But Ellie had changed everything. She'd turned his cold house into a home. Taught his daughter to love and trust again. Made his whole life bright with color and rich and warm. Somehow he'd come to value her opinion and her strength more than anything…
Was that love?
He couldn't go to sleep at night without making love to her. He couldn't get out of bed in the morning without kissing her and seeing her bright face. He couldn't imagine coming home if not to her….
Maldição. He was in love with his wife.
How was it possible that he hadn't known?
How was it possible it had taken him so long to realize that he'd gotten everything all wrong? Love wasn't to be feared. It didn't leave a man vulnerable. To the contrary. Knowing that he loved her, and she loved him back, made him more fearless and determined than he'd ever been in his life….
He heard a knock at the door. His wife entered, her face wan and pale.
“Ellie.” He went to her immediately, reaching for her, desperate to hold her in his arms. “Meu amor. I'm so glad you're here. I have to tell you—this morning, when I—”
She backed away. “Don't touch me.”
He froze in place, unable to look away from her face. Her expression was so distant and strange. Not like Ellie at all.
“I've come to say goodbye,” she said. “I'm leaving.”
“What?” he whispered.
Her china-blue eyes crackled like frozen ice beneath the sea. “You've made it clear you'll never love me. So I'm going home. Back to New York.”
“No.” Grabbing her fiercely, he looked down at her. She wouldn't leave. She couldn't. Not now—not when he finally had realized he loved her!
“Ellie, you have to listen,” he said hoarsely. “I should never have said those things to you this morning—”
“I'm glad you did,” she said, cutting him off. “It was time I faced the truth.”
“You are my wife. Pregnant with my children.” He swallowed. “I do not want you to leave. Ever.”
She looked away miserably. “I have no choice.”
“But, Ellie, I…” He took a deep breath. I love you. He licked his dry lips, and tried again. “I…” But unlike when he proposed, these strange words stuck in his throat. “You do have a choice,” he whispered. “I'm not ordering you to stay. I'm asking you,” he said in a low voice. “Please. Stay. For me.”
She shook her head, and he saw tears in her eyes. “I can't.” She wrenched away. “I want a divorce.”
“A divorce?”
His hands clenched on empty air. He could barely breathe over the enormous lump in his throat. “But—why?”
“I'm in love with someone else.”
He sucked in his breath. “Who?” he demanded fiercely.
“Timothy,” she whispered.
He gaped at her, not understanding.
“You never treated me like I wanted,” she said. “You never bought me flowers or read me poetry. You don't know anything about love. Timothy does. He's the man I want.”
Every word she spoke was like a stab in his body. He felt every slice of the knife keenly. Down to the bone.
Then anger rushed through him. “Timothy Wright is a monster. You could not possibly love him.”
“But I do.” She blinked rapidly. “We can share custody,” she offered. “The babies will have your last name. But I will have my divorce.”
“No.” He grabbed her angrily, his hand gripping her arm hard enough to bruise. “No, Ellie, damn it, no! I won't let you go!”
“You're hurting me!”
Hurting her? It was nothing compared to what she'd done to him. But when she winced beneath his grip, he let her go.
“Timothy Wright will never come near my children,” he bit out. “He's made a fortune over the last two years ruining innocent lives. I will not allow mine anywhere near him.”
Her eyes widened. “I will protect them—”
“You? You can't protect anyone. You're every bit as weak as I first thought. No loyalty to your children, or to…” Or to me. A new thought rushed through him, almost too painful to bear. “What do I tell Catia?” he said, barely able to speak over the jagged pain in his throat. “What am I to tell her—that another mother has left her?”
“Tell her…” Ellie closed her eyes in pain. “Just tell her I love her. And that all I wanted to do was to keep her safe.”
“No.” He couldn't believe this was really happening. Anguish ricocheted through him, cutting more savagely than he'd ever been hurt before. “You're my wife, Ellie. We need you.” He took a deep breath. “I need you.”