Where the Orange Trees Bloom ebook

Paulina Brzezińska

Where the Orange Trees Bloom

© Paulina Brzezińska, 2026

First edition

All rights reserved.

This e-book complies with the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (EAA).

To my husband, for every gesture of supportin moments of doubt…

Contents

Title Page

Prologue

Chapter 1. Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind…

Chapter 2. Strike While the Iron Is Hot…

Chapter 3. The Truth Will Out…

Chapter 4. Curiosity Killed the Cat…

Chapter 5. Good Things Come to Those Who Wait…

Chapter 6. Fortune Favors the Bold…

Chapter 7. What the Heart Holds, the Tongue Tells…

Chapter 8. Appetite Comes with Eating…

Chapter 9. The Truth Hurts…

Chapter 10. In Wine, There Is Truth…

Chapter 11. Home Is Where the Heart Is…

Chapter 12. The Early Bird Catches the Worm…

Chapter 13. Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day…

Chapter 14. Love Goes by Many Names…

Chapter 15. Ask, and You Won’t Lose Your Way…

Chapter 16. When You Leave, You Take Your Heart With You…

Chapter 17. Silence Is Golden…

Chapter 18. Dig a Pit for Others and You’ll Fall In Yourself…

Chapter 19. Love Knows No Borders…

Chapter 20. To Love Is to Ask for Nothing…

Chapter 21. A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed…

Chapter 22. Misfortunes Come in Pairs…

Chapter 23. What’s Done Is Done…

Chapter 24. Patience Is Bitter, but Its Fruit Is Sweet…

Chapter 25. After the Storm, the Sun Comes Out…

Chapter 26. What Goes Around Comes Around…

Chapter 27. One Foot Here, the Other There…

Chapter 28. Every Country Has Its Customs…

Chapter 29. Love Moves Mountains…

Chapter 30. Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining…

Epilogue

About the Author

Cover

Title Page

Start of Content

Contents

Prologue

I don’t even know how I got here… but one thing I’m sure of: it’s beautiful.

I stood there, rooted to the spot. A small white house tucked away among the hills of Kefalonia. The road to it ran through an incredible orange grove, and I felt as if the scent, which was everywhere, was wrapping itself around me and seeping gently into every corner of my body.

— Do you like it? — Makis asked softly.

— You have no idea how much! — I said, enchanted.

— Good. Come with me. — He took my hand gently and drew me toward the front door.

Inside, it was bright and simple, all white and shades of blue. Typical Greek colors, though not for the Ionian Islands…

The kitchen opened onto a good-sized living room with a gray sofa and two plump armchairs. I didn’t see a TV, which surprised me, these days. Makis didn’t have much in the way of electronics at all.

— Where’s the TV? — I asked.

— This is my Shangri-La. I don’t need a TV here… The smell of oranges, fresh air, and the view are enough for me…

— The view? — I asked.

— Yes. Come, I’ll show you upstairs…

Chapter 1Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind…

— Greg! I’m home! I stopped at the store and picked up a bottle of wine. How about a romantic dinner tonight, wine on the terrace? Unless you’d rather go for an evening walk?

Silence.

— Greggy? Where are you? — I walked through the house looking for my wonderful fiancé.

— Up here! — came from the study upstairs.

— Greg, honey, you’re still working? — I stared at him. — It’s almost eight!

— They gave me overtime today — he said flatly.

— Did you hear what I said?

— Yes, but I don’t have time to talk right now. Close the door on your way out, please.

— But… Greggy…

— Could you just close the damn door already?! — he snapped.

— Yes, I could. I’m going.

I closed the door and went downstairs in a black mood. It hurt like hell that he’d treated me that way. After the day I’d had, I needed to blow off some steam.

Work was brutal right now. My team was putting together a new marketing campaign for a Greek company on Santorini, one that had to show their hotel in the best possible light and pull in as many guests as possible. A tough assignment, but I had a tight-knit team who would move heaven and earth when it counted. Lately one new hire in particular had caught my eye: Helen. She stood out from the rest not just for her creativity but for her looks. Tall, very slim, gorgeous blond hair that fell to her backside, and that look in her eyes…

If I were a guy, I’d have wanted to seduce her for sure.

But with Helen it wasn’t just looks and creativity. She was smart, too. In her interview, that girl simply blew everyone away. She was one of forty people I’d called in, and the moment she walked out, I knew she was the one I wanted on my team. From day one she showed only her best side. She got along with everyone, threw herself into projects, and learned fast. I was really pleased with her.

And yet something about her nagged at me.

Admittedly, she said very little about herself. She never got into conversations about her past, her family, her friends. She wasn’t an open book. That air of mystery made me think of an enigma, which was exactly what I’d started calling her in my head.

I put the wine in the fridge and started on my favorite Greek salad. I’d stick it in the fridge too, I thought; maybe Greggy would be hungry when he finished working.

I glanced out the window. It was already dark, but since I had to walk the dog anyway, I figured I might as well throw on some sweats and go for a run.

— Buddy! Where are you, boy? Buddy! Walkies!

There was a racket upstairs, like a tornado had blown through, and a second later Greg’s dog materialized at the bottom of the stairs. Though if you ask me, he loved me more than he loved Greg. Greg never took care of him. He rarely walked him and only fed him once the bowl had been licked spotless.

— What do you say, pup? Want to go for a run?

Buddy nearly peed himself with joy, grabbed the leash in his teeth, and sat politely by the door.

— Okay, okay, I’m coming.

I put on my sneakers and took the leash from him.

— Greggy, I’m taking Buddy out for a long walk! If you get hungry, there’s Greek salad in the fridge! — I yelled toward the study.

Dead silence.

— Oh well! Let’s go, Buddy!

Milanówek was beautiful in the evenings. Streetlights peeking out between the stately oaks, quiet everywhere, the occasional car going by. I loved this town; I’d lived here since I was a kid. Not everything about it was to my liking, but the atmosphere and its exclusive feel suited me just fine.

