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‘Working.’ He could feel himself prickle defensively; she sounded accusing but he’d been offering her a kindness.
‘I know you’ve been working, but...why did you leave so suddenly? I came out of the bathroom...’ She stopped, her voice choking before she drew a steadying breath. ‘I thought you wanted an heir. You’re not going about the most effective way to get one.’
‘Are you pregnant?’ he asked bluntly.
‘Pregnant?’ Another one of those awful laughs. ‘Are you serious?’
‘I know it is unlikely, but I need to ask. It’s been two weeks, so I believe you could take a pregnancy test if necessary?’ He’d looked it up online, but he was by no means an expert in these matters.
‘No, I’m not pregnant,’ she said after a moment, her voice sounding suffocated. ‘I don’t need to take a test.’
‘Then we can have the marriage annulled.’
‘What...?’ Her breath came out in a rush. ‘Why?’
‘I realised it was a mistake,’ Alex said flatly. ‘And I’m sure you’ve come to the same conclusion.’
‘But why?’ She sounded bewildered rather than the relief he’d expected, and it unsettled him. This was really not the way he’d expected the conversation to go.
‘I don’t think we need to go into details, do we, Milly? Our wedding night spoke for itself.’
‘About that—’
‘I don’t wish to discuss it. The pertinent facts remain unchanged. You may keep the five million euros. If you wish to remain as housekeeper, you may. Nothing need change for you.’
‘Except, of course, the fact that I would no longer be married.’
‘I hardly think that would bring you distress.’
‘What is that supposed to mean?’ Now she sounded angry, and he didn’t understand it. He’d expected a sigh of relief, a stammered apology perhaps. Not this indignation, almost as if she were hurt. Or was it just her pride that was dented?
‘Let’s not quibble—’ he began, only to be cut off.
‘Quibble!’
‘Regarding your sister, I’ve arranged for her to board at the music academy, so she does not need to reside with Carlos Bentano. Holidays she can spend with you.’
‘What...?’ Milly’s breath came out in a sudden rush. ‘How did you manage to arrange that?’
‘Bentano is a reasonable man, when his comforts are put in jeopardy. His house is heavily mortgaged and he faces foreclosure. I had the mortgages transferred to me.’
‘Alex, you didn’t have to—’
‘Anna is my family now,’ he cut across her. ‘Of course I will take care of her.’
‘But she’s not your family, if our marriage is annulled,’ Milly pointed out sharply. ‘You have no responsibility for her then.’
Alex was silent, unsettled by her reasoning. He’d felt strongly about making sure Anna was provided and cared for. He’d failed his own sister, but he wouldn’t fail Milly’s. But of course she was right; once their marriage was annulled, he would have no relation to or responsibility for Anna. In all likelihood, he’d never see either Anna or Milly again. Why did that prospect give him a sudden, keen sense of loss, like a punch in the gut? He barely knew either of them.
‘Even so,’ he said. ‘It is done.’
‘Why are you doing this, Alex?’ Milly asked softly. ‘How can you be so kind and so cold at the same time? Can’t we just...talk?’
‘There’s no point.’
‘What about your heir? Your business?’
‘It will go to Ezio eventually.’ He hated the thought, but he would learn to live with it. ‘I will put as many safeguards in place to keep him from running it into the ground.’
