Laura Cassadine stared into the calm sea, the afternoon sunlight pouring onto her, trying to regain an inner peace that was eluding her. Really, it had been eluding her for almost a year now. Or maybe even all her life.

She looked down at her wedding ring; she had almost grown to like it. She had told him it wasn't her style, but he had insisted she wear it, once again bringing up Cassadine traditions that didn't interest her in the least.

She didn't care about all that, she just cared about him. She smiled. It had been a beautiful wedding. Having her family there would've made it better, but she had thought it best not to tell them until after the fact. Her parents had been furious, telling her she was being reckless and acting out of pain. Even Amy had been less than supportive. The same never-ending psychobabble.

They didn't understand.

She was determined to prove them all wrong. It wasn't a mistake; she would make this last.

So what if he lost his temper every once in a while? Everyone did, and he always apologized afterwards.

Her hand went to her cheek, pressing lightly on it. It was still sore, but it would heal. It always did.

She heard steps coming behind her, knowing who it was. They had done this so many times before.

He will come and kneel in front of her, placing his head in her lap.

"I'm so sorry, Lasha," he will say. "I never wanted to hurt you. I promise, it will never happen again."

And she will stroke his hair and whisper, "It's okay."

And he will say he loves her.

"I love you, too, Stavros," she will sigh, and they will make love.

Chapter One

"Good morning," Laura greeted her in-laws courteously as she went to sit in her usual spot.

Mikkos barely acknowledged her, raising his eyes briefly from his work and nodding in her direction.

Helena flashed that false, sugary smile that Laura had grown to detest. "Good morning, Lasha. Are you feeling better? You're entirely too clumsy, my child. One of these days you could seriously harm yourself."

Laura smiled through clenched teeth. "Your concern touches me." She nodded to the servant at her side, letting her know she was ready to be served.

"Your welfare is very important to me. You will be giving us an heir. Soon, I hope."

Laura took a bite of her breakfast, chewing slowly. After swallowing, she replied, "It's really not up to me, is it?"

"I would just hate for Stavros to be disappointed. He so does want a child."

"We both do. We'll love our child as much as we love each other." Laura hid her smirk taking a drink from her glass, as Helena's own smile faded.

"I'm sure you will," Helena grounded out. "If you'll excuse me, I have many things to do."

"Have a nice day," Laura flashed her own fake smile. Helena left without responding. Almost feeling like shouting in victory, Laura settled into her chair comfortably, taking another bite of her breakfast. It tasted even better now.

"Father," a male voice interrupted her triumphant thoughts. She swiveled her head to look at the man who wasn't her husband. This had to be Stefan, Stavros' brother.

"I'll be staying here for a few days," he informed Mikkos.

Mikkos looked disinterestedly at his younger son. "Very well." He went back to the paperwork in front of him.

The younger man walked away, seeming not to have noticed the woman who followed him with her gaze until he disappeared from sight.

Laura sat back in her chair, dejected. He hadn't even glanced at her. Snob. She looked down at her food. It didn't look so appetizing anymore. She got up and excused herself, more out of habit than for Mikkos' benefit.

She stood for a while, not knowing what to do. There was nothing to do here. But Stavros got so angry when she left without him. A bubble of resentment formed in her stomach. She was his wife, not his prisoner! Trying to calm herself, she walked back to the room she and her husband shared, but couldn't bear to go in. She had woken up alone again. Angry tears sprang in her eyes.

She felt a pair of curious eyes upon her. She turned her head. Another servant. This place was crawling with eyes. And they all worked for Helena. She knew where she needed to go.

Her pace became quicker as she neared the garden. She stopped suddenly when she saw that someone was already there. Her shoulders slumped in disappointment. He probably wouldn't appreciate her barging in on him. She turned to leave, but froze as he spoke.

"Hello."

She turned back, seeing his whole face for the first time, and feeling her pulse starting to quicken. She could see the resemblance with Stavros, but this man's face was... softer, somehow. And his eyes, nothing like Stavros'. It took her a while to realize she was staring. She licked her dry lips. "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was here. I'll leave."

He took a step forward and reached out a hand as if to stop her. "You don't have to go, I think the garden will occupy the both of us."

Laura smiled then. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you, Stefan."

"Likewise, Lasha," Stefan said.

Her smile faded as she heard the name. "Laura, the name's Laura," she snapped.

"My apologies... Laura," he said. "I will be sure to refer to you as such in the future."

Laura's eyes widened in sudden fear. "No, no you can call me Lasha," she said. "It was just a silly outburst." She paused, trying to take the panic out of her voice. "Please don't tell Stavros."

The pleading in her eyes stirred up a powerful feeling of compassion in Stefan. "My brother and I are not close, you needn't worry," he promised.

Laura let go of the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Thank you." She walked to her favorite spot and sat down. Stefan followed her and sat a few feet from where she was. "So you're Stavros' brother. I can't believe I've never met you. He doesn't... I mean, he hasn't spoken much about you," Laura said. "But we've only been married for a few months," she quickly added.

"I'm not surprised, Stavros can sometimes be a little self-involved."

"No, he's not!" Laura defended her husband. "We are still newlyweds, you know. It's natural for us to be focused on each other."

Stefan nodded and kept quiet, not wanting to upset her further. He knew they actually spent little time together. He also knew where Stavros spent much of the time he was gone from the house. Why Stavros would rather spend time in a brothel than with his wife, Stefan didn't know. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Lasha!"

Stavros' bellow brought Stefan back from the dangerous path his thoughts were taking.

Laura was suddenly on her feet. "Hi, honey." She took in the appearance of her husband and cringed inwardly. He was hung-over.

Stavros glanced briefly at her, then focused his gaze at Stefan. "What are you doing here?" The "with her" was left unsaid, but they all heard the suspicion in his voice.

"It is good to see you, too, Stavros," Stefan answered, his tone a mixture of disappointment and sarcasm.

"We were just talking, Stav," Laura said softly.

Stavros glanced sharply at her, and Laura flinched involuntarily. Stavros voice softened as he walked over to his wife, gripping her arm. The softness in his voice belied the growing tension in his hold on her.

"I was worried about you."

Laura couldn't help it. "I'm not a child, I can go where I please," she retorted. She winced as his grip became painful. That would leave a mark.

Stefan sat absolutely still. His eyes caught every movement they made. Now he knew where the deep purple bruise on her face had come from.

Stavros lowered his voice. "I'm going back to the house. I'll be waiting for you, don't be long." His tone was meant to soothe, but it came out more like a threat.

Laura nodded and watched him leave. She ignored the throbbing in her arm. She could feel Stefan's presence behind her, and tears of shame welled up in her eyes. Why did he have to see that?

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked gently.

"Yeah." Her voice had an upbeat tone to it, but he could sense that it was forced. "It's my fault, I say things without thinking sometimes," she explained. "You've already seen that," her laugh came out flat.

Stefan was silent. He was furious. The thought of Stavros hurting her made his blood boil. "You can tell me anything, I won't judge you." He cringed at his own words, that had to be the most idiotic, unhelpful thing to say. But he had meant it.

Laura turned to face him. She saw the sincerity in his eyes. The temptation to unburden herself to this man was overwhelming. And that scared the Hell out of her. She looked down, not wanting to lie to his face. "I have my husband for that. It was nice meeting you. I'll see you around."

Stefan watched her go, unsettled by his growing desire to protect this stranger. He had overheard her and Helena and couldn't help but admire the way she had succeeded in rendering his mother speechless. There was a fire within her, there even when she tried to hide it by acting meek. He had never met anyone who laid themselves so open.

It was a dangerous trait to have among his family.