when all she wanted was to move on and live her life without him. Clearly he still had plans to make her life miserable until he got what he wanted: her. She dreaded what would happen when they arrived on Atreus’ Bahamian island, finally bringing Brian and Atreus face to face.
Yet she could not bring herself to lean over and feel the silver in her palm. She turned on the
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