I grew up on the south side, which has fewer trees and less character than the north. That’s where most of the big stores are, along with the open-air market the locals love. When my finances finally allowed it, I bought a house on the north side, and I was proud of it, because I’d managed to land one on the most exclusive street in town.

Buddy and I ran down Krasińskiego, turned onto Mickiewicza, then onto Spacerowa and all the way to the railroad tracks. From there I took Krakowska toward the center of town and looped back toward home.

On the way, I ran into a guy I knew from middle school. Damien.

— Whoa! Hey, Sophie! What are you doing here? — He was clearly surprised.

— Damien? Is that you? Long time no see! What are you doing here? — I was every bit as surprised.

We’d gotten along back in school. Damien was a whiz with computers but a troublemaker and a regular in the principal’s office. He hated studying, but he was a terrific friend. You could always count on him.

— That your dog? — He looked at Buddy.

— No, my fiancé’s. Greg’s.

— Huh. Looks like he’s yours, the way he sticks to you and waits so nicely. Want to grab a coffee somewhere?

— At this hour, I only drink coffee in Greece. Here it’s lemon balm tea, tops. Buddy could use a rest, too.

We went into a café and sat down. The waiter materialized instantly and took our order.

— So tell me! How’ve you been?

— Pretty much the same — he said. — I just got back from Bydgoszcz.

— What were you doing there? Work? A wife?

— Ha! Work. Wiring a bar that just opened. A wife? Hmm… no wife. I’ve been on my own for a few years. There was this girl, Joan, a while back, but it didn’t work out, so now I’m single. What about you?

— Me? For the last five years I’ve been a manager at a marketing agency…

— Ooh! A manager, that’s something!

— Sure, but what’s the point when my personal life is a mess? Greg and I have been together seven years, but we’ve been engaged for only two.

— So when’s the wedding?

— You know what? I don’t think it’s on his mind right now. He just got promoted and he’s completely swallowed up by work.

— What does he do?

— He writes software for Samadani Corp. He’s really great at it, but since that promotion he basically never leaves his study. Even Buddy feels it.

— How so?

— He neglects him. If I didn’t set out his food and water every morning, the poor thing would starve. And he can’t be bothered to walk him during the day. He just lets him out in the yard and goes back to his study.

— Maybe you should talk to him?

— After tonight, believe me, I’m done talking to him — I said sadly.

— Why, what happened?

— I came home after a rough day, did some shopping on the way, bought a bottle of wine, you know… I was hoping for a nice evening together, maybe some stargazing. And he just slammed the door in my face.

— Ooooh… knowing you, you were mad as hell.

— You bet I was! How can you treat someone you’re supposed to love like that? What did I ever do to him?

— You? Nothing. Come on, Sophie! A gorgeous, smart girl like you shouldn’t waste a second on crap like that.

— Woof, woof, woof! — Buddy barked.

— Well, time to go. Buddy’s getting impatient. Thanks for this, Damien.

I got up, we gave each other a friendly peck on the cheek, and I left the café. I ran down Kościuszki toward home. Near the little square on Krasińskiego I came across a group of teenagers celebrating something on a bench. That they were drunk was obvious, but that they were sitting right next to the police station and the town hall without anyone bothering to move them along struck me as odd.

— Hey, babe! Come party with us! — they yelled.

I pretended not to hear and kept running.

It was well past ten when I got home. Buddy was over the moon about his walk and made a beeline for his bowl. I went upstairs, hoping my fiancé would finally deign to give me a minute of his time. No such luck. When I walked into the bedroom, Greg was already asleep.

“You don’t want wine? Fine!” I thought.

I went downstairs to get the bottle and, to my surprise, found it wasn’t in the fridge.

“I left it right here before I went out,” I thought, puzzled.

The whole bowl of Greek salad I’d made before my run was gone, too. Could Greg really have been so hungry he ate the entire thing and drank the wine on top of it? I decided to check the trash, and just as I’d suspected, there was the empty bottle.

Oh well. It was a warm night, so I decided to watch the stars from the terrace. I washed up, changed into my nightgown, and went back down. I don’t know how long I sat out there, but I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, birds were singing and soft sunlight was filtering lazily through the oaks. The first one to greet me that day was Buddy, already waiting patiently by his bowls for breakfast.

— Hungry, sweet boy? Here’s your breakfast. — I patted his head.

— Woof, woof! — he barked happily.

It was Saturday and warm out, so I decided to ask Greg if he felt like driving out to a lake somewhere and camping for the day.

I went upstairs to wake my prince from his slumber. When I reached the bedroom door, I heard strange moaning on the other side.

— Ohhh… yesss! Baby, more! You’re incredible!

I eased the door open to see what was going on. Greg was doing nothing other than pleasuring himself to porn!

— Greg! What the hell are you doing?! — I stormed in.

— Fuck, Sophie! Knock! — he shot back.

— Knock?! It’s my house, not yours, so I don’t have to! — I yelled. — Last night I wanted to be close to you, and you threw me out like I was nothing. The minute I left with the dog, you stuffed your face with the whole salad and guzzled a bottle of wine, then went to bed like nothing happened, without even waiting for me! And now you’re jerking off in my bed to porn?! How dare you!

— Sophie, give it a rest! I pay bills too, so it’s my house too, and I can do whatever I want in it, whenever I want!

— It’ll be yours when I put you on the deed after the wedding! Right now you live in my house, and of course you pay bills. You use the room, the bed, the water, the electricity, and you make garbage. So forgive me for crushing your boyish dream of owning a house and doing whatever you please in it! — I was literally seething.

How dare he?! Not only did he throw me out, he stuffed himself, drank all my wine, and didn’t even check whether I was okay!

— You didn’t even call! What if something had happened to me? Did you think about that?!

— You had the dog. What could happen to you? Milanówek is a backwater, nothing ever happens here. They close the police station at eight because the cops have nothing to do.

— What did you just say?

