hapter 47 

Gabriel 

“What?” She sits up straight. “What do you mean?” 

“Just what I said.” I concentrate on keeping my voice calm, the last thing I want is for this t turn into a fight. “Ariana.” I take her hand in mine. “You’re a beautiful woman. Intelligent and sweet and every man’s dream wife.” 

But not yours?* 

“No. You are.” I pause as I try to articulate my thoughts clearly. “This week I’ve found out some information that has changed the trajectory of my life.” 

“What’s wrong?” she stammers. “Are you sick?” She takes my face in her hands and I pull them down into mine. 

No. It’s nothing like that.” I swallow the lump in my throat, I really don’t know if I can hurt her like this. “Sweetheart.” I push the hair back from her face as she stares at me. “I found out this week that I have six–year–old twins from a relationship that I had years ago.” “What?” Her face falls. 

“I lied to you last weekend and I went to meet them in Maine.” Her eyes fill with tears. “Who, where…who is the mother?” Here we go. 

“Her name is Violet Coleman.” 

She frowns. “Do I know her?” 

“No. She was my PA for seven years.” 

She flies off the couch. “What?” she screams. “You got your fucking PA pregnant?” She begins to pace. “You got your PA pregnant, am I hearing this right?” 

“Yes.” 

How could you?” 

It’s not something I’m proud of, believe me.” 

“And you knew nothing of this?” 

“No.” 

“How much money does she want? What is she threatening?” she spits. 

“It’s nothing like that.” 

“It’s everything like that, Gabriel. You think it’s a coincidence that she has come looking for you three weeks before you get married.” She throws a cushion at my head; she’s flying off the handle and completely losing her temper. 

“I went looking for her.” 

She stills and turns back toward me. “You went looking for her?” I nod, ashamed. 

“Why would you go looking for her?” She drops back to sit down beside me, her eyes filled with tears. 

I stare at her, the guilt in my soul feels like it’s about to smother me to death. 

“I don’t know,” I whisper. 

“Yes you do.” A tear escapes and rolls down her cheek. “For god’s sake, Gabriel. If you care for me at all, you at least owe me honesty.” 

I roll my lips, unsure what to say to try to keep this from tipping her over the edge. 

“Did you love her?” she whispers. 

* “I…” 

“Back then, did you love her?” she says more sternly. 

hapter 47 

Yes.” 

So why did you break up?” 

“Because she wasn’t Italian.” 

Her face falls as she puts the pieces of the puzzle together. “So you went looking for the woman you loved all those years ago to find that she has two of your children?” I nod. 

Her chest rises and falls as she battles for control. “You want a life with them…” 

Her silhouette blurs, the lump in my throat blocking the air. 

“Gabriel?” she whispers as her eyes search mine. “Please tell me I’m wrong…” “No.” 

“No, you don’t want a life with them?” she asks hopefully. 

“I mean… You are not wrong.” I shrug. “The last thing I want to do is to hurt you, Ariana. I love you. You know I love you.” 

“But are you in love with me?” she whispers. 

I blink to stop the tears. 

Slap. 

I feel the sting of her hit as it turns my head. 

“We are to be married in three weeks,” she cries as she loses all control. “How the fuck could you do this to me?” She picks up her wineglass and hurls it at my head, it smashes against the wall. Red wine sprays everywhere. 

“Calm down.” 

“Calm down!” she screams. “I will not fucking calm down. You are leaving me for another woman nineteen days before our wedding. What happened last weekend, did you sleep with her?” she yells. “Is that why we haven’t had sex this week, because you still had the 

aste of your trashy PA on your tongue?” 

stand, my temper beginning to rise. “Enough,” I yell. 

The invitations have already gone out, what do you expect me to do. Everything has been paid for.” 

“Keep everything in credit for when you do marry, you can still have the wedding you want one day. Take your girlfriends on the honeymoon, go and enjoy yourself.” 

“What?” she explodes. She picks up the television remote and throws it at me. “I don’t want a honeymoon with my girlfriends.” She’s in full–blown hysterics, crying and screaming. “I love you, Gabriel. How could you do this to me?” 

hate myself for it. But what do you want me to do?” I cry. “I will not lie to you, you know 

that* 

“We work it out,” she yells. “Of course you are rattled, you just found out you have children. It’s bound to confuse you, but what we have is real.” She takes my hand in hers. “Don’t do this.* 

“How do we get around it?” I shrug. 

“We get married and we work this out like adults. All relationships have exes, Gabriel. Children from a previous relationship shouldn’t matter, I will accept them as my own. I promise you. We can be a blended family, your kids, and our kids.” 

I stare at her heartbroken face and take it in my hands. “Sweetheart.” I kiss her forehead. “This isn’t just about the children. My affection for Violet is real. I wish that it wasn’t there, but I cannot deny it any longer. It has been with me all along, and now…I don’t want there to be three people in our marriage, you deserve better.” 

She cries on my chest and I hold her tight. I can feel how hard her heart is breaking and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it. 

I hate myself for doing this to her. 

30