Lucie and Thanasis’s house could have been built in Ancient Greece, Athena thought as she walked the long driveway to the main entrance, being all marble columns and pillars and surrounded by lavish grounds filled with marble statues and waterfalls, but all put together in a non-classical way. There was a bohemian classiness to it all that perfectly suited its female owner.
Before she reached it, the door opened and a tiny figure with a mass of black corkscrew curls appeared. Lucie. Behind her, the much taller figure of Thanasis, who wrapped his arms protectively around his wife’s waist.
They both stared at her, stony-faced.
Athena cleared her throat. ‘Thank you for seeing me.’
‘What do you want?’ Lucie asked coldly.
It was a coldness she thoroughly deserved but it still hurt. However prickly and bitchy Athena had been to her, Lucie had always forgiven her, had always snatched at the scraps of friendship Athena had thrown at her.
But Lucie had wanted to be more than her friend. She’d wanted to be Athena’s sister. And, as repayment, Athena had treated her like dirt.
She met Lucie’s cold stare. ‘I’m here to apologise. I can’t say sorry for every mean thing I’ve done to you over the years because there are just too many of them, but I am sorry, for every mean word and deed, and I’m sorry most of all for trying to steal Thanasis from you. It was unforgivable. I blamed you for your mother usurping my mother and blamed you for stealing my place in my own life when none of it was your fault. You were the only good one amongst us and if I could do it all again I would treat you as the sister you always wanted me to be because the truth is, you are my sister, and I will never forgive myself for always throwing your love and friendship back in your face.’ She wiped away tears that had leaked out unbidden and sniffed back more. ‘I am so happy you two made it back to each other. You’re made for each other.’
The stony faces had slowly unfrozen into stunned amazement.
Lucie took a hesitant step towards her. ‘Athena…are you okay?’
Athena shook her head and rubbed more tears away. ‘I’m not suffering from anything I haven’t brought on myself.’
‘Why don’t you come in?’ Lucie asked gently.
She gave another shake of her head. ‘If you ever make the offer again I will say yes, but you need to think things through before you decide if you want us to try and form a relationship again. Also, now I’ve spoken to you, I’ve got a lot of other people I need to make apologies to—you had to be the first because you’re the one I caused the most damage to.’
All the wind was knocked out of her when Lucie hurled herself at her and flung her arms around her. ‘I love you, Athena,’ she whispered, hugging her fiercely.
She hugged her back with equal ferocity. ‘I love you too.’
It was as Athena was walking back towards the gate that Lucie called out, ‘That list of people you’re planning to apologise to? Please tell me my mother’s not on it.’
Athena turned around and walked backwards as she replied, ‘Hell will freeze over before I apologise to that bitch.’
Lucie smiled and blew her a kiss.
Athena plucked up all her courage and pressed the intercom belonging to the last name on her list.
All her apologies had been made. She’d even received a few in return.
Her favourite reception—after Lucie’s hug, of course—had come from her brother Alexis and his wife Lydia. She’d framed the charcoal portrait she’d drawn of their baby son and gift-wrapped it.
Their response had made her cry and reinforced why she couldn’t make a career from her art. It was too intensely personal for her to share with anyone she didn’t love, and now she was about to make contact with the woman she’d missed as profoundly as she’d once missed her mother.
Her mother was not someone Athena had sought out. She would always be a part of her life, but the damage her leaving and subsequent distance had caused was the one thing that could not be healed. She was okay with that. Not everything could be fixed.
‘Hello?’
She swallowed. ‘Cora?’
There was a long pause. ‘Athena?’
Minutes later, the decades melted away as she was enfolded in the gentlest, most loving embrace of her life.
It had been exactly ten days since Athena had given Draco her resignation letter. To the minute. Ten days since he’d seen her. Ten days since he’d spoken to her. And it was as he was making his way up the stairs, late—for him—having overslept due to an insomnia he’d never suffered with before, thinking about her…he always seemed to be thinking about her…that he reached the eleventh floor, glanced through the glass door that led into the finance department, and found his foot hovering on the next step to the top floor.
He could have sworn he’d just seen her.
Turning, he looked again.
