Chapter Sixty

Xavier had to hurry. Every second he wasted with Sylvia was like a grain of sand falling through a fatal hourglass. He had to leave at once.

And yet he couldn’t.

Leaving her felt like a death. He took a deep, shuddering breath. ‘This isn’t over,’ he said hoarsely. ‘I’ll be back after I close the deal in Rio.’

‘Of course.’ Sylvia’s shoulders straightened, even as her lower lip trembled. ‘I will never stop you from seeing Robby. I hope…I hope you’ll see him often. He needs his father.’

Xavier heard the music start to play downstairs and thought of the guests surrounded by white roses and candlelight, waiting for the wedding ceremony to begin. He clenched his hands, feeling that same strange spinning, sinking feeling in the region of his chest.

‘Remember,’ he said tersely, looking at her. ‘This was your choice. I wanted to marry you.’

She swallowed as tears streamed unchecked down her pale cheeks. ‘I’ll never forget that.’

No, he thought suddenly. It couldn’t end like this. Not like this!