Vengeance (COMPLETED)

Part 35

We're almost at 1000 reads guys! I know that doesn't seem like a lot compared to some other stories on here but it's still a huge achievement! Thank you all so much! ❤️❤️❤️

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Atticus wraps a bandage over my hand, keeping it tight to help with the pain. It's not unbearable, but it is uncomfortable. My punch didn't injure him at all. There's only a small bruise on his jaw.

"No punching anyone in the face today, okay?" he secures the bandage.

"No promises," I chuckle, but there's no real humour in my words. It's not a day for laughter. Today is even worse than yesterday. Today is the day we say goodbye. We barely got any sleep last night. I was exhausted, but I didn't want to sleep. I wanted to stay up, cuddled up against Atticus for as long as I could. I won't be able to do that tonight. I'll be trapped somewhere, probably tied up and bleeding. I might even be face-to-face with Vassilis. My anxiety immediately rises. I'm nervous and scared, but it's bearable until I think of him.

"Hey, it's okay," Atticus senses my fear. "We'll be right behind you, tacking you the whole time. You won't be alone."

"I know, I just don't want to see him again," I respond. I'm walking straight into a death trap. It's not just scary, it's going to get me hurt. I'm afraid of the pain just as much as I am of him. "I'm going to be anxious all day, but I just have to push through."

"I'm sorry, Erin. I hate that you have to go through this."

"I don't have to. I chose to. I made this decision, and I'm going to follow through. I just need to deal with the anxiety."

"Come lay down with me. We still have some time before you have to leave."

He leans back against the mattress. I join him, resting on his shoulder. I try to push my fears aside and focus on enjoying the moment. I could lay in his arms forever. I hate that I have to leave him.

"What happens when we get back?" I ask him. "Once Vassilis is dead and we're back on the island."

"Whatever you want to happen."

"What do you want?"

"I'd like us to live together, if you're okay with that. We can get a bigger apartment or move to one of the other islands."

"I'd like that," I smile. It's pretty soon, but it feels like the right step. If it were up to him, we'd probably be engaged by now. This is slow for him.

"You can prepare your application for Harvard and work in the legal team until you get accepted. And then... we'll move."

"You don't have to do that, you know?" I turn up to look at him. "We can try long distance."

"I'd rather go with you."

"You don't have to decide now. I might not even get in. But you do know that it snows in Boston, right? There are no sunny Greek beaches around."

"I could use a change of scenery," he smiles.

"I'm serious," I laugh. "I don't want you changing your whole life just for me."

"It wouldn't be just for you. It would be for us," he runs his fingers through my hair. "I know you don't want to get married yet, but if we get through this, I will be seeing this as a marriage — a partnership where we both make sacrifices for the sake of our relationship. Moving to America wouldn't even be a sacrifice. I wouldn't miss out on anything. I'd still work, I'd still see my brothers, but I would have you, too. It would be... a new adventure."

"God, you make it hard not to marry you," I joke. "I just don't want you to sacrifice what you want, to give me what I want."

"You know what I want. Marriage, kids, a family... that's what I want. Whether it's here or in America... being with you is one step closer to that."

My eyes search his. I don't want to tear them away. I could look at him for hours. He's beautiful. He's sweet and kind and caring and compassionate. He really is the perfect guy.

"Can I ask you something?" I don't want to kill the mood, but I need to clarify something with him before I get ahead of myself.

"Of course," he nods. "What's wrong?"

"What would happen if we broke up?" I asl. Part of me worries I'd meet the same fate as my mother, but I know better than that. Atticus is nothing like his father. I just need confirmation that involving myself in a crime family won't come back to haunt me.

"We're not breaking up," he responds.

"But say we did. What would change?"

"Nothing," he says. "We'd stop seeing each other and we'd move out. That's all."

"I could still work for you? I wouldn't be kicked off the island?"

"No, of course not," he furrows his brows, lifting his head up to get a better look at me. "I know what you're thinking, but I promise you I will never hurt you."

"I know," I place my hand on his jaw. "I know you wouldn't. It's just my anxiety talking."

"I'd be shunned if I did anything to harm you — if not killed. That's not how we do things here." he insists. "You're just as much a part of this family as I am. If things don't work out between us, then all that would change is our relationship."

I give him an apologetic smile, sorry I even brought it up to begin with. He's so good about it. He never gets frustrated or annoyed at my doubts. He doesn't get offended. He reassures me, each and every time.

"I love you, you know?" I say. "It won't take much longer for me to fall in love with you."

"Erin..." an excited smile pulls at his lips. "I love you, too. I fall for you more and more every day."

I press my lips against him, deepening the kiss straight away. Our tongues wrestle with each other, both of us eager for more. We can't get enough of each other. If it wasn't for the knock at the door, I'm sure we'd be taking things further.