“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.”
“Diogo—”
Sweeping her up in his arms, he showed her his heart with a powerful kiss. It was a deep kiss, fierce and true, and tangy with the salt of her tears. Her large belly was between them, creating a perfect circle of family.
When he pulled away, he searched her face, desperate for a sign of everything he'd come to love and trust.
But her eyes remained closed, as if she were trying to savor this kiss forever.
“And me?” he whispered. “What do you have to say to me?”
She finally opened her eyes, shining with tears. “All I have to say to you is—goodbye.”
With an audible growl, he opened his mouth to tell her that he had no intention of letting her go. She was his wife. The mother of his children. He would force her to stay. She belonged to him.
Then he realized: Ellie didn't belong to him.
They belonged together.
If she wanted to be free, he couldn't force her to stay. He couldn't chain her to the bed. He couldn't ignore her feelings for the sake of his own. Not anymore.
He loved her.
Diogo took a deep breath, struggling to get his old power back. To pick her up and toss her into the Bentley. To drive her home and kiss her senseless. To lock her up and force her to stay until she saw sense.
But he couldn't.
A hard Brazilian curse fell silently from his lips. Love had made him weak, just as he'd always feared.
Without Ellie, they would not be a family. Without her, he lost everything he'd come to love.
But because he loved her, he had no choice but to let her go.
His hands clenched. “Until the babies are born, Pedro will constantly be at your side,” he said coldly. “After that, you can do whatever the hell you want. I'll give you your divorce.”
She shook her head. “Pedro is already waiting for me.”
“Good,” he choked out. He turned away as tears pricked the back of his eyes. “Sai fora, Ellie. I'm sick of the sight of you. Don't leave Rio. My lawyer will be in touch.”
Her whole body went tense at the word lawyer. She turned to go, then stopped at the door. Without meeting his eyes, she spoke her final words.
“Goodbye, Diogo,” she whispered. “I will always love you.”
He sat heavily down at the desk after the door closed. He sank his head in his hands. He'd been stupid to give his heart. It had all been a trap. All the warmth and comfort and trust and love had been nothing but an illusion to make him weak. To make him believe…
He'd trusted her. Loved her. And he'd been so sure she loved him in return.
I love you. He still remembered the way Ellie's face had glowed that morning when she spoke the words, as if alight with the brilliant fire of the Brazilian sun. I thought that if I showed my love for you in a thousand small ways, giving you a loving home, you would know.