Page 41 of Rafa's Convenient Wife

“A little,” she admitted, not bothering to wipe the tears from her face.

“Why?”

“Jaime and Maddie used to fall asleep with him like this,” she said softly. “I always thought they looked so peaceful.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say anything else. Grief blocked her throat. Rafael didn’t press. He understood exactly what she was feeling.

“I love you, Sky.”

“And I love you, Rafael.”

Chapter Fourteen

Hours later, Rafael stood by a window in his office and stared at the endless rows of agave growing in the distance. Behind him, his siblings heatedly discussed the situation with Beverly. He fumed silently as he replayed Sky’s confession from last night. He would never forgive himself for being the reason she had been separated from her sister for all those years.

Because of me, she lost all that time with Maddie.

Because of Beverly, Sky’s imaginary voice corrected.

Beverly.

That miserable, reprehensible, disgraceful—

“Are you planning to make another statement?” Dina had flown in from Toronto to support them. She now had full control of the temporary war room they had set up in his home office.

“I don’t think you should, Rafa,” Lola interjected before he could answer. “The statement you made yesterday was perfect.”

“We’re not making any more statements,” Rafael concurred. “I said what I needed to say. Our privacy was invaded, and we did nothing wrong.”

“Did our people dig up anything useful on Beverly?” Beto asked. “If they didn’t, I can reach out to my contacts.”

Lola scowled at their brother. “I think we have enough trouble without roping in your underworld contacts.”

Beto raised both hands in mock surrender. “Fine. I won’t offer again.”

“Did they find anything?” Dina asked. “Surely, that woman has dark secrets.”

“She’s broke,” Rafael revealed. He grabbed a thick file from his desk and handed it to his sister. “She’s filed bankruptcy twice. She burned through every penny of her divorce settlement and sold all the properties and stock she inherited from her parents. I think she was expecting to get money from Maddie’s will, but it all went to Sky and Jasper.”

“Which is why she wants custody of Jasper so badly,” Lola said with a sad shake of her head. “It’s not about him. It’s about the money in his trust.” She made a face. “That woman is despicable.”

“She keeps insisting that Sky had something to do with Maddie and Jaime’s deaths. Maybe she’s the one who should be investigated,” Dina remarked darkly.

Rafael wouldn’t admit it, but he had shared the same thought.

“It would be easy to start that rumor.” Lola reached for her cup of coffee and gave it a sip. “Let Beverly get a taste of her own bitter medicine.”

“And then what?” Rafael asked. “She retaliates in some other disgusting way?” He shook his head. “I don’t want this dragged out in public a minute longer. As much as I want to hurt Beverly for humiliating my wife and causing her so much pain, I want to protect Sky more. She needs this to end as quickly as possible.”

“So, pay Beverly,” Beto replied matter-of-factly. “Find out what the number is that makes her go away forever.”

“It will be a big one,” Dina warned. “And there will have to be strings attached. Very legal strings.”

“I’d rather sue her,” Lola argued. “She should have to pay the costs for hiring a crisis management team, going after the accounts that are sharing the video, wiping it from the internet. Hell, we should have her charged for revenge porn and arrested.”

“That will take months,” Beto pointed out. “And Rafael is right. Sky has suffered enough. If money solves this problem, let’s spend it and be done with it.”

“Sky is our family, and I don’t want people thinking they can screw with us and get away with it,” Lola grumbled.

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