A Touch of Temptation(58)

Maybe she would have a little girl with a golden gaze and a distinct nose like Diego’s, and a boy with jet-black hair and a penchant for fighting. She would love her kids no matter what life threw at her. She would spend every minute...

A choked sound fell from her mouth.

There it was. The connection. The joy she had wanted to feel for so long. She closed her eyes and gripped the feeling closer to her heart. She curled up on the floor and gave in to the tears scratching her throat.

She couldn’t share it with Diego. Couldn’t tell him of the joy overflowing within her at the thought of the children they had created together. Couldn’t tell him she finally understood what he had experienced from the minute she had told him about the pregnancy.

And now he was going to take them away from her.

Liv joined her on the floor and hugged her. “God, Kim. What are you doing to yourself?”

Kim wiped her tears and steadied herself. At least now she had the strength to fight for her kids—she couldn’t expect Diego to give up his rights, but she was damned if she would either.

“If you don’t want to open this now—”

She shook her head. “No. Better to get this over with...”

Casting her a worried look, Liv tore the envelope. Her mouth tight, she scanned the documents rapidly.

“This is a motion to start divorce proceedings. You’re to have full custody and there’s a note requesting minimum visitation rights to the...children?”

Kim gasped, every inch of her trembling with relief and shock.

“Wait... What does he mean children? Oh my God, you’re having twins?”

Clutching Liv’s hand, Kim nodded. Her vision was blurred. Her head felt dizzy. Delayed shock was setting in.

He was divorcing her. He was giving her full custody...

Liv skimmed through the papers in her hand again. “He will never contest your custody rights in any way. He...”

Saliva pooled in Kim’s mouth, followed by a wave of nausea pushing its way up her throat. She kept her hand on her stomach.

Liv threw the papers on the table and knelt in front of her. She squeezed Kim’s fingers, her gaze filled with shock. “It’s so strange, isn’t it? After everything he did to get you into his life, he’s agreeing to all this.”

An empty chill pervaded Kim’s limbs, sucking out every ounce of emotion from her. This was it. “He’s finally given up on me.”

“What?”

“He’s finally realized I’m not worthy of him after all.”

Liv shook her head violently. “That’s BS, and you know it.”

Kim wiped her tears with the back of her hand. The sooner she accepted the truth, the better now. She missed Diego as if she had a hole in her heart, but she would tailor her life better for her kids. Starting with telling Liv the truth.

“I lied to you, Liv. All those years ago when Mom left.”

Liv stared at her, her gaze searching Kim’s. Fear clouded her eyes. “What?”

“I found her note the previous night. She was going to take you with her.”

“She didn’t say a word to me.”

“Because I stopped her. I threatened to tell Dad if she even touched you. I was selfish. I couldn’t bear the fact that she would take you from me. I couldn’t—”

“You didn’t ask her why she wasn’t taking you?”

“Everything that Dad did to you—it was my fault. If you had left with her... She did love you, Liv. You should know that.”

Her twin laughed, the sound full of bitterness. “Isn’t it weird how you’re blind to what she was?” She clasped Kim’s cheeks, her own eyes full of tears now. “You can’t blame yourself. You did everything in your power to shield me from Dad. And Mom didn’t love you or me—not enough. The moment you threatened her escape she decided I wasn’t worth it either. Don’t you see? She wasn’t strong enough for that. She was never strong enough for us.”

Kim’s heart felt as if it was bursting with emotion. The love shining in Liv’s eyes was enough to pull the last bit of wool from her eyes.

God, she had been such a fool. She had let guilt and pain rob so much from her. Her mother hadn’t robbed it from her. She had done that to herself. And now she was letting her fear rob her of Diego, wasn’t she? Failing herself even before she took the leap?

“And even if she had been, do you think I’d have gone with her? Left you behind?” Now her sister’s words vibrated with pain. “You are my sister. You’re all I had—all I have. What I don’t get is why you have let it hurt you so much. All these years you just accepted her decision, you let it weigh everything you’ve done.”