Chapter 27
“Would you like some fruit, Kai?” Vistos offered him the hundredth item of food, to which Kai shook his head, his arms crossed, frowning and in a foul mood. Gema said nothing, letting Vistos struggle to placate Kai. He wanted to be a father all of a sudden! He suddenly had such a great compassion to be a father that he had to kidnap them, then go ahead, have at it! Vistos flashed her a look, asking for help, and Gema merely raised her hands innocently and sipped her orange juice. Vistos sighed and forced a smile. “You must eat something, Kai-”
“If you’re mio papa, then where have you been?” Kai suddenly demanded, and they both froze. Gema’s eyes widened staring at Kai, and Vistos’ face dropped in surprise. He looked at Gema for help, and she came to the rescue, speaking softly to Kai.
“Honey-”
“I know he is” Kai said defiantly. “I heard you talking. Where were you?” Kai demanded of Vistos again, and Vistos cleared his throat.
“I’ve been in Italy, Kai, here.”
“Doing what? Do you have another son?” Kai asked, his eyes suddenly becoming large.
“Non, you are my only child” Vistos sighed and put down the fruit bowl. “It is complicated…..” he mused, leaning back in his chair and surveying Kai like an adult. “I wasn’t there, when you needed me, and for that I have no excuse. But perhaps, you could allow me to be your father now that I am here?”
Kai thought about that, his eyes studying the table as he did. Gema held her breath, waiting to see what Kai’s response would be. He finally lifted his head with a curt nod. “Only if it’s okay with mom. There’s not a lot of space in our flat, but maybe she’ll let you stay in her room. She has a huge bed” kai said with a smile, and Vistos let his eyes slide to Gema.
“Is that right” He mused, Gema’s cheeks turning a bright pink. “And tell me, does your mom often have people stay in her bed?”
“Really Vistos-!” Gema exclaimed, and Kai shook his head strongly.
“No, we don’t get too many visitors. Just Mark, and Kate…oh and Zia Lana, and even then not very often-”
“Lana!” Vistos exclaimed, his eyes fixing on Gema fiercely. She winced, and tried not to meet his eye. “Kai, perhaps you would like to go with Rosa to see the horses”
“Okay!” Kai ran off with Rosa, and left Vistos and Gema in the tense silence that followed. Vistos stood up from his chair and looked out the patio doors to the pool outside. Gema swallowed before starting.
“Well, if you’re going to chew me out-”
“Chew you out?!” Vistos whirled on her, dangerously close, his hands on either side of the table in front of her, leaning across it towards her. “I could strangle you right now!” He hissed, his accent thickening as his rage increased. “Am I the only one who did not know of my own son’s existence?!”
Gema lifted her chin defiantly. “You knew I was pregnant and chose to push me out of your life. But Lana is the only one who knew anything of it.” She muttered with a shrug.
It was silent for a while, then he spoke quietly. “Was she there when he was born?” Gema nodded deftly and Vistos let out an oath before twisting away from her. Fed up, Gema simply threw up her arms in a surrender.
“I don’t know why you’re so upset about this, Vistos, you turned your back on us, not the other way around-”
“Non, that is not how I remember it.” Vistos insisted, still looking out over his vast backyard. “You left me no choice, Gema.”
“I could have handled it if it was just me.” Gema said softly. “If you just didn’t want to be with me anymore….I could have handled that. You’re the one who, accused me of those things, who didn’t want any communication.”
“Non.” Vistos said with a violent toss of those thick curls. “Your letter distinctly said you did not want anything to do with me.”
Gema snorted. “Now I know you’re making this up, there was no letter.”
“Si, there was.” Vistos insisted. “It was here, in Italy, waiting for me when you were not.”
Gema rolled her eyes, tired of this conversation. “Vistos, I’m telling you I never sent you a letter. I got your letter, and that’s why I never contacted you, which is why I never sent you a letter.”
Vistos frowned deeply and half turned to look at her. “You received a letter?”
“Yes,” Gema answered.
“From me?”
“Yes,” Gema nodded.
“A letter?” Vistos echoed, and Gema threw up her hands again.
“Yes, Vistos, yes, a letter addressed to me, delivered by your pilot, at the airport, yes, Jesus Christ.”
Vistos slowly shook his head. “Non, I did not do this thing. I wrote no letter.”
Gema snorted and started to answer, but stopped when she saw the serious look on his face. “You really didn’t send a letter?”
“Non.” He said firmly, and they stared at each other. “You went to the airport?” He asked, and Gema looked away now, processing everything.
“Yes, I….well, I was going to surprise you in London and then fly with you to Italy but…I got your letter saying you knew I was pregnant and wanted nothing to do with me.”
“And you believed that?” Vistos erupted, scowling at her. “How could you believe such merda? I am Greek!” Vistos pounded his chest with his fist for emphasis. “And Italian! I would never give up a child that is mine! Especially if it could be a boy!”
“You weren’t exactly the fatherly type four years ago, Vistos!” Gema snapped at him, then she ran her hands back through her hair. “What am I even saying? Oh my God, four years,” She whispered more to herself, touching her hands to her lips as she trembled slightly, her emotions wild. “Four….years, of believing…a lie! Permiso.” Gema excused herself, rushing from the room, having to be away from him.
