The twins had decided that Carlos and Ilias were going to be their personal servants, and shockingly, both had agreed without protest.
“He’s good with kids,” Gabriella noted, lying on the rocky beach, shifting the stones around her to make them morecomfortable, as Ilias lifted Francesca into the air and tossed her into the calm Ligurian waters.
“Same maturity level,” Alejandra added from Sofia’s other side, eyes fixed on a fantasy book, probably one involving fae with tails and absurdly hot, unhinged sex scenes.
“Don’t be mean.” Sofia shot her a warning glance.
“I’m not. It’s just the truth,” Alejandra grinned, peeking at her over the book. “You know it was his idea, right? He told us about your dad, and then Carlos and I called our parents. He set everything in motion.”
Sofia turned her gaze to Ilias, laughing with the twins and Carlos, splashing around in the golden hour light.
“At least he’s proactive. Not like Roberto.”
Sofia lowered her sunglasses and fixed her sister with a pointed look. “So. About Roberto. What happened?”
Alejandra snapped her book shut and sat up fast, wincing as the rocks dug into her backside. “Rocky beaches are medieval torture.” Then she pressed, “What happened with Roberto?”
Gabriella sighed, running a hand through her blonde hair. “Nothing. That’s the problem. Nothing happened. Everything is the same with him. He doesn’t want to do anything.”
Sofia’s frown deepened. She lowered her voice despite their parents being far off, chatting on another towel. “You said you didn’t want him to come… or he didn’t want to?”
Gabriella hesitated. “He didn’t.”
“What?” Sofia and Alejandra said in unison.
“He said I’m exaggerating. That dad’s not going to die. I don’t know if it’s just his coping mechanism—”
“Or if he’s just an asshole,” Sofia cut in.
“I’m falling out of love,” Gabriella admitted quietly. “And he’s not helping his cause. I hear what Ilias does for you, and I wonder why Roberto can’t do even a fraction of that.”
“We’re in very different stages of our relationships,” Sofia reminded her gently.
“Yeah, they’re still in the honeymoon, sickeningly-in-love phase.” Alejandra smirked. Then, more seriously she asked, “Do you think he’s cheating?”
Gabriella frowned. “No idea. But it wouldn’t surprise me. I lost a bit of myself since I had the twins. I cut my hair short just to make mornings easier, and now I look like a damn pencil.”
“No. It’s French,” Sofia teased.
“Loved theFleabagreference,” Alejandra chimed.
Gabriella rolled her eyes. “I’m younger than both of you and I look like your grandma. That’s not okay. And I do understand why Roberto might not be attracted to me anymore.”
Sofia and Alejandra exchanged a glance. It stung to hear.
“You’re gorgeous, Gabri,” Sofia said at last. “But even if you feel like you’ve changed, that’s no excuse for him to treat you like crap.”
“I can’t spend my days at the beach or on a surfboard like you two,” Gabriella snapped. “Someone had to bring in the real money.”
Alejandra narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me? I just bought a beach house in Conil with the money I earned from spending days on the water.”
“And I landed a 200k business partnership and doubled my income,” Sofia added. “We’re not exactly broke.”
Gabriella exhaled slowly. “I just want him to see me again. Not as Francesca and Ginevra’s mom. But as me.”
“Then you should talk to him,” Sofia said gently. “Did you?”
“No.” She sighed. “But I will.” She paused, then looked at them with exaggerated annoyance. “I hate both of you, you know that? You broke the pact. We were supposed to have kids at the same time and be ugly and depressed together.”
