‘It’s whichever you find easiest to comply with.’

For some absurd reason my heart flipped over even as I wondered whether he was asking me along because the thought of being separated from us for any length of time was disagreeable to him or because of appearances.

His expression was mostly unreadable, but there was something there. A touch of apprehension I’d never seen before. And, though it was highly unwise to latch on to it, I found myself leaning towards it, indulging myself in the idea that he cared whether I agreed or not.

‘How long is this trip going to last?’

‘It’s to finalise a new airline deal I’ve been working on for a year. It’s been challenging at times, so I expect both sides will want to celebrate after the deed is done. Prepare to stay for the better part of a week. Did you travel to Thailand on your trip?’ he asked, but his almost flippant query didn’t fool me for one second.

Axios was a master at subtle inquisition. Over the past weeks he’d dropped several questions unexpectedly.

‘No. My coin-flip landed in favour of Indonesia instead of Thailand, so I went to Bali.’

‘Then this will be your chance to explore another country,’ he replied smoothly, despite the trace of tension in the air.

Andreos chose that moment to make his displeasure at the charged atmosphere known. Axios absently soothed a hand down his small back, but his eyes remained fixed on me.

When I reached for him Ax handed him over. Then he stayed sitting, his elbows resting on his knees.

‘Will you come with me?’ he asked, his eyes boring into mine.

And because that undeniable yearning for more wouldn’t stop—because I craved this...togetherness more than I craved my next breath—I answered, ‘Yes.’

CHAPTER NINE

TIME IS RUNNING OUT...

The unnerving sensation that time was slipping through my fingers had arrived like a thief in the night and stayed like an unwanted guest, permeating my every interaction with Calypso. I couldn’t put my finger on why and nor did I have a clear-cut solution.

The sensation left me off-kilter and scowling as I climbed the steps into my plane two days later.

A lot of things I’d believed to be cut and dried had become nebulous in the past few weeks. The idea of marriage...of staying married, for instance...didn’t evoke the same amount of resistance it had done a year or even a month ago. As for being a father...

Thoughts of Andreos immediately soothed a fraction of the chaos inside me. My son’s existence had brought a deeper purpose to my life I wouldn’t have believed possible had I not experienced it for myself. The chance to pass on my heritage to him, to teach him about the sacrifices his grandfather had made filled a bleak corner of my soul.

As for his mother...

The warmth I’d enjoyed with her over the past few weeks, watching her joy in painting and simply basking in the unit she and Andreos presented had subtly altered, leaving me with more questions than answers. Even more acute was the feeling of exposure after revealing so much of myself and the anguish her family’s actions had caused mine.