— Buddy was with you, so I didn’t have to worry. I knew he’d protect you. Besides, you were only gone two hours, quit being so dramatic! Go make me breakfast, like a proper fiancée. Double espresso with a glass of cold water, and scrambled eggs. Five eggs, please. And now, if you don’t mind, get out. I’ll finish what I started and be down in a bit. — He rattled it off practically in one breath.

— Excuse me?! I’m supposed to make you breakfast while you lie there jerking your dick?! Go fuck yourself!

I walked out, slammed the door, and stomped downstairs, mad as a hornet. Did he have no shame at all? And those demands. What was I, his maid? The fucker could go hungry!

I made myself breakfast, then loaded the tent and the rest of the essentials into the car.

— Come on, Buddy! We’re going camping. I’m not leaving you here alone with him. — I patted the back seat.

Buddy didn’t need to be asked twice. He shot into the car like an arrow and sprawled across the back seat, clearly delighted. I grabbed his leash, his bowls, some kibble, and got in.

— Sophie! Where the hell are you going?! Where’s my breakfast?! — I heard behind me.

I whirled around like I’d been struck by lightning.

— Fuck off, you pig! Make it yourself, and don’t forget to clean up after yourself!

Then I opened the gate, hit the gas, and peeled out with a screech of tires, leaving Greg standing in the garage in his underwear, his mouth hanging open.

— Hello?

— Hey, Toni. I’m going camping for the weekend. Want to come?

— Sophie, I’d love to, but not camping. A hotel. The last time I slept in a tent was in elementary school, and I’m not reliving that. Besides, I’m not packed, you just woke me up, and isn’t Greg going with you? What do you need me for? — She sounded half asleep.

— Listen, I just left Milanówek. I’ll be in Żyrardów in about thirty minutes. You can get yourself together, I’ll wait outside your building if I have to. Greg’s not coming. We had a fight. It’s just me and Buddy. Come on!

— Oh my God! That’s huge! Okay, I’ll throw some underwear and a top in a bag and we’ll go! But, Soph, hotel. I know one in Uniejów, it has thermal springs and they take dogs. Call and book it, because I know you, you’ll pitch that tent in the bushes by some river. — And she hung up.

The tent stayed in the trunk. I never took it out.

I met Toni a few years back, and at first we didn’t hit it off. She had me pegged as a diva. Only later did we really start to like each other, and it’s been that way ever since. We’d go to the wall for each other, no matter what. Toni is also the only person who can give me a proper chewing-out when I need one, and drag me back down to earth when my head’s too far in the clouds.

Forty-five minutes later Toni was sitting in my car, ready to roll, chattering about her night before: full of adventures, ending with a mild hangover.

— We’re here. Toni, can you take Buddy? I’ll handle check-in and the details. Wait for me in the lobby.

Toni just nodded, clipped on Buddy’s leash, and headed for the leather couches behind the front desk.

— Good morning. Do you have a reservation? — the receptionist asked politely.

— Good morning — I said, just as politely. — No. Do you have anything available? If so, I’d like a suite with a view of the water.

— Of course. All-inclusive or standard?

— All-inclusive, please. And add the full spa package for two.

After everything with Greg, I felt I really needed to unwind. Besides, I was in the mood to spend some money.

— Certainly. There will also be a fee for the dog.

— That’s fine. What’s the total?

— For two nights, that comes to twenty-five hundred złoty.

“That’s a splurge,” I thought. “But what the hell!” Greg lived in my house, ate my food, and contributed next to nothing to the bills.

— I’ll pay by card — I said.

And with malice aforethought, I pulled out Greg’s credit card, the one he’d given me when we got engaged. I’d never used it once. But today? No qualms whatsoever.

— Thank you, the payment went through. You’re in a suite on the water side, number A1, right in the middle. As for the spa, please remember that reservations are required.

— Of course. Thank you.

I took the key cards and went to find Toni.

— We’re going wild tonight, Toni! Greg’s treat!

— Ah! Now that’s what I’m talking about! Let’s clean him out! — she grinned. — Right, Buddy? — She looked down at the dog. — Don’t worry, pup, we’ll find something for you too.

— Woof, woof! — he barked happily and licked Toni’s face.

— Soph! Hurry up already! — Toni stood outside the bathroom door with Buddy at her side, hollering at the top of her lungs.

— Woof! Woof! — Buddy chimed in.

— I’m coming, I’m coming! — I called through the door, a blue eyeliner pencil in one hand and mascara in the other.

— Why are you putting on makeup? We’re going to the hot springs!

— How do I know who’ll be there? — I cut her off.

— Ohhh, now I get what this trip is about. Showing off, cocktails, and maybe a little action? Greg must have really pissed you off — she said with a wink.

Toni and I went way back. She was like a sister to me; she knew everything about me and could read my moods flawlessly. She was sharp and blunt, liked beer, men, and good parties, especially the kind that ended with a fucking great lay. She had her faults, like everybody, but I loved that girl. Without her my world would be gray and boring and completely devoid of gossip, because Toni could have run a one-woman radio station. I once even tried to poach her for my department at work, but she turned me down.

— So what actually happened? Spill. I started yapping about myself and forgot you’re down in the dumps and need to vent.

— I’m not down in the dumps — I protested.

— Come on, Soph, cut it out! I know you inside out. You can’t fool me. Spill!

“Damn, she’s good. A human lie detector,” I thought.

— Okay, but first I need a shot — I said. — Come on, let’s sit over there on the loungers.

I pointed to a spot by the outdoor thermal pool where two loungers stood empty. Steam drifted off the water into the evening air, even though the day had been warm. We’d barely sat down when a waiter materialized.

— Good evening, ladies. What can I get you?

— What’s the strongest thing you’ve got? — I asked.

— Well… we have a Negroni made with Bombay Sapphire, an Old Fashioned with bourbon, a Cykada made with rye, a Whisky Sour with twenty-five-year-old Scotch, and our signature cocktail, the Starry Sky, made with the famous Polish vodka Belvedere. Everything else is standard and quite a bit weaker.

