Page 31 of Ungodly Rich

“What were they fighting about?”

She leaned a hip against the counter and looked down, biting her lip. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—forget I said anything.”

“Please, Valentine. Whatever happened, Harry clearly regrets it, but I can’t help him move on if I don’t understand,” Julia begged.

Now Aphrodite’s eyes were bright with tears. “I thought you knew, otherwise I would never have mentioned it….”

“Mentionedwhat?” Julia asked, bewildered.

Aphrodite lifted her gaze and delivered the killing blow. “It was me. They were fighting over me.”

A beat of heavy silence echoed through the bathroom. In the distance, they could both hear the sound of laughter and music, the hum of conversation from the party.

“Are you saying that you and Harry…” Julia floundered, but Aphrodite remained silent, forcing this woman to say it aloud. Julia swallowed. “You had an affair?”

It only happened the one time, actually, but Julia didn’t need to know that.

“Like I said, please forget I mentioned it! I hate that I came between the two brothers.” Aphrodite wrung her hands as if distraught. “I hate that I’mstillcoming between them.”

Julia shook her head, though she was visibly reeling. “No, Harry wouldn’t do that. Iknowhim.”

“I blame myself, you know,” Aphrodite went on mournfully. “I knew Harry was in love with me, but I didn’t stay away. Then it just…happened.Now Hector hasn’t seen his brother for three years, because Harry didn’t dare come home. He doesn’t trust himself around me.”

Perfectly delivered, she thought with a touch of pride. Just the right amount of regret to make it sound like a real confession.

“No.” Julia sounded like she was trying to convince herself. “Whatever happened in the past, Harry is with me now. He has moved on.”

“I hope you’re right,” Aphrodite agreed. “I hope he didn’t stay away for three years for my sake. Harry has the best of intentions, but he’s misguided and lost.” She placed a gentle hand on Julia’s forearm. “Let me give you a piece of advice, one woman to another. The Harry youthink you know—some rugged adventuring type who takes you on glacier hikes, buys Asahi beer, sleeps on a mattress on the floor—that isn’t him. There’s so much of him that you’ll never understand.”

Julia tore her hand from Aphrodite’s grip. “Actually, I think you’re the one who doesn’t understand him. As you just pointed out, you haven’t seen him in years.” Julia smiled, but there was an edge to it. “A lot can change in that time.”

The sheer audacity of this mortal, insisting that she knew better than agoddess? Aphrodite spoke her next words over a roaring in her ears.

“I didn’t want to say this, but you should know that Harry isn’t serious about you. He brought you here as aprop.To make me jealous. Or maybe to show everyone that he’s done with me.” Aphrodite still spoke in a hushed tone, as if she regretted this whole mess. “I’m sorry, Julia. I hope I’m wrong, but I wouldn’t count on a future with Harry if I were you.”

Julia’s eyes flashed with confusion, but she shook her head. “Harry and I love each other.”

“So he’s never lied to you? Left anything out, hidden something he didn’t want you to see?”

She watched Julia’s face crumple with sudden confusion and doubt.

Of course “Harry” had lied. He was lying to this woman every minute, masquerading as a mortal, hiding his true name.

And when you lived with someone, you sensed when they were keeping something from you.

“I’m sorry,” Aphrodite said again, “but I should be getting back to the party.” She turned on one Aquazzura heel, not bothering to glance back at the mortal.

She already knew she had won.

Chapter Thirteen

Julia

This early in the morning, the Athens airport was barely stirring to life, its retail options still shuttered and dark. Julia sighed. Her body ached for a coffee, but the intercom had just announced that her flight was boarding. She would have to make do with the watery stuff on the plane.

It didn’t matter. By tonight, Julia would be sitting at a neighborhood pub with her best friend, telling Abby the whole awful story of what had happened. She reached for her phone and sent her a quick text:Boarding soon. Will text when I land in Frankfurt.It would have been better to fly straight to London, of course, but the direct flights were all sold out. And Julia felt desperate to get out of Greece, immediately.

Last night, after her conversation—or was it a confrontation?—with Harry’s sister-in-law, Julia had returned to the party in a state of shock. She’d mumbled something to Harry about feeling exhausted, then stumbled upstairs to the tiny bird room. For once, Julia was grateful for her forced separation from Harry. She needed space to sort through her angry, tangled thoughts.