Page 42 of Consequence of One Reckless Night

This isn’t what I wanted for myself, Ana,Raquel had cried desperately. Not a wedding like this, and certainly not a husband like Alexandre!

I can’t marry Alexandre!

He’d walked away—immediately, his eyes awash with angry tears, not staying around to hear the rest of the sisters’ conversation. He knew exactly why Raquel wanted to back out of their wedding.

She wanted love.

Love!

He hated that word. Hated it with such vehemence that he pitied people who desired to be loved.

He’d never been loved—not by his mother, or his father. And certainly not by Carlos. The only person who loved him was Leandro and look how he had paid him back! He was a callous bastard, Alexandre thought wryly—a man who didn’t deserve love. Hadn’t he shamed the one person who loved him by getting his fiancée pregnant?

The twinge in his heart was persistent—an uncomfortable feeling that refused to abate.

When Raquel spoke of love the previous night, he had been very candid. He’d told her, in no uncertain terms, that he couldn’t give her love. He couldn’t promise her something that he didn’t have in his life, and certainly didn’t believe in.

Love was for fools. It was for poets, who strung words together and put a spell on their audience, leading them to believe an ephemeral emotion made the world go round. But he didn’t view the world with rose-tinted glasses like Raquel obviously did. Love didn’t fill hungry bellies. It certainly didn’t keep one warm on cold nights. Neither did it comfort lonely hearts that suffered rejection and abuse.

Love was a farce. And he didn’t subscribe to it. And it would do Raquel good to come into this marriage with her eyes open and no expectation of love.

But he feared his candidness would cost him dearly. What if Raquel backed out of their wedding? Would he ever have access to his child?

A fierce feeling sliced through him at the thought of losing his child. He had never expected to have children, but he knew he would fight tooth and nail to protect his child. Hadn’t he offered Raquel marriage just so his child wouldn’t suffer the ignominy of illegitimacy?

Whether Raquel went through with this wedding or not, Alexandre knew that he would do everything in his power to claim his child.

As minutes ticked by, tension grew tight in his chest.

His housekeeper and her staff were already at the chapel, and he was grateful for their presence. This bunch was truly happy for him, believing that Raquel was the perfect bride for him. Malthi, his housekeeper, had assured him that his bride was enroute to the chapel, but Alexandre couldn’t help but wonder if Raquel would jilt him at the altar. After what he’d heard that morning, he wasn’t sure that she would go through with the wedding.

The pain in his chest wasn’t disappointment, he told himself. He wasn’t in love with Raquel, but he certainly couldn’t explain the hollow pit in his stomach that churned with every passing moment.

A sudden buzz caught his attention, and he raised his head to see Leandro step into the chapel.

“Brother.” Leandro walked up to him and hugged him, while Alexandre stood frozen in his brother’s embrace.

“You came!” he croaked, past the ball of emotion lodged tightly in his throat.

He’d tried to reach Leandro on the phone, but his brother hadn’t returned any of his calls. Believing that Leandro was upset with him, Alexandre had left him a voice message, inviting him to the wedding. Only he hadn’t expected him to turn up!

Like himself, Leandro was dressed in a suit, and Alexandre was overcome with shame when he met his brother’s kind gaze.

“You didn’t return my calls.” Alexandre schooled his features immediately, not wanting his brother to see how deeply affected he was by his presence.

“I was busy.” Leandro looked around the small chapel. “This isn’t how you should get married,” he murmured, and Alexandre heard the censure in his tone. “I just wished you’d told me about this,” he waved one hand around, “yourself. I needn’t have learned of your relationship with Raquel from a blasted newspaper article!”

Blood suffused his face and Alexandre was ashamed of how he had handled things. His brother was right. He should have tried harder to contact Leandro and given him the news himself.

“I cannot tell you how sorry I am, brother.” Alexandre met his brother’s gaze head on. “I didn’t know she was your fiancée until the night of the dinner. I tried to reach you but—”

“I apologize for not returning your calls. I had to take care of Mother,” Leandro said, somberly. “She hasn’t taken the news of your wedding well.”

Alexandre sympathized with Erica. Leandro’s mother had been shamed and deceived by her husband first, and now, he too had given her cause for distress.

“I’m sorry, Leandro.”

Leandro stared at him for so long that it took all his will power not to squirm under his scrutiny. His brother was a noble man who didn’t need this deception. At least, no one other than family knew that Raquel was supposed to be Leandro’s bride, not his.

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