— For me, a Negroni, a Cykada, and a large beer — said Toni.

— And I’ll have the Starry Sky — I said.

— Very good. Would you like lemon or orange with your drinks?

— Yes, please — said Toni.

The waiter tapped our order into his phone and vanished into thin air, only to reappear twenty minutes later with our drinks. I took a sip and felt warmth spread down my throat, leaving a pleasant, slightly spicy finish on my tongue.

— This is fucking amazing! — Toni gushed over her Negroni. — Try it! — She handed me the glass.

I took a sip, and she was right. It was a lot stronger than mine, and I’d never had anything like it. The herbal gin, the vermouth, and the Campari came together into something bitter, bold, and herbal, with a clear note of orange and lemon. God, I loved the smell and taste of oranges. I’d always dreamed of a little white house with an orange grove. But oranges and lemons don’t grow in Poland.

— Okay! Spill! — Toni yanked me out of my thoughts.

— For a while now I’ve had the feeling Greg doesn’t give a shit about me, you know?

— Why?

— Ever since we started making things official, it’s been cooling off, and when he got that promotion he became a different person. He used to take me on trips, bring me flowers, write me love letters, or just take me to the movies. Now he treats me like a necessary evil. Yesterday I managed to leave work early, bought wine on the way home, made a Greek salad…

— Mm-hmm. You were hoping to get laid.

— Maybe not right away, but later in the evening, sure. So I got everything ready and went up to his study. When I suggested a nice evening, he yelled at me and told me to get the fuck out. I was still standing in the doorway, more shocked than pissed, honestly, and he got up, shoved me out, and slammed the door in my face.

— Sophie, I told you he’s a pig. Not only does he literally look like one with that gut hanging over his belt, he’s got the personality to match.

— I know you were right, but you know…

— Know what?! That he’s only with you because it’s convenient? Does he even chip in on the bills?

— Yes, but he’s not happy about it. He’d love nothing more than to live, eat, and drink for free, the way he does at Tess’s.

— Tess’s? — She raised an eyebrow.

— His mommy. She’d hang the moon for her baby boy if she could. But that’s nothing! Wait till you hear this…

I told her how that morning he’d been jerking off to porn in my bed and then had the nerve to complain that I hadn’t knocked. I told her how he’d drunk the whole bottle of wine by himself and scarfed down the salad, then gone to bed without caring where I was so late at night.

— That fucking swine! That fat fucking hog! When we get back I’m going to tear into him so hard his eyeballs pop out — she swore.

— Toni, hold your horses — I said. — We’ll get him another way. — I winked and waved his credit card in the air.

— Aha! — She caught on instantly. — So we party our asses off and Greg pays it off. Fucking brilliant!

— Well — I said. — Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind…

Chapter 2Strike While the Iron Is Hot…

Toni liked her second Negroni even better than the first, and my second Starry Sky was starting to go to my head. Or was it? Maybe it was the vodka I’d knocked back somewhere in between. Toni and I lay sprawled on our loungers, happy, pleasantly buzzed, as if the rest of the world didn’t exist.

At some point I heard men’s voices behind us, and one of them had a Greek accent I knew well. I pricked up my ears to hear what they were saying.

— Soph, what are you doing! — Toni said.

— Shh! — I said. — One of them is Greek. He speaks Polish.

— How do you know?

— I can hear the accent. You know I’m fluent in Greek.

— Right. You and your love affair with Greece — she said wryly.

— Siggy! Fuck! You’re seriously out of your fucking mind, man! If you pulled a stunt like that in Greece and the girl had as many brothers as this one, I guarantee you wouldn’t make it home alive.

— Let me tell you a secret, Yannis — Siggy said. — My dick has a sixth sense. It knows exactly which pussy to fuck and which one to leave alone. And when it’s got a creative brain backing it up, and the chick is wasted out of her mind and gullible on top of that, things get very interesting.

— Holy shit. If I ever pulled something like that on my Martha, she’d have kicked me out a lot sooner — a third voice chimed in.

— See, Alexander, that’s why you need a little sense in your head. You don’t marry some random girl just because the condom broke and you knocked her up. I’m telling you guys, being single is a fucking great life! I screw who I want, where I want, no woman hanging around my neck, no brat crying at home — Siggy said.

— God, what a loser — Toni scoffed.

— Guys like that should get their balls cut off — I said.

— Still, I wonder what he did, with all this screwing around. He must be really good in bed if women hang off him like fleas on a collar — my nosy friend went on.

I’d noticed that for a good while now, Toni hadn’t been able to take her eyes off the handsome Greek. And there was something to him. Yannis was athletic, black-haired, olive-skinned. Not too tall, about Toni’s height, but the six-pack showing through his linen shirt, unbuttoned one button too low, made even me stare for longer than I should have.

“Damn, why couldn’t Greg take care of himself like that,” I thought.

Toni caught my train of thought instantly.

— He’s fucking hot, huh? I’d bet my right arm you’re comparing him to that fucking lump of lard, Greg!

— Toni! No way! — I protested.

— Yeah, yeah. Feed that crap to your couch potato at home, not me!

— You know what, guys? Let’s hit the pool bar and have one more toast to today’s success — Yannis said.

— Damn right! It’s not every day you unload a whole container of olive oil and wine — Alexander called.

The men got up and strolled cheerfully toward the bar, passing right by our loungers. As they went by, Toni switched on her magnetic, catlike gaze and openly stared at Yannis, which caught Siggy’s attention, and he wasn’t about to pass up the chance to make a move.

— Good evening, ladies. Why are you sitting here all alone? Where are your men?

— The only man we’ve got, as you put it, is the dog lying next to the lounger — Toni said, pointing at Buddy.

Buddy lifted his head, sizing up the newcomers with a watchful canine eye, then, apparently deciding we were safe, stretched out beside Toni’s lounger again.

