PREGNANT BY A STRANGER

Three years

We landed at the airport in Greece. It has been exactly three years and seven months since I last set foot in this country, right when I found out I was pregnant.

"Mama, I'll hold my sisters' hands so they don't get lost," said my son.

"Alright, son," I replied, looking at the most beautiful reminder I have of this country—my triplets.

Leandro has a strong character; he is the man of the house and takes his role very seriously. He has ash-blond hair and olive-green eyes, with a penetrating gaze that complements his handsome face. Then there's my beautiful little Goldilocks. She has straight hair with lovely waves at the ends and sapphire-blue eyes. Her physique is very Greek, and she is quite the firecracker, driving everyone crazy. And my little Gem, she has a unique beauty. Her almost white, straight hair with waves at the ends is just like her sister's. Her eyebrows and eyelashes are very blond, but her eyes are the most exotic—they look like glass. They are a soft blend of blue and green, shining like a diamond. She is tender but only with people she knows. It's hard to win her over, but she is the most diligent of the three. In fact, my father gave her the nickname "Diamond," and she absolutely loves it. My children never go unnoticed wherever we go.

"Daughter, you're lost in your thoughts!" my father interrupted.

"Yes, father, sorry."

"Come on, you need to rest for the event."

"That's true, father, though I can't contain my excitement. I finally beat Gabi and Joel! It wasn't easy being the businesswoman of the year with such competitive family members, ha, ha, ha."

"Sister, it's not my fault I'm the best," Joel chimed in.

"Joel, for God's sake, tone down your ego. Gabi, how do you put up with him?"

"I'll tell you a secret, Kami. I just ignore his episodes of grandeur."

"Your family has great genes, Mr. Joel. May we take a photo of your eldest?" a journalist asked.

"No!"

"Congratulations on your genes."

"Thanks."

"Move quickly, Gem is overwhelmed," I instructed. Joel picked up Gem, and she hid her face in his neck, frightened by the press and the camera flashes.

"Excuse me, you're startling my children," Joel said firmly.

"Sorry, Mr. Joel, we want photos of your nephews."

"The four children you see here are my kids, and if I say no photos, I mean it! Or do you want a lawsuit from me? Come on, family, the vans are here."

We arrived at Joel's house, where we would stay for a maximum of three days.

"How are you feeling, my little diamond?" Joel asked.

"Good, Uncle Daddy, those people scare me!"

"Don't worry, sweetheart. You know I'll always protect you."

"I love you, Uncle Daddy. You're the best."

"I'm very angry about the journalists' disrespect, so I called Fani to send us more security. I don't know what I'd do without her; she really solves my life in Greece. Kids, we need to talk." Joan gathered the triplets as if they were adults, and I listened to what he said.

"Siblings, we're in another country, so you need to behave, especially you girls. Don't stray from Lisandro and me; remember, we are the oldest."

"Joan, you're not that much older. You're only eight months older, and Lisandro is just one or two minutes older. I can take care of myself," retorted Sapphire.

"Sapphire, respect your older brothers. But I can take care of myself too, so I don't need you to look after me."

"Ha, ha, ha, kids, leave the girls alone. We're in another country, so behave, all four of you. Understood?"

"Yes, Dad, okay. I'll take care of the triplets. Can we go to the pool?"

"Yes, that's fine!"

"Run, siblings."

"Kamila, aren't you scared?" Gabi asked.

"Very much, Gabi. I don't want him to find us. I don't need him anymore. My children are fine with me. I can't imagine sharing them with someone else. If their father is Greek as we suspect, they would have to come here for vacations far from me. And if he's a married man? My God, my children would be seen as bastards!"

"Kami, you can't be selfish. He's still their father. The children are the only ones who can decide if they want him in their lives."

"Yes, Gabi, I know that, but I looked for him, and he didn't want to be found. Now, I simply don't want him near. I don't need him anymore! He wasn't there during the hardest years I went through with my kids, and now he's going to show up as the best dad in the world. It's not fair."

"You have a point, but if he decides to show up, there's not much you can do."

"It's so unfair for us women. There should be laws that prevent a man who wasn't there during the first years of his child's life from claiming them whenever he wants."

"Yes, Kami, I agree with you. We always lose out. We carry them in our wombs, pause our lives, and they continue as if nothing happened. And when they feel like it, they call themselves 'dad,' and there's a law that allows it just because they share the same blood."

"What bothers me the most, sister-in-law, is that he knows who I am. He saw the videos for a reason. He had them deleted and threatened the detective. He said that if I was someone important, they would contact me, and nearly four years have passed! That made it very clear that he doesn't care about us at all, so I have all that in my favor if he shows up and wants to take my kids away."

"Relax, let's enjoy the rest of the day. Tomorrow you have the award gala. Let's leave the kids with your parents who want to take them to the mall, then to the movies, and they'll have a sleepover."

"That sounds good, sister-in-law. It makes me want to stay, ha, ha, ha."

"Absolutely not! Kamila, tomorrow is your day, and you must shine as much as the little diamond you have for a daughter."

"That's right! Achieving all this as a single mother of triplets was quite a feat!"

"We are very proud of you! My Kami, you're stronger than you think. Here you are as the businesswoman of the year and one of the richest women in the world, with your beautiful babies. What more could you ask for? Well, maybe just a partner."

"Not even in my dreams, Gabi. It would be impossible for those four kids to let anyone into my life, especially Joan and Leandro."

"Ha, ha, ha, that's true. Those kids protect you as if someone is going to steal you away from them at any moment."

"Mama!" Sapphire called out.

"What is it, Sapphire?"

"Leandro is fighting with the neighbor's son because he wants to play with my sister."

"Come on, Leandro, why are you fighting?"

"Mama, he wants to play only with my little diamond, and I won't allow it. No boy can play alone with my sisters; I have to play too!"

"Leandro, you're all together. He can play with all of you!"

"But Mama, he only wants to be near her! If he doesn't play with us, he won't play with my sister either."

"Daughter, come here."

"Yes, Mommy."

"Little one, your brother is right. You shouldn't play alone with the boy. Invite him to play with everyone, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy!"

"Leandro, the boy will play with everyone. I expect you to treat him well, understood?"

"Understood, Mommy."

"Ha, ha, ha, Kamila, Leandro never rests. He's always looking out for his sisters."

"Yes, Gabi, he feels he has to protect his diamond more because she doesn't have a strong character like Sapphire."

"Good afternoon, sorry to bother you. Is there a problem with my son?" a man asked.

"Good afternoon, I'm Kamila Fuente Mayor, nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Ángelo Vasileus, your neighbor and father of this little one!"

"Sorry, it's just that my son is very protective of his sisters, especially his little diamond, whom your son wants to play with."

"Don't worry, I understand! I wouldn't let anyone near my sisters either if they were as beautiful as your daughters. That boy and his father have a tough job ahead, looking after those girls, especially with a mother as beautiful as you. Pardon my boldness, but I would have a great security team to keep them away from the male gender!"