‘Andreos. I wanted to make sure he was safe. And loved.’

He went even paler, his eyes growing pools of horror and disbelief. ‘You’ve known this...you’ve carried this for a year...and you didn’t tell me?’ he rasped, almost to himself as he gripped his nape with a shaky hand. ‘Why? Because you were testing me? Because I let you down? Because you don’t trust me?’

No! Because I love you. Because I can’t let you both watch me die.

‘Because I didn’t want to put Andreos through what might happen. He was a miracle, Ax. I couldn’t...didn’t know if I could carry him to term, but once I knew I was pregnant I knew I had to try.’

‘You found out about the lump the same day you found out you were carrying Andreos?’ he asked, his voice still stark.

I nodded. ‘I just... I couldn’t lose him, Ax. I couldn’t risk a biopsy to find out whether my prognosis was the same as my grandmother’s. But I agreed to frequent scans that wouldn’t harm the baby. When the first one showed that the pregnancy was stopping the lump from growing—’

‘You chose to stay pregnant,’ he finished, awed disbelief in his voice.

I sniffed back tears and nodded again. ‘You see, Andreos was a miracle in so many ways. Conceiving him bought me time, and once he was born... I just couldn’t let him go.’

‘But the lump is still there. It’s causing you pain, isn’t it?’ he asked, even though the knowledge blazed in his eyes. ‘That’s why you touch your stomach. That’s why you were unwell on the plane. And the timing of your return... That was your plan all along—to hand over Andreos and go off and fight this on your own?’

‘Yes,’ I answered simply. ‘I’ve had one scan since Andreos was born. It showed a small growth rate. But it’s...it’s time for further tests. Axios, I watched my grandmother suffer in the last months of her life. I can’t...won’t put Andreos through that if that’s what I’m facing. I have to leave. I would prefer it if you didn’t fight me. But...what you said...about erasing me from his life—’

Axios cursed and shoved both hands through his hair. ‘That was an idle threat. You’ll always be his mother and he’ll know you as such. He’ll know your courage and what you did for him,’ he intoned in a low, solemn voice.

At my sob of relief his lips firmed and he stared at me for an age. ‘Andreos,’ he said heavily, with a finality that struck real fear into me. ‘He’s the only reason you’re doing this.’

It was a statement—as if he already knew the answer. He took a step back. Then another. Until an unpassable chasm yawned between us.

‘Very well. If you’ve made your choice then so be it.’

I’d expected this to come, but still I stood in utter shock as Axios blazed one last searing look at me, then turned and stalked away.