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She had wanted to be a mother She’d wanted it so much Why had he wanted to wait? Why? It wasn’t fair If she had gotten pregnant right away, the endoht never have even shown up But “if onlys” were as futile as wishing on the moon, an exercise for small children who still believed the possibilities of life were endless

She had learned they were far too liive birth to the Scorsolini heir and raise hi that love lit his path, not duty, that there was more to life than his position She’d wanted to rectify the mistakes her parents hadthat her children would love her, even if their father could never bring himself to do so

Hadn’t she loved her parents, no oodmother She would never haveto her knees, she cried, “God in Heaven, it isn’t fair!” The words echoed around her in the shower stall, no one there to answer…or if He did, she did not hear the Heavenly voice

She covered her face and sobbed, but eventually her tears had to abate She’d cried herself dry She turned off the shower, her throat sore and her eyes al at her now not kno she’d spent the last hour, but it didn’t es and when he did arrive, she planned to be asleep She was beyond tired, her emotional reserves used up co her pretense of contento With aching lihtdress and cli on seven o’clock

Without thought, her hand automatically searched out his side of the bed, but of course it was ee and would be every night once she left New York A dry sob caught in her throat and she bit it back, but she’d soaked her pilloith silent tears before she ht that tears were never ending…

She woke so in the bathroo froital clock beside the bed read nine o’clock She blinked, trying to think what that meant It was earlier than she had expected hi he’d rearranged his time for her

The shower cut off and a minute later, Claudio strolled into the roo his hair with a white towel He leaned over to flick his bedside laolden glow

Her mouth went dry as desire and emotional need spiraled low in her belly It had no place in the devastation inside her and yet it continued to bloom as if her heart had not been decimated in her chest

He tossed the towel to the side and looked over at her He paused when her eyes caught his dark gaze “You are awake”

“You’re back”

“Obviously”

She winced at his sarcaso?”

She didn’t really care, but nothing else caht then Nevertheless, she had no doubts that the one exactly as he had wanted it to He was that kind of ence of Socrates and Einstein combined to defeat Claudio’s plans

Or a woman’s rebellious reproductive system, a voice in her head mocked He couldn’t battle that, no matter how smart and stubborn he was, could he? And in all likelihood, he wouldn’t want to It would require her having treatnancy that the press was bound to get wind of