Gema sighed as she walked along the familiar hallways, remembering a time when Vistos used to carry her anxiously through the halls and up the stairs, barely containing his need. That seemed so long ago, as if it had all happened to a different person. Even breaking off the wedding with Doug, that all seemed like forever ago. As Gema gazed at the closed door to Vistos’ bedroom, she shook her head. What am I doing here? She asked herself, trailing her hand over the beautiful and intricate doorknob, before hurrying away from the door. Vistos had gone to work, she’d heard his car take off not long after she’d fled the room. All this time, she’d thought the worst of him. How many times had she sat around with Mark and Kate, drinking to Vistos getting his heart broken, or losing his fortune to a true gold digger, and the whole time, they had been deceived. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who had pulled it off. Claire, of course, was the only person who knew enough, and had access to them both to make sure the letters were delivered. Who Claire was working with and why, were better questions. Unless Claire wanted Vistos to herself, Gema mused as she went in search of Kai to check on him. Whatever the reason, the truth was out. For better or worse, still remains to be seen, but at the end of the day, Gema had a life, a business, and friends to go back to in London. Depriving Vistos of Kai wasn’t something Gema had the heart to do, but staying here, as Vistos’ indefinite house prisoner, was not an option.
Gema avoided Vistos for the most part, which unfortunately meant not seeing much of Kai. Vistos essentially never let him out of his sight, and the rest of the week was much like that. Gema watched them as they swam for hours, as Vistos let Kai ride in his saddle with him, as they ran around the expansive land of Vistos’ estate, Kai’s high giggles followed by Vistos’ throaty laugh. Gema’s heart was torn in two, wanting desperately to be apart of their family, and also wanting to rip Kai from Vistos and disappear once again. She had made up her mind by the end of the week, and Gema knocked on the door of Vistos’ office after Kai had been bathed and put down for the night. A grunt was her only indicator to come in, and she found Vistos pouring over papers at his desk. He glanced up when she came in, his expression immediately turning dark, and Gema spoke before he could tell her to leave. He blamed her for their time apart because in his egocentric mind, she should have had the foresight to realize that he wouldn’t abandon an unexpected pregnancy. Yeah, right, like that was reasonable.
“Look, I know you don’t want to see me, let alone talk to me, but I have come to a conclusion on the living arrangements”
“Oh?” Vistos muttered, leaning back in his chair, the light from the single lamp casting half of his features in shadow, and one lone curl fell near his eye seductively, having come free from being brushed back like the rest.
“Yes.” Gema said, hesitating. With a wave of his hand, Vistos urged her forward silently. “I think it would be, in everyone’s best interest, if Kai returned to London with me. Everything he knows is there, and to uproot him now right before his schooling resumes, would upset him. I’m willing to work out some kind of visitation, I can come to you or you can come to me, whatever it may be. But I want to make it clear that we don’t need your money” Gema said sternly.
“This is all very considerate of you” Vistos drawled. “it is, after all, the least you can do after nearly four years of deprivation of my child.” His eyes were dark as he spoke. “Nevertheless, they are unacceptable. Kai is not living anywhere other than with me, and you should know that I am well prepared to take this to court” he added silently, and Gema was speechless. Was he truly threatening her? “Since Lana is out of the woods, I shall be having a small dinner party tomorrow with my family to celebrate, and so that they may formally meet my son.” His eyes wandered up and down her body slowly and she felt that familiar deep burn, despite her fury for him. “I expect you to dress appropriately, and not to embarrass me any further.”
“So your son is an embarrassment to you? Well, excuse me if you believe so, but I did not have the option of giving birth within the sanctity of marriage!” Gema spat at him, and Vistos vaulted from his chair, rounding the desk to scowl at her.
“Do not twist my words! Kai is not an embarrassment, but you most certainly are! How am I supposed to tell my entire family that I have a son that I had no idea existed for four years?” He demanded, turning away from her and running a hand back through his hair. “Dios! It will be hell to face their accusations tomorrow.”
Gema softened, seeing how much this really would affect Vistos. His family was quite traditional when it came to marriage and children, and they had decidedly put the horse before the cart. She opened her mouth to apologize, but found Vistos speaking first.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of work to finish” His voice was stern, stiff, and Gema left without another word. She couldn’t sleep, so she went and laid down with Kai, stroking his soft cheek and marveling at the gift she had been given, and how much he looked like his father.
Unable to resume working after their argument, Vistos found himself plagued with frustration once again since Gema had come back into his life. He started a shower, rinsing the sweat and stress from his body. His thoughts quickly waned to Gema, of the way her brow furrowed when she yelled at him, or the way she used to smile whenever he’d walk into the room. His body hardened just at the thought of that smile, of the sultry look her eyes would take on when he would reveal himself to her. So why was he keeping his distance from her? She didn’t want him, that was why, she‘d moved on. With that wimpy looking guy, Jamie. Vistos scowled as he rinsed the shampoo from his hair. What kind of name was that anyway? How long have they been seeing each other? They looked pretty cozy in that Thai restaurant. Vistos scowled as he rubbed the water from his eyes.
But it was his own fault, he should have known, he should have been there for her when she gave birth, not Lana. Lana had thoroughly cursed him out, fresh home from the hospital, when he’d confronted her about not telling him of Kai’s existence. She had been right, making him realize that he had treated Gema as little more than a common slut, and he shouldn’t have expected her to follow him to the ends of the earth. Vistos sighed heavily as he turned the water cold, trying to loosen the tension in his now throbbing body. But he had expected it, had hoped for it after that lone night four years ago. His hands fisted at the remembrance of how he had rushed to the villa from London to see her, feeling quite like a teenager with a bouquet of flowers and a sparkling necklace for her. But he had returned to an empty villa, and an apologetic Claire, who had been hesitant to tell him Gema had never arrived for her flight the week before, but had left him a letter. He had been furious, devastated, and felt like a fool. He had refused to contact her, clearly she wanted nothing to do with him. Vistos had been surprised to hear her wedding to Doug had been broken off, and it sent him soaring with pride to know. But that was long ago, Vistos realized with a sigh as he turned off the shower and dried off as he walked to the dresser and pulled on loose sleeping pants and toweled off his wet hair.