Book 2 Chapter 32
A full minute had passed in which nothing had been said. Yalda wasn't sure what to say or how to even respond to what he'd told her.
Ioannis stood beside her, hands resting in the pockets of his coat. He had been quiet too, he seemed to be deep in thoughts, his jaw was clenched and his eyes were dark, he was unsettled and it was obvious.
"What happened to her?" Yalda decided to ask after sometime. Ioannis had always been kind to her even when he didn't need to be, and the fact that he was visibly bothered about something prompted her to offer support.
He blew out a breath, one which sounded exasperated and tired
“Her boyfriend refused her offer to move even after her father stopped pulling their strings." He explained. "He stayed in the back instead. The money was too good to give up. And… Mariah found out he was cheating.”
“Oh.” The word slipped from Yalda quietly.
It was truly unfortunate to hear that. He'd gotten a good job because of Mariah, and she'd loved and supported him all through but he'd still cheated on her?
“She hasn’t been herself since,” Ioannis continued. “She’s been to two therapists and neither helped. Tonight she told me she’s tired. Too tired to keep trying. She said she doesn’t want to do it anymore.”
Yalda’s breath caught.
Suicidal, Mariah was suicidal.
No wonder Ioannis was so worried, no wonder he seemed unable to breathe properly.
“God…” Yalda murmured, heart sinking. She felt genuine sympathy, she couldn't even begin to imagine how she was feeling right now. "That's sad."
Ioannis nodded.
“She asked,” he began, and the what he turned to face her fully made her heart drop, “if she could come stay at the villa for a while. Just until she feels… safe again. Less suicidal."
Yalda froze.
She didn’t want to feel selfish or inconsiderate, neither did she want to react, but she couldn’t stop the sinking sensation that spread slowly through her chest as she processed what he'd said.
Mariah was coming to stay in the villa. It literally used to be her home, shee lived there for two full years, and now she was coming back. Yalda suddenly felt like she was out of place, she felt like an intruder.
“I know it’s a lot,” Ioannis said, his voice was gentler now, “but she didn’t really give me a choice. She was in a bad state when she called. I couldn’t dismiss her. But your opinion matters. If you...."
She shook her head too quickly.
“No, I'm… I’m fine,” she whispered. Her throat suddenly felt too tight. "It's fine."
He looked unconvinced. He watched her closely, waiting for her to say more, to say something real. He had always been able to read her well, too well.
“Yalda,” he said softly. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
She looked away.
What could she possibly tell him? That she felt like an intruder all of a sudden? That the fact that his ex wife was coming to stay at the villa was making her uncomfortable? How could she say that without seeming inconsiderate and shallow?
Even she didn't want to feel what she was feeling right now, after all, she understood Mariah was struggling. She understood she needed help, and she knew well enough that Ioannis couldn’t ignore someone in that state.
She understood all of it.
But none of that stopped her chest from twisting with something sharp and unfamiliar. She had never had to worry about another woman taking up space in her partner’s life, not emotionally at least. This was new to her, and it was unsettling.
Ioannis was hers.
She had been so sure of it a few minutes ago, but now she wasn't sure anymore.
She wrapped her arms around herself as the breeze picked up, using the cold as an excuse to escape the conversation she wasn’t ready for.
“I’m getting cold,” she said quietly. “Can we go back?”
Ioannis studied her for another long moment, as if trying to decode the things she wasn’t saying. But he didn’t push.
“Of course,” he murmured.
He reached for her hand and guided her back toward the car. His fingers tightened around hers gently, grounding and reassuring, but she felt numb. The world seemed slightly muted, like her senses had dipped underwater. All the lights and the beauty of the city didn't seem to calm her anymore.
The drive back was quiet. Not the comfortable silence they'd shared on their way here. This one was a tense, heavy one.
Ioannis glanced at her occasionally, jaw clenched just a little, concern etched into the subtle lines around his eyes. Yalda kept her gaze fixed on the passing streets outside the window She tried to decipher what it was that she was feeling but just couldn't understand. Did she feel insecure about Mariah? She was after all very beautiful, demure, and she'd looked perfect with Ioannis.
Was that why she was bothered? It couldn't be.
By the time they reached the villa, her chest felt hollow. Inside, Ioannis reached for her coat gently, helping her slip out of it. She forced a thin smile, her mood was completely sour now.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“For what?” His voice was soft.
“For dinner, and the drive.” She replied quietly. "And the cost."
Why did she suddenly feel so awkward?
“You’re tired,” he said finally. “Go lie down. I’ll check on the security staff before I come in.”
She nodded and walked toward their bedroom. Her steps felt heavier with each one.
When she finally reached the bed, she didn’t bother changing out of her clothes. She simply climbed onto the mattress and lay there on her side, staring at the darkness ahead of her.
She felt something she had never felt before, a deep, seething unease. Not because she didn’t trust Ioannis, but because for the first time, she worried someone else, someone important from his past had the power to slip into the small, fragile space she had carved for herself in his life.
And she hated that feeling. She hated it so much it made her chest ache.
She pulled the blankets up to her shoulders and closed her eyes, willing the tightness in her throat to ease. She tried not to imagine Mariah standing in the villa hallways, moving around the kitchen she’d grown used to, walking past the bedroom she shared with Ioannis.
But she couldn’t stop.
And so she lay there in silence with her heart thudding painfully, trying to swallow a jealousy that felt too sharp, too new, and too frightening.
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