Betraying Marco [Book 2 of the Stavros Series]✔️

3 |Cleopatra and Mark Anthony|

When I was growing up I didn't have much alone time with my mom. Sure we had the mornings and nights but we rarely got entire days to spend together. When we did we took advantage of it and did fun things like the zoo or the mall or the beach.

When I was ten years old the Stavros' went on a trip to Italy to visit family. That left an entire week alone with my Mom which I was so excited for. One of the first few days we decided to go to the beach and swim around. That was the worst day of my life.

"Mom can you hold my ice cream?"

My mother looked over her book at me with a small smile on her lips. "Are you going to go swimming?"

"In a little bit but I don't really want this anymore." I held the dripping cone over to her. She sighed but took it anyways, putting her book to the side and licking the melting strawberry ice cream.

"Hey Mom," I said quietly, giggling a little too.

"Yes Cookie?"

"Those guys are staring at you." I looked past her to a group of men my Moms age playing volley ball. They weren't very good looking but I was only ten, I didn't think anyone was good looking.

"Oh great," she muttered, focusing on the ice cream in her hands. She didn't even bother to turn around and spare a glance.

"Aren't you going to wave?"

Her piercing green eyes looked up to me. I was always grateful I looked like my mom instead of my Dad. She looked like an Egyptian Queen while he looked like a garbage man. I always wondered why she fell for him. Sure he was good looking ten years ago but he didn't have a heart. No he doesn't have a heart or good looks.

"Why bother? They only want one thing," she mumbled. I knew what she meant. It was the same thing my Dad wanted from her.

It always broke my heart that my Mom wouldn't try to date. She didn't want to be used like she was by Quinton which I understand. Whenever I told her to go find someone new she would shake her head and tell me that I was all she needed.

I was all she had.

"Well I'm going to go out. If they come over here than throw the ice cream at them."

She laughed behind me as I ran towards the ocean in my pink and white striped one piece. I was letting my unruly curly hair grow out so whenever I ran it would fly into my face and make me go blind for a bit. I pushed the brown locks away from eyes roughly, thinking about running back to my mom later and asking her to cut my hair. I wondered what Marco and Xander would do when they saw me with short hair. They would probably call me a boy.

The water lapped around me and pushed against my knees. I made sure to stay close though, not going farther than my chest. I wished Marco and Xander could be there with me, that way I would have a friend with me as well. My Mom couldn't come out with me because she was afraid of the water. Her Dad used to push her head under water in their bathtub when she was younger so she always hated it. It was a good thing she ran as soon as she could though. Of course she had the help of her best friend Shai who she hasn't seen since Miami but she talks about him all the time. He saved her more than once.

I turned around just so I could look at my Mom. She went back to reading her book, trying to eat the ice cream without getting it on the pages. She had a really hard time growing up, with her dad and all and with a mom that wouldn't save her. But still she was the strongest person I knew. She wouldn't give up on anything and I've never seen her cry or yell. She was my hero in more ways than one.