Vengeance (Updating Weekly)

Part 28

I spend the rest of the day waiting for the evening to arrive. The legal team is a nice distraction, but any downtime I have is spent thinking about Atticus. By the time I reach the harbour, he's already there, smiling at me with his hands in his pockets.

"I thought you were standing me up," he wraps his arms around me, embracing me in a warm hug.

"I could never," I laugh. "I just got lost on my way back here. You never should've gotten rid of my guards, now I've got to figure everything out on my own!"

"Something tells me you'll manage just fine," he chuckles. He pulls me in for a kiss, his hand sliding down to my butt. "Are you ready to go?"

"Let's get out of here," I nod. Atticus leads me onto the yacht — the same one we arrived on weeks ago. This time, we're alone. We head up to the top deck, where a large table is neatly decked out, ready for us to begin. He holds my hand as I slide onto the bench. I expect Atticus to sit opposite me, but he doesn't join me until we've departed the dock and are out on the ocean, autopilot now guiding us forward ever so slowly. I didn't know Atticus could steer a boat, but it makes sense. He'd have to know how to do that living here.

"You don't get seasick, do you?" Atticus pours us both a glass of wine.

"Not that I know of, no. I've been fine so far," I respond. "I think I've spent more time on the water in my time here than I have in my entire life."

"It's great, isn't it?"

"It is pretty nice. It's a very different lifestyle than we have back home."

"That's a good thing, I hope."

"It is," I laugh. Besides the whole Vassilis thing, it's far less stressful. There's no rent to pay or bosses breathing down your neck. There's less pressure and a lot more freedom. "You've been here your whole life, haven't you?"

"Yep," he nods. "Natasha raised us on a private island a bit further down. I saw you met her at Angelis' birthday."

"I did, yeah. She was lovely."

"She's great. I owe her a lot."

"What about your mother?" I hesitate. "Can I ask about her?"

"Of course you can," he reassures me. "I don't have many positive memories of her, to be honest. That wasn't her fault, though. My dad, he'd— she'd always be injured or upset. I don't think she was mentally well, and I don't see how she could have been... She was forced to marry my dad. She didn't have a way out. He was just as bad to her as he was to us, probably even worse."

"I'm so sorry. That's awful," I don't understand how he can talk about it so casually.

"Santos was pretty close to her. I think part of his motivation for all of this is vengeance for her. He wants to do right by her, and right by Angelis for all the shit he had to go through."

"You had to go through that shit too," I remind him. It's like he forgets sometimes. Maybe that's a good thing, but he's always thinking about everyone other than himself.

"But it wasn't as bad for me. Vassilis was cruel to me, sure, but it wasn't anything compared to what he did to Angelis, and losing my mother didn't affect me the same way it did Santos, either."

"I hope you know you're still allowed to be bothered by it."

"Oh, no, I know that, but I like to think I've overcome it. I didn't want to be as cold and distant as Santos, but I didn't want to be as emotional as Angelis either. I like to think I've found the middle ground."

"I disagree," I shoot him a teasing smirk. "I think you should be more emotional."

"Why's that?" he smiles, already knowing exactly where this is going.

"So I can hear you tell me how much you like me over and over again."

"I'll be sure to tell you more often then."

"Good," I grin.

"My mother would have liked you," he says. His words surprise me. "You're strong, smart, and determined. She'd like that. That's how she wanted us to be."

"You're stronger than I am," I respond.

"Physically, maybe, but not mentally. You're courageous. I'm used to all the violence and the death here. Not you. You've had to adjust to fighting for your life, and that's impressive."

"You over-estimate me. It's been hard — really fucking hard. I don't know what I'm doing half the time. I've cried a lot, I've been up at night... Every time I think I've made peace with the situation, I start doubting myself again."

"What are your doubts? Maybe I can help."

"Well, to be honest... I've never thought much about the future beyond Harvard. That was always my goal. And now, it seems almost frivolous... I still want to go to Harvard, but then what? Do I want to spend the rest of my life working crazy hours just to make a bunch of money I won't even have to enjoy? I just can't see myself doing that, knowing that I could be doing basically the same work, in a nicer environment, with people that I love? I know what you do is technically illegal, but it's good. You guys do good, meaningful work. I've purposefully avoided jobs where I could get emotionally involved because I never wanted to feel anything," I blurt. "But it's not like that here. If anything, it's empowering. Just like Santos is... I'm avenging my mum. I feel like I'm doing right by her, with everything I can do here."

"So, what are your doubts?"

"What if the novelty wears off? What if something changes and I don't enjoy it anymore? What if I would enjoy the work I would be doing in the US?"

"It's never too late to change. The decision you make now doesn't have to be permanent."

"I know, but I think I want it to be. I won't be able to get the same fulfilment in the US as I would here — in my jobs or my friendships. I'm sure I'd be able to make new friends, but they wouldn't understand what I've been through. They would never be able to relate to me and I wouldn't be able to relate to them. You guys understand what I've been through, and I understand you. I don't want to lose that. I think it's good for me.

"As long as you remember you can always change your mind."

"I just think this is where I need to be right now, not just for work, but for my own mental health. I'm happier here than I've been since my mother died."

"That's all that matters to me — your happiness."

My smile widens. He's so sweet to me. I place my hand over his. I'm so lucky to have him. I just want to grab him and kiss him. I can't wait to get to bed tonight.