— Some bodyguard — Alexander said.

— So what are you doing here all by your… — Siggy started, but never finished, because Toni and her magnetic eye stepped in.

— How about you buy us drinks and we hang out for a while? — she blurted.

— Toni! — I hissed.

— What? I’m making friends! — she said. — So how about it, gentlemen? Drinks?

She rose with the grace of a cat in heat and sauntered past Yannis, brushing his arm entirely by accident, of course.

The five of us sat down at the bar and ordered another round. Alexander immediately launched into a story about an olive oil shipment that got stuck at the border for three days, and the whole thing kept veering off into jokes about his ex-mother-in-law, who, he claimed, the border guards should have hired, because no smuggler would ever dare mess with her. Siggy, macho as ever, bragged about his latest conquests, hoping Toni, who only had eyes for Yannis, would notice him. And Yannis?

Yannis sat next to Toni and, with that confident, easy charm of his, seduced her without any fuss, clearly hoping the night would end far more pleasantly than he’d figured that morning.

— Do you know you have the most beautiful smile I’ve seen in Poland? — he said, looking her straight in the eye.

— You know, that doesn’t say much, considering you’ve been here three days — she pointed out.

— True — he said, with a smile and a look worthy of Brad Pitt himself. — But I’m a hundred percent sure all the same.

Toni, with three men fawning over her at once, was blooming, and since she was already pretty tipsy, I knew that any minute now I’d be walking back to the room alone with Buddy. I watched it all from the sidelines, sipping my third drink, and I had to admit that Yannis, for all his slightly-too-confident swagger, had something that drew you in. He was Greg’s exact opposite: loud where Greg was silent, open where Greg shut himself away in his study.

The evening went by in talk, laughter, and round after round of drinks, all of which, to my quiet satisfaction, kept going on Greg’s card. Sometime around midnight, after Siggy had fallen asleep on a lounger with an empty bottle of Żubrówka under his arm and Alexander had announced he had an urgent phone call to make and disappeared into the bushes, Yannis leaned toward Toni and said something I didn’t catch, something that made her look at him with a spark in her eye I hadn’t seen in a long time.

— Come on, I’ll show you the stars from the terrace off my room — Yannis said, holding out his hand.

She caught the hint immediately.

— And do you happen to have good wine on that terrace? — She winked.

— Of course! It’s such a beautiful night, warm, and the stars are especially bright tonight — Yannis said, his voice gone husky.

Before I could get a word out, Toni was off the barstool, smoothing her dress with the grace of a predator on the hunt. She took Yannis’s hand, turned to me, and said:

— Soph, go on up to the room, don’t wait up for me, babe. I have a feeling this stargazing is going to be very scientific.

— Hmm, scientific, you say? — I gave her a knowing wink.

— Yia sou, Soph! — she said, and disappeared into the hotel with Yannis.

“Now there’s a woman who knows how to live,” I thought. “Oh well! Come on, Buddy, bedtime.”

I patted the dog’s head and we set off along the riverbank toward our suite. The night really was full of stars; moonlight shimmered on the water, and the whole place felt almost magical. I walked along the shore, humming a Greek song to myself…

I proti mou agapi itan kyma, i defteri agapi…

In the morning, it turned out my head refused to leave the pillow.

— Oh fuck, my head’s going to explode — I mumbled, writhing in agony. — Never drinking like that again, Sophie! — I scolded myself.

I glanced over at Toni’s bed. Empty.

“Must have been a hell of a night if she’s not back yet. I wonder if her head hurts as much as mine.”

By some miracle I made it out of bed, staggered to the bathroom, and stood under a cold shower, hoping it would help. It didn’t.

— Where the fuck did I put the ibuprofen? — I swore under my breath, digging through my toiletry bag.

I swallowed a pill, fed Buddy, and decided to try dragging myself down to breakfast, even though the only thing I could imagine getting down was a slice of watermelon.

Walking down the hotel hallway, I passed all kinds of strange people. Some were calm, some were hurrying somewhere, some were scolding their misbehaving kids, and others were trying to hide just how much fun they’d had the night before. A figure sitting astride a lounger out on the terrace caught my eye. Intrigued, I headed that way. When I stepped outside, I saw it was my Toni. She was sitting there in nothing but a shirt that definitely belonged to Yannis, her hair a total mess, with the face of a woman who’d just had the best night of her life.

— I see the stargazing turned out to be very scientific after all — I said, sitting down next to her.

— Soph, I had no idea the human body could do things like that. Five times! You hear me? Five times! I think he went through the entire Kama Sutra with me. I swear to God, if the rest of the Greeks fuck as good as Yannis, I’m moving there for good!

— Mm-hmm. So I take it your ass has entered a new phase of flexibility? — I teased.

— You bet your fucking life! — she shot back. — And you know what? I always loved being on top, but as of last night, I’m a doggy-style girl. I’m telling you, old lady, the things I felt…

— Who are you calling an old lady! — I huffed.

— What? You’re thirty-four, aren’t you? Don’t worry, you’ll get younger on your wedding day — she kept teasing. — Anyway, back to the point, Soph. I was bending like a world-class acrobat, and him? He ran that sex like he had a championship title in it, at the very least!

Toni chattered on and on until, all of a sudden, she went stiff. I glanced over and saw Yannis, his shirt once again unbuttoned too far, stroking her neck lightly with his fingers. Then he leaned down and started kissing it, softly, purring like a pedigreed tomcat.

— Mmm… good morning, beautiful. How’s your morning? Had your coffee yet?

Toni turned to him as if she’d been electrified and purred right back, clinging to him like a bee to honey.

— Mmm… good morning, handsome. Absolutely perfect. And no coffee yet. I needed to recover from your fine education in astronomy.

She nibbled his earlobe and kissed it softly. He was anything but indifferent.

— Ahem. You do realize I’m sitting right here watching you two make out? — I said.

