19
Darius held Eve’s hand as they walked, their fingers threaded. He glanced at her, a look of contentment on his face that she couldn’t remember having seen there before. She understood, because that same feeling was growing inside of her as well. She was happier than she could remember being since becoming an adult.
He paused abruptly. “Hang on.” He released her fingers and started to step away toward a floral shop but stopped and kissed her. “I love you.” Darius entered the store.
Eve glowed with happiness at his declaration, watching from the street as he went to the counter to speak to the clerk. Over the last few weeks, she’d come to understand that he was her match. They connected on a level she’d never had with another person. The love she felt for Darius Dimitriou threatened to burst from her chest. Happiness settled on her, warming her skin—
He’s a betrayer; you can’t trust him.
Eve pushed the ugly thought from her mind. Of course she could trust him. He was a man of his word. He would never declare his love to a woman, make plans for a life with her, and then desert her in front of their friends and family.
But he had. He’d admitted it to her.
A sharp pain stabbed her chest. Eve cried out, opening her eyes to darkness. She tried to move her arm to her chest, but something bound her.
“Evie, don’t you go flailing about,” her father’s quiet but firm voice said as he clasped her wrist.
Someone turned on a light, and Eve shut her eyes against the sudden brightness. Where was she?
“Oh, baby, I’m so glad you’re awake.”
“Mama?” Eve opened her eyes, squinting.
Behind her mother’s smiling but teary face, Eve recognized the familiar equipment of a hospital room.
“What happened?” she asked.
“We’re at a Royal Infirmary,” her mother said.
“Someone put drugs in that wine you drank.” Eve’s father started pacing. “The bodyguard must have suspected something because he collected your glass so it could be tested. It’s looking bad for your cousin Graham since his glass didn’t have any, but he’s insisting he didn’t do it. He’s even offered to take a lie detector test.”
“Is Granddad all right?”
“His glass didn’t have anything either.” Her father stopped at the side of her bed and covered her hand. “He got so upset about what had happened to you that they had to bring him here for observation. They’re supposed to release him today.”
“How long have I been here?” Eve asked.
“Long enough for us to get here.” Her mother frowned at her. “Baby, why did you drink so much if it didn’t taste right?”
“Because I’m an idiot. I was already upset, and I thought if Graham was willing to make an overture, I wasn’t going to throw it in his face by telling him his wine was spoiled.” Eve absently rubbed at the dull ache in her chest. “What was in it?”
“Meth and cocaine. Pure stuff too.” Her mother’s voice gave a little hitch. “It’s fortunate that you’re young and in good shape. It gave you a heart attack.”
Eve’s entire body went cold. “Is there any permanent damage?” She tried to sit up so she could see the monitoring equipment, but her father gently pushed her back down.
“It appears you had takotsubo cardiomyopathy,” her mother said.
“The broken heart syndrome?” A stress heart attack induced by drugs. Eve’s memory was foggy after about the middle of the meal. “Yes, my heart was racing like crazy. It hurtsobad.” She looked at her mother. “Is the change in my heart’s shape going to be permanent?”
“We don’t know, but the doctor’s encouraged. Since yours was chemically induced, he thinks your heart could go back to normal within a few weeks. You should make a full recovery.”
Her mother leaned in and hugged Eve, while her father squeezed her hand and sniffed.
“How did they decide it was Graham?” she asked when her parents had taken their seats again.
“The bodyguard . . . what’s his name?” her father began.
“Joe Brooks,” her mother added.
