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She felt Raffa’s body tense.
He stepped back from her. ‘What do you mean? You don’t need to do that. I have more than enough. Maybe you don’t know how much Romano is worth, but it’s billions.’
‘I can’t leave it. You told me that in another month the whole estate will be settled. This is the only chance I have of putting things right.’
‘You’ve no idea what you’re saying, Coral. There’s no need for this. All it will do is completely ruin Argento while you both fight it out in the courts. Salvatore will never surrender anything to you without a fight. You know that!’
He walked away to the window. She’d never seen him so angry. His shoulders were tense and his mouth was tense. His eyes blazed like lit gas. But she wasn’t going to let herself be cowed by his anger.
‘I’ve spent my whole life wondering who my father was, comparing myself to everyone else and coming off worst every time. Thinking I didn’t deserve any happiness because I wasn’t good enough. And now I find out what he was really like and—guess what? Turns out I’m not so bad after all. But Salvatore getting it all? I don’t think so.’
‘You do not need to do this. I don’t want any harm to come to you.’
‘What does that mean? You sound as if I should be worried. He doesn’t frighten me. He’s just a spoiled brat.’
‘He’s still your half-brother,’ he said, his words laced with a trace of anger.
‘You’re the one who pointed out to me that I have responsibilities! I’m not doing this for me, Raffaele. I’m doing this for my baby and my mother—who is a shell of the woman she should have been.’
‘Remember that your baby is my baby—and he doesn’t need a penny of Di Visconti money. And your mother surely can’t lay all the blame for her mental health at Giancarlo’s door. Plenty of people have love affairs that don’t work out, but it doesn’t ruin their whole lives.’
‘Yes, they have love affairs that don’t work out—but they’re not denied and ignored. I’m not saying that this is the only reason she’s ill, but it didn’t help. She got nothing from him. Nothing! Salvatore should have been on his knees begging forgiveness when he found out who I was, instead of having me thrown off this island.’
‘Salvatore has his own demons.’
‘Salvatore is an ass! And you’ve been covering it up for years—plastering over the cracks of this family because you feel that you might have caused some of them.’
His eyes blazed. Colour sprang high on his cheeks.
‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Yes, I do. You just can’t accept that someone can see through all the smoke and mirrors. The amazing Di Viscontis. It’s all rubbish—the whole family is fake. The doting husband who has an affair, the amazingly successful son who is actually an incompetent fool. And you’re so paranoid about anyone finding out that you cover it up!’
Suddenly another grotesque thought loomed in her mind. Was this marriage just another huge public relations manoeuvre?
‘Is that what this wedding is really about? Oh, my God. Please don’t tell me that this is just your attempt to keep the maverick illegitimate daughter under control. In case anyone finds out who I really am before you get a chance to write the press release!’
He walked away, running his hands through his hair. He raised his hands to the sky and muttered in Italian. Paced back towards her and held her by the arms.
‘Is that what you think of me? You think I would marry you to prevent some unflattering news coming out? You’re going to be my wife and you have learned nothing about me?’
She faltered and stared. Her eyes painted every line of his beautiful masculine face, every angle of his physique. She was falling deeper and deeper in love. There was no parachute, no safety net. If he was only doing this out of pride, she was going to crash and turn to dust.
‘All I’m saying is that I don’t want a marriage just to save face. It’s wrong.’
She had to say it. She meant every word.
He slid his hand down to cup her face.
‘It’s not about saving face. It’s because you’re the best mother for our child.’
She shook her head. Tears sprang in her eyes.
‘I don’t need to be married to be a good mother. A husband is supposed to love his wife. Not see her as a glorified nanny. It’s love that binds a family together. Not duty. I was brought up in a tiny family, but there was so much love. You had all this—’ She cast her arm out. ‘But I truly don’t know if you had any love. And if there’s no love then there’s nothing.’