— So? Take notes! Maybe you can show Greg what good fucking looks like — Toni shot back.

— Yeah, right, can’t wait! I have zero desire to have any kind of sex with him — I said. — You know what? Since you haven’t had coffee, I’ll bring you some. Yannis, you want one too?

— Hmm. I don’t think that’ll be necessary — Toni answered for him. — Yanni, how about some private tutoring in astronomy? I seem to have forgotten everything — she purred, still straddling him, plastered to his six-pack.

— Miss Antonia, if you’re in need of tutoring, I’ll be glad to provide it — he said sweetly.

— Sorry, Soph, I’ve got a lot of homework to catch up on — Toni said with a wink as she climbed off his lap. — See you at lunch? Or maybe afternoon tea?

She waved and went off to the room with Yannis.

— Toni, don’t forget we’re checking out after six! — I called after her.

— Okay, okay, Miss Perfect! Bye!

Well, I thought, time to eat and then pack. After that sex-soaked morning starring Toni and Yannis, I’d completely forgotten about my headache, and to my surprise, it was gone.

I went down to breakfast and helped myself to two fried eggs, a slice of buttered bread, and, of course, the mandatory Greek salad. I didn’t forget coffee either: black, and strong, no exceptions. I’d just sat down at a table when I heard behind me:

— Hi, Sophie, sweetheart. How was your night? Better than mine and Alexander’s, I hope.

Siggy was standing behind me with a mug of strong Americano.

— Where are Yannis and Toni? — Alexander asked.

— I ran into them on the terrace this morning. They looked wiped out, but they informed me they’re skipping breakfast to catch up on some lost time — I told them.

— Aha! So Yannis gave it to Toni so good last night they went back this morning for an encore. The horny bastard! Didn’t think he had that kind of energy — Siggy put in, never one to mince words.

Six o’clock was coming up fast. I packed my suitcase, checked every nook and cranny, grabbed Buddy’s leash, and headed to the front desk to check out. I found Toni in the lobby, but not alone. Yannis was holding her suitcase like her personal bellhop, wearing the face of a man who wanted to put off saying goodbye for as long as humanly possible. I hadn’t seen a guy look like that in a long time. And Toni? Normally all smiles and easygoing, now she was only easygoing.

— So, Miss Antonia — Yannis said, setting the suitcase down and gently taking both of her hands. — Are you really going to get in that car and disappear from my life?

— Well, that’s the plan, handsome — she said, though her voice wavered a little, which happened with her once in a blue moon.

— Do you know what I was thinking this morning, lying next to you?

— That your vodka knocks a person flatter than your ouzo? — she joked, though her smile wasn’t all the way there.

— Ha. No. — His seriousness didn’t fit the guy we’d met two days earlier at all. — I was thinking that a month from now, I want you to get on a plane in Warsaw and fly to me, to Kefalonia. I don’t want you to vanish like a beautiful dream. Come to me. I run a hotel and my father’s vineyard on Kefalonia, but believe me, beautiful, I’ll have plenty of time to prove to you that what happened last night, those five times, was only the warm-up.

Toni looked over at me as if to make sure what she’d just heard was real. Then she turned back to Yannis and pointed at me.

— And her? What about Sophie? I’m not going anywhere without her.

Yannis flashed me that roguish Brad Pitt smile of his.

— Kefalonia could use more beautiful Polish women. If you both come, everyone will be thrilled. Besides, I have a friend there, Makis. A total wild man, and lonely as hell. He has a house on the slope of Mount Ainos, an orange grove, and an olive grove he inherited from his grandfather. I’m sure he’d be happy to show Sophie around the island while I’m very busy with you.

I laughed, maybe a little too loudly, because the receptionist behind the counter shot me a politely disapproving look.

— A house in the mountains and an orange grove? That sounds like a fairy tale, not real life — I said.

— All of Kefalonia looks like a fairy tale. You’ll see when you get there — Yannis said, letting go of Toni’s hands to check his watch. — Someday you’ll admit I was right.

I had no idea then that it would take only a few strange phone calls to Greg, one business trip too many, and a key turned in a lock at the wrong hour for me to find myself, a few months later, standing in front of the house Yannis was describing now as if it were paradise on earth and he still had a key to it.

— Soph, say something — Toni nudged me. — My panties have already packed themselves for this trip.

I snapped out of it.

— I’ll tell you just one thing. We’ve got fifteen minutes until six. If you want to say goodbye properly, I suggest you do it fast, and preferably somewhere the front desk can’t see you.

Toni didn’t need to be told twice. She struck while the iron was hot.

Chapter 3The Truth Will Out…

We drove in total silence, which for the two of us was seriously abnormal. I think each of us was turning Yannis’s words over in her own way, wondering what she ought to do.

I dropped Toni off in Żyrardów on the way and drove home alone with Buddy. When I got there, Greg was waiting for me on the doorstep. Not in his underwear this time, but in a white shirt, holding a bouquet of little yellow roses he’d obviously picked up at some supermarket, because the price tag was still stuck to the cellophane.

— Sophie, I’m sorry — he said. — I acted like a total idiot. I couldn’t sleep all weekend. These are for you, babe.

And he handed me the bouquet.

— Do you know what pissed me off the most? — I asked.

— I know, honey. All of it. Eating the whole salad, drinking the wine, not caring about you, throwing you out, the porn, treating you like a maid, or even like my mother. I know, Sophie, I’m a complete moron and I’m really sorry. I promise I’ll change. Just give me a chance.

I won’t pretend those words didn’t get to me. Anyone in love wants to believe that the person they’re planning a life with can see their mistakes and change.

I accepted the apology, and the flowers, and Buddy happily accepted the fact that tonight someone other than the usual person would be taking him for his walk.

On Monday I went to work as though Friday had never happened.

— Good morning, ma’am — I heard as I walked into my office.

Helen kept a careful distance with me, and I’ll admit I liked that. She treated me like her boss, not her pal.

