Now that she had gotten over the need to play around and have revenge, Pollyanna decided to simply drown herself in work, which seemed to be the only thing that could drive Kyrillos Gazis out of her mind.

When Christmas came and Pollyanna and the children joined Kyr on his yacht, her husband took one look at her and frowned.

“What?” she asked, trying not to bristle.

He slowly shook his head. “Nothing.” But throughout the day, she would catch him looking at her, and the frown would reappear on his face. When the kids were asleep, she confronted him immediately, going straight to his study and asking him what the problem was.

She expected him to roar back at her because in the past, he had been like that. But instead, Kyr only left his desk and walked past Pollyanna to close the door behind her. His actions made her flush because she knew that was her fault, and if the twins had ended up hearing them arguing, she would never have forgiven herself.

Even so, her voice was decidedly ungracious as she muttered, “Sorry.”

Kyr only looked at her, his narrowed gaze studying her from head to toe. Finally, he said, “You’ve lost too much weight.”

Her lips tightened, but she couldn’t allow herself to answer. What was there to say? I’m losing weight because of you? She had to have more pride than that.

But then she heard her husband say, “You don’t look fine.”

And that was when she lost it.

“Not like her, do you mean?”

Kyr was visibly startled, and his eyes widened imperceptibly when he noticed the way her fists were clenched against her sides.

“Is that what you really wanted to ask? Why can’t the mother of your kids be as perfect as she is?” The shrillness of her voice hurt her own ears, but she just couldn’t stop. It was as if something inside her had burst, and now there was no stopping all her hatred and bitterness and despair from spilling out.

She advanced towards him, and he backed away, and oh God, it would have been so damn laughable if she didn’t feel more like crying right that moment. There he was, Kyrillos Gazis, one of the world’s hottest Greek billionaires, looking nothing but perfect in his three-piece suit. And here she was, Pollyanna, an American nobody who just happened to be at the right place and time when Kyr had needed someone to distract him from his loneliness.

“Say something!” But he only looked at her, and she screamed, “Why are you still here? Why don’t you just go to---”

“Because I love you!” He hauled her close, and she struggled wildly, but she was powerless in his hold. She expected him to shout at her, but instead his voice was hoarse and achingly gentle when he said, “I know you, Polly. I know you enough to understand that a part of you has always been waiting for the three of us---” His lips pressed together in a tight, white line. “You, me, and her – you think we’ll have this big confrontation and you expect yourself to be the victim---”

She managed to wrench one of her hands away and slapped him full in the face.

But it didn’t stop him from speaking, and in fact his voice only became gentler as he said, “It’s not going to happen.”

“SHUT UP!” She tried slapping him again.

“Because that night I hurt you, whatever I felt for Ana disappeared---”

“I said, shut up!” And this time, she was howling, crying, and she hated him and herself for breaking down.

“The sight of your pain killed everything I felt for her. And now, it’s just between you and me---”

“Liar!” She began beating his chest, but somehow, everything she did, everything she heard, just made her hurt more.

Kyr forcibly brought her fists down, capturing both wrists in one hold, and then he hauled her close so she would stop hurting himself. She started sobbing, and he held her more tightly, wishing dully there was a way he could just sell his soul in exchange for all her pain to be taken away.

“Listen, my love.” His voice shook with emotions. “We can go to her now, if that’s what you want. She can threaten to jump off the cliff just so I’d talk to her and I wouldn’t even blink, wouldn’t even answer because I never want to hurt you again.” He looked down and forced his wife to look up at him. “I love you.”

But she only shook her head at him.

“I love you, Polly. I love you.” And unable to stop himself, he cupped her face and kissed her hard. Her tears seeped into his kiss, and he kissed her harder as his heart broke for her. “Come back to me,” he begged rawly. “Come back to me, Polly. Please, come back to me.”

But all his wife could do was cry and shake her head at him. “Even if I come back to you, Kyr, it won’t be the same.” Her voice caught. “Because I’m not the same Polly anymore.”

She watched Kyr turn ashen at her words and even then, the hollowness inside her continued to grow.

She was so tired.

So damn tired.

Why was it that some people moved on so quickly, even after being married for decades?

Why was it that some people hated so easily, even when they had only suffered so little?

Why?

* * *

On the twenty-sixth of December, the day after Christmas, Pollyanna showed up unannounced at Ana’s hotel. When she had made her plans, it had hurt and angered her at the same time when she found out that Ana had been Greece this entire time. Was she waiting for Kyr to divorce her? Or were they already meeting behind her back?

She had so many questions, and none of them had any answers, but then, that was why she was here, wasn’t she?

Ana asked her up to her hotel room, something that Pollyanna was privately relieved about. More than anything else, she didn’t want her children to get a wind of what she was doing, if anything wrong happened.

Ana welcomed her in a breathtakingly sexy silk dress, its neckline daringly low and its back nearly nonexistent.

“I won’t lie,” Ana murmured as she led the way inside her suite. “I’m not at all surprised that you came. Girls like you have this ridiculous need for closure.” She gestured to the sofa, her lips curving in a condescending smile when Pollyanna shook her head. “Oh, of course, that uncivil attitude is so cliché, too.”

“I just came to say that he’s all yours,” she said tonelessly. The more time she spent in Ana’s company, the more she realized there was no point engaging in any verbal warfare with the other woman. Ana was older, more experienced, and most of all, she was bitchier, too.

