Vera Douka

Season 1

Vera is Myrtle Anagnostou's best friend and is the girlfriend of Stefanos Doukas with whom she shared a twenty-year affair while he was married to Myrtle Anagnostou. When Stefanos' daughter Antigoni was 4 years old, she ran away and was found by Vera. Vera sent her to be raised with her sister in London, making Antigoni believe that her parents had treated her badly. When Vera's sister contracted Cancer Antigoni moved back to Athens and Vera introduced her to her biological family. Vera continued to manipulate Antigoni into thinking that they hated her, but was unsuccessful. Despite this, Vera and Antigoni shared a very close relationship, Antigoni always turning to her in emotional times rather than her parents. Shortly after Antigoni returned, Vera got engaged to Stefanos, despite the abusive way they treated each other throughout their relationship, as they realised they were soulmates. Shortly after the marriage it was uncovered that Vera stole Antigoni, and Vera tried to defend this by saying that Antigoni said she didn't want to go home, after Vera offered to take her back to her parents. However, Stefanos immediately hated Vera after finding out the truth along with Myrtle, and Stefanos wanted to end their marriage, however Vera psychotically in love with Stefanos refused to give up and tried to save their marriage through forms of psychological and sexual torture. Vera called upon the help of Antigoni, and Stefanos remained married to her to please his long lost daughter. However, they continued to have a very strained relationship.

At the end of the season Vera is sent to jail, falsely convicted of a murder, she is released at the start of the second season.

Season 2

At the start of the second season, Vera finds out that she only has 6 months to live after contracting pancreas cancer. However, we immediately find out that she paid an actor to pose as her doctor, and she is not sick at all. Antigoni, is aware of this fake sickness, and decided to play along with it as she thought it would bring Stefanos and Vera closer. The plan was initially successful, and Stefanos and Vera enjoyed a couple of months of happiness as a couple. However, it was later published in the newspaper that Vera's doctor was a fraud, and Stefanos outraged kicked Vera out of his house. Vera said to him that she only did it because she loved him, Stefanos then told her she was sick and needed psychological help.

Later that day, Vera goes to a pharmacy and buys a packet of sleeping pills, she consumes the entire packet, and drives to Antigoni's house. Antigoni and her husband Alexandros, whom Vera got to marry Antigoni, as a form of revenge against Stefanos so he could take Antigoni's inheritance and cause financial ruin on his estate, ask her what is wrong. Vera asks for water, not telling them that she had consumed the pills, after drinking the water, she tells Antigoni that she wants her to know that she loves her and collapses.

The next morning at the hospital, Antigoni and Alexandros are informed that Vera had a very concentration of sleeping pills in her system and died. Vera was "supposedly" buried privately by Antigoni, however we never saw her body. Antigoni then fled to London, telling her family that they never accepted Vera and that it was their fault that she was driven to suicide.

Stefanos becomes consumed by guilt after Vera's death, and she is seen in many flashback sequences highlighting his inner pain.

Season 3

Vera returns in flashbacks, in the series finale.

Critical Reception

Vera is a very popular character, and after the character committed suicide ratings fell by approximately 15% for 4–6 weeks.