— The team finished the marketing campaign for the hotel on Santorini. Would you like to look it over now, or should we wait for the meeting?

— Thank you for letting me know, Helen. I’ll wait — I said, and closed the door behind me.

Once I’d settled in at my desk, I went out for coffee and decided to call a meeting with the Santorini team for noon.

It turned out the client loved our proposal and planned to roll it out this season instead of next, as they’d originally intended. Helen wasn’t at the meeting. Strange. She’d been in that morning asking about it, she’d accepted the invitation in her email, and now she was gone? She hadn’t signed out early in the log, either. Maybe something had come up and she hadn’t had time. I’d ask her tomorrow.

The next day, the moment Helen walked in, I called her into my office.

— Good morning. You wanted to see me?

— Good morning, Helen. Yes, I did. I’d like to know where you were yesterday at noon, during the Santorini meeting. It was on your calendar, you asked me about it that morning, and then you didn’t show up for it or for the rest of the day. I didn’t see you sign out, either. Did something happen?

— Everything’s fine. I just got a call yesterday from a neighbor who’d found my mother unconscious in the stairwell and called an ambulance. I didn’t have time for formalities. I ran out of the office just as I was. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.

— Oh my God! I hope your mom’s doing better — I said. — Of course I understand, but next time please at least text someone, so we don’t worry.

— Did the client approve the project?

— Yes, they were very happy. Thank you for your contribution. Please fill in the sign-out log and submit the time in the system.

— Okay. Thank you, and I’m sorry.

She took the log and slipped out of my office without a sound.

When I got home, to my surprise, Greg was waiting for me with dinner.

“Theresa must have been here. He’d never have cooked this himself,” I thought, but I played along and acted surprised.

— You made all this yourself?

— Yep, especially for you, babe.

— Great. Let me wash my hands and I’ll be right there.

I went to the bathroom. Unfortunately for Greg, I found his mother’s bracelet there, the one I’d given her for her birthday. So now I knew for certain he’d lied to me, but I decided not to ruin the evening or start throwing accusations around.

You had to give it to Theresa: the woman could cook. The meat melted in your mouth, and the mashed potatoes were smoother than ever. Plus a Greek salad. A first-class dinner.

— It’s all delicious, babe — I said, as sweetly as I could manage. — And this Greek salad is amazing. How did you get it cut so perfectly?

— Uh… see, about the salad… — he started awkwardly, scratching his chin. — I actually ordered that one from a restaurant, because the online tutorial was kind of over my head…

— Oh. Which one, if I may ask?

— Aegean Taste, in Warsaw. It’s a new place downtown.

— And they drove forty kilometers to Milanówek with one salad? — I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

— Well, it got here, so I guess they did. — He grinned and went back to his dinner.

— Have you taken Buddy out yet?

— Yep, we went into town today, did a little shopping. — He patted the dog’s head and slipped him a piece of boiled beef.

That night, when I came out of the bathroom and got into bed, Greg walked into the bedroom stark naked and started cuddling up to me.

— Mmm… Sophie, you’re really turning me on tonight, you know that? — he purred.

— You too, babe — I lied.

— Turn over for me, honey. I want to look at that gorgeous little ass of yours.

I did as he asked, but when he entered me from behind, I didn’t feel any excitement. Only pain. I started crying into the pillow, and he noticed.

— Sophie, why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?

— No, they’re happy tears — I said.

— Happy tears?

— Yes. Because things are finally good between us — I lied again.

For the next few weeks Greg really was the ideal man. He finished work at a normal hour, he cooked, and once he even came with me to a yoga class, though he only lasted half of it and spent the rest wheezing on his mat like a winded elephant. He looked after Buddy and even suggested we take a trip together. That one stung the most, actually, because he knew perfectly well how much I loved Greece, and he chose the place I had the least interest in. Ibiza.

On the surface, we led a normal, quiet life. No fights, no blowups, just ordinary. But something inside me was going out. When I lay under him while he tried to satisfy me, my mind was somewhere else. On a lounge chair, on a terrace with a cup of freddo in my hand… anywhere but there. When he touched me, I felt something closer to disgust than desire. Not like at the beginning, when every touch left me breathless.

So I did what people do when they still love someone a little, but more out of habit than desire. I caught myself being more careful about my birth control pills than I’d ever been. The last thing I needed was to hurt an innocent child by giving it a father like Greg, though he probably would have been over the moon if I’d gotten pregnant. After every time we had sex, I felt an overwhelming contempt for myself. The exact same contempt I’d felt for him a month earlier.

“Get a grip, Sophie! It’s just work stress. It’ll pass,” I scolded myself.

It didn’t pass. The world in which I walked hand in hand with Greg was gone for good.

In early May the little things started. Greg’s phone, which he’d always charged face up, was suddenly charging face down. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but when it kept happening, I started paying attention.

Greg began going away on business once a week, to Gdańsk, to Kraków, even though Samadani Corp. sent its programmers on trips two or three times a year, max. When he took out the trash, he came back forty minutes later smelling of cigarettes, which he hadn’t touched since college.

— Greggy, why all these trips all of a sudden? — I asked as he packed for yet another one.

— We landed a really important project, and the client needs us on-site — he said, stuffing a shirt into his bag without even folding it properly.

— How long is this going to go on?

— I don’t know. A month, maybe two? Why? Don’t you trust me? — He zipped the bag and lifted it off the bed.

I did. Or at least I wanted to. Then came the evening texts, which Greg read only while locked in the bathroom, and the late-night video calls he came back to bed from with flushed cheeks.

One time he forgot to lock his phone when he went to shower. I was tidying the bedroom when a text came in. I couldn’t help myself. I read it.

“Baby, I miss you already,” said the message from an unknown number.

When Greg came out of the bathroom, I showed it to him. He was furious.

— You’re reading my messages?! How dare you?!

— I’m not reading them. I was cleaning the bedroom and that just came in. You didn’t lock your phone. Can you explain this?

