She licked her lips and he saw a tremulous hope in her blue eyes. “Because you love Robby?”
He stared at her. “Because he’s my duty.”
Tears fell unchecked down her face as she clutched her arms together over her exquisite beaded gown. “Can’t you even try to love him?”
“The deal stands,” he said coldly. “I will still marry you. I will still take care of your son.”
“Our son!”
For a long time, she stood, staring at him. Her lips parted to speak, and his cell phone rang in his pocket. Emotionlessly, he turned away from her. “Santos.”
“I’m afraid I have to back out of our deal, Santos.”
Gabriel recognized the voice at once. Felipe Oliveira. His eyes widened in shock as he stepped away from Laura. “Is that some kind of joke, Oliveira?” he growled into the phone. “Some attempt to drive up the price? Because you’ve already signed the papers.”
“Just the preliminary papers. And Théo St. Raphaël has just offered me three million euros more for Açoazul than you. Best of all, he’s throwing in his prize vineyard to sweeten the offer.” The man gave a laugh. “I’ve always wanted to make my own champagne, and his vineyard is legendary.”
“You can’t do that!” Gabriel exploded. “We signed a contract!”
“A preliminary contract,” the man pointed out gleefully. “All I need pay for reneging on the terms is a small penalty—a million American dollars. Which St. Raphaël has also offered to cover.”
Gabriel cursed aloud. “But why? Why betray me like this, Oliveira, after we helped you see Adriana’s true nature?”
The older man cackled. “Now that I’m rid of her, I suddenly find I’m interested in business again. Sorry, Santos.” He paused, then said with greater seriousness, “Sorry, young man. But you’ll live to fight another day.”
“I’ll leave within the hour,” Gabriel said desperately. “I can be in Rio by tonight, and we can talk further—”
But Oliveira had hung up. Gabriel stared for a long moment at the phone in his hand. He felt dizzy with the vertigo of how much he’d lost in the last two minutes. He’d lost…everything.
He whirled on Laura, who was staring up at him with big eyes. “Let’s get the wedding over with,” he growled, stomping toward the door. “As soon as it’s over, we’re leaving for Rio.”
Her trembling voice stopped him. “No.”
He frowned, looking back at her from the doorway. “No? What do you mean, no?”
She licked her lips, coming closer. Her eyes were luminous in the morning light.
“I could accept you not loving me,” she said. “I told myself that my love could be enough for both of us.” Her eyes narrowed, glittering like a frozen blue sea. “But I can’t accept you not loving Robby. He can’t just be your duty.”
“I just found out he’s my son,” he retorted, “after a year of your lies. What do you expect from me? That I declare my love and fall at your feet?”
She looked at him, and her lips trembled in a smile. “That would be nice.”
He shook his head angrily. “Accept what I can give you. And be grateful!”
“Grateful?” she cried. With an intake of breath, she held up the hem of her wedding dress and marched right up to him. Her beautiful face was outraged. “I waited five years for you to love me,” she said. “I dreamed of you for the whole last
year! All I wanted was for you to marry me…”
“And I will,” he said impatiently. “Come on.”
“But I was wrong.” She lifted her chin. “Love is what matters. Without love, this marriage is nothing but a lie.” She shook her head fiercely. “And I won’t let Robby settle for that. I won’t let him grow up wondering why his father doesn’t love him, why his parents’ marriage is so strained, what he’s done wrong!”
Gabriel stared at her. It suddenly seemed as if an ocean divided them. He reached out his hand. “Laura…”
She slapped it away. “No!”
He glared at her. “I don’t have time for this.”