Besides, what was the point of arguing, Pollyanna thought numbly. Hadn’t she come here to give Kyr up?

Having said her piece, she started to turn away when she heard Ana say, “He must have been desperate to choose someone like you to get over me.”

The words struck Pollyanna where it hurt the most, and she sucked her breath in hard.

“I’m sure you know he’s got me watched, too?”

She whirled around, shaking her head. “Why would you think---”

Ana laughed humorlessly. “Oh, come on. Are you really that naïve? Your husband is a control freak---”

She flinched. Didn’t Kyr use the same words to describe himself? Did it mean something? Should it?

“I’m sure, he’s already on his way here, intent on rushing to your rescue because he thinks I’m going to make you cry---”

Pollyanna said stiffly, “I don’t give a damn about what he thinks---”

“If you really mean that,” Ana sneered, “then let him go!”

Pollyanna shook her head. “Didn’t I just tell you that he’s---”

“Oh, stop it with that self-sacrificing shit,” Ana snapped. “He’ll never leave you as long as you act as the victim!” She glared at Pollyanna with hatred. “Yes, I threw him away, and I was an idiot. But I want him back now. I love him. And if you don’t love him because you can’t forgive him for one kiss, then let him go. Give him back to me. FORGIVE HIM and let him go!”

Pollyanna paled.

Behind them, the door slammed open, and she knew, without looking, that it could only be one person.

Kyr appeared between them, blocking her view of Ana entirely, and he was cupping her face, his gaze desperate and anxious. “Are you alright, my love? Did she say anything to you?”

But she couldn’t answer because she was still reeling from Ana’s words.

Was that what she had been unconsciously doing all this time, she wondered dazedly. Was that why, no matter how much she wanted to forget him, to stop loving him, she couldn’t?

Was it because, deep down inside her, she was still her same weak self, and she had been holding on to her husband, not letting him go, not letting either of them move on?

And here he was again, she thought, just like Ana had predicted.

He had come to her rescue.

Because she was weak.

She stepped away, pushing out of Kyr’s hold. Ana started to laugh, and Kyr whitened. “Whatever she said,” he began tightly.

But Ana cut him off, saying with cruel pleasure, “She’s the one who---”

“Shut up, Ana.” His voice was cold, but his gaze never left Pollyanna’s face. “Polly---”

But his wife only shook her head at him. “There’s nothing to worry about.” And then she turned and walked away without a word.

He caught up to her easily, capturing her wrist and making her turn to face him again. “What’s wrong with you?” Because something was wrong. It was like she was seeing him with the wrong eyes, and it wasn’t just because there weren’t stars in it anymore.

No, something was too wrong, and it terrified Kyr.

“Polly?”

She stared up at him, thinking that this was it. If she really wanted it to be over, she had to do it now.

“Your ex made me realize something,” she said tremulously.

And his wife was smiling at him now, but Theo, it had to be the saddest smile in the world, and his terror increased.

“Whatever it is, don’t believe her,” he said sharply.

She laughed, but she also felt tears forming in her eyes at his words.

Oh, Kyr.

Oh, my love.

She closed her eyes. “I forgive you, Kyr.”

She forgave him. Kyr didn’t know what to say. He had thought he would be happy if he heard her say that, but now that he was hearing the words, he realized that it couldn’t be that simple.

If by forgiving him, she would leave, then---

He sucked in his breath.

He would rather she hated him forever.

“Polly.” Her name was wrenched out of him.

It hurt to hear his voice falter. He was supposed to be the strong one between them, and she didn’t want to be strong at his expense. But God, she also wanted to stop hurting.

“I forgive you,” she repeated painfully.

“And that’s it?” he threw violently at her. “You forgive me?” His voice was ravaged with despair. “And we go our separate ways?”

She bit her lip hard. “Yes.”

“No.” He shook his head. “It can’t end just like that. I won’t stop trying---”

“Then you don’t really love me,” she whispered inaudibly. “Because if you really do, you’ll help me move on.”

And this time, when she walked away, he no longer stopped her.

She didn’t cry on her way back. She kept waiting for the tears to come, but it didn’t. She joined her children on the yacht, and an hour later, Kyr arrived. They played games, they laughed, and they ate together. But both of them knew that it was goodbye.

That night, she waited for the tears to come, but her eyes remained dry.

When the holidays were over, she threw herself back into work and was rewarded with a surprise announcement a week later. She had been voted Entrepreneur of the Year, and it was the first time that the award-giving body had selected a mere high school graduate as the winner.

It should have been her biggest achievement, but Pollyanna couldn’t make herself feel anything. This was what she had dreamed of, what she wanted to be so that her children would be proud. A career mother, someone who made her mark in both the industry and her family life.

So why wasn’t she happy?

She had her big confrontation with Ana, and the other woman had practically begged her, Pollyanna, to give Kyr to her. Wasn’t that supposed to be vindication? Wasn’t that proof that she had won?

So why wasn’t she happy?

Why did she feel emptier and emptier every day?

She prayed for answers, but nothing came to her, and it hurt, to think that even God was silent. And so Pollyanna simply worked. Her job made her feel important, and that was the next best thing to happiness. Her job made her feel respected, even if she was unloved.

So she worked, and worked, and worked, until she couldn’t breathe anymore.