He turned red, then said there was a new guy at the office, a prankster who played jokes on everyone nonstop, and anyway he wasn’t going to explain himself over every text he got.

It happened a few more times, and every time his version of events was different from the last. I’d learned by then that people who lie usually don’t look you in the eye and keep changing their story. Exactly like Greg.

I suspected he had a lover, but I assumed it could be anyone: the girl across the street, a client from some tech conference, even a coworker on his team. It never crossed my mind back then that I should be looking closer to home.

Things were changing at work, too. Helen, who at first had seemed so diligent and reliable, started disappearing during the day or taking long lunch breaks. She went to the doctor much more often and took time off.

I didn’t tell anyone, not even Toni, whose head had been full of Yannis ever since Uniejów, with video calls every night until three in the morning. I started taking notes and comparing details. The days Greg went away on business, and the days Helen took off. The hours when he was supposedly running errands in town, and her long lunch breaks.

They matched. Every single one.

It was May twenty-eighth. That day I couldn’t focus on anything at work. Especially once I saw Helen, all dolled up, with heavier makeup than usual and stronger perfume. And when, at eleven, she asked me to close out all her tasks for the day because she had to drive out of town to the doctor for physical therapy, my suspicions only grew. On top of that, Greg had announced that morning that he’d be working late because the client was making trouble and needed extra tech support.

I sat at my desk staring blankly at the screen, where I had the campaign brief for a company from Poznań open. I couldn’t read a single sentence. Something wouldn’t leave me alone, something telling me to grab my keys and go home. I didn’t warn anyone. I just told Tom, my deputy, that I was leaving early because I had a terrible migraine. Which, looking back, turned out to be true.

I drove the whole way home on the highway with my back soaked in sweat. When I got to Milanówek, my heart started pounding like a hammer, especially since the night before I’d dreamed of Greg groping some woman I could only see in outline.

A red Opel Corsa was parked outside our gate.

I left my car two houses down so as not to raise anyone’s suspicions and turned my key in the front door almost without a sound. I tiptoed in, as if I were afraid of startling something I hadn’t seen yet. Buddy came running to greet me, of course, but I bribed him into silence with a piece of beef jerky, which he absolutely adored.

From upstairs came sounds that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Not the TV, not a phone, not porn. The real thing.

I went upstairs. The door to our bedroom was closed. Just in case, I started recording on my phone, and then I opened it.

What I saw was something no woman should ever have to see. Helen lay on my bed, her hands tied to the bed frame, a blindfold over her eyes. In my sheets, which I’d bought six months ago, her hair spread across my favorite pillow. And above her, none other than my Greg.

Before my brain could recover from the initial shock, I noticed he was fucking her exactly the way he used to fuck me. The same movement of the hips. The same groan I’d thought, not so long ago, belonged only to me.

— Oh God, Greggy, yes! So good! Harder, baby! — she moaned, writhing under him.

— You like that, baby girl? — he answered.

Neither of them had the slightest idea that I was standing behind them, recording everything.

— GREG?! HELEN?! What the fuck are you doing?!

— Oh my God, Sophie?! — Greg shouted, leaping off Helen like he’d been burned and fumbling with the cords.

— You?! What are you doing here?! — Helen cried in terror, tearing off her blindfold and trying to cover with my sheets what had already been caught on camera.

— Sophie, it’s not what you think — Greg said, wearing the face of a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

He stood in front of me naked, trying to find some underwear at the same time.

— Not what I think?! — I shot back. — So this is your client who’s making trouble?! And you?! — I turned to Helen. — This is your out-of-town PHYSICAL THERAPY?! What are you sick with? Other women’s fiancés, or do you just like screwing around in corners?!

— Sophie, I was only helping this lady. She fainted by the gate, so I put her to bed — Greg explained.

— She fainted? Is that why her hands are tied to my bed and you’re fucking her in the ass?!

Helen, still wrapped in my comforter, mumbled that she was sorry and that it had just sort of happened.

— It just happened? — I walked over to the bed, still recording. — Meaning what? You were walking down the street, you tripped, and you landed on my fiancé’s dick?! And he was walking behind you — I pointed at Greg — and he tripped too, and oops, fell right between your legs?!

Greg, pulling on his boxers, was trying to look like someone in control of the situation, but doing both at once made him look truly pathetic.

— So that’s what all your doctor’s appointments were, your migraines, your mother fainting, your long lunch breaks?! — I glared at her. — I suppose Greg was fucking you at our office too, right under my nose?

Helen had the look of an animal caught in a trap.

— Yes — she said quietly. — He came to the office too…

— Helen! How could you?! — he cried, outraged.

— What else are you going to do about it?! It’s already out! — she snapped at him, then turned to me, more sure of herself now. — Yes, Sophie. Greg fucked me right under your nose. In every bathroom in the building, in the janitor’s closet, even in the conference room one floor down. And you know what? He was so good I moaned louder than you ever did when he was fucking you.

— And how would you know that?

— He recorded the two of you having sex. He never told you because he knew you’d never agree. He needed a WOMAN, not some crying amateur.

That’s when something inside me snapped. I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

— How long has this been going on?

— Since March. We met at a tech conference in Wrocław, and that’s when we first slept together — she said, laughing.

March. I’d done the interviews in early April.

— Get the fuck out of my house, you whore! And don’t bother showing up at work. I’ll make sure you’re fired so fast your head spins! — I screamed.

— Ha! You really think Lester’s going to let you? — she laughed.

— Lester? Since when are you on a first-name basis with the director?

— Since the first day he decided to screw me in his office! — she said with a triumphant smile.

— I can explain, Sophie — Greg began.

— No! — I held up my hand. — I don’t want to hear any explanations. You’re going to pack your things and get the fuck out of my house today. And you? Are you leaving on your own, or do I have to help you? You’re both getting into that fucking Opel and disappearing from my life for good.

— What about Buddy? Did you think about him? He loves you! Don’t do this to him! — Greg begged.