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“Who else even knew about it? Who else was in on your plan?”

“No one besides Mano! No one, I swear! I knew at some point you’d have to go back to the bedroom, but I didn’t direct that. I just waited until you left.”

“I don’t know if I believe that.”

“It had to look real! I couldn’t let up the deception even around them,” I groaned in her ear as I sunk my hands in her hair. “Mano was the only one who knew. It had to convince everyone if I was to succeed in bringing down your family.”

“And Faustine, too, of course?” Léonie asked, turning away from me.

“She knew nothing except that I would hold her hand and pretend to be interested during negotiations with your family! I told her very clearly that I loved my wife.”

“Oh,” she said, and below me Léonie was as cold as a statue.

“Faustine means nothing to me!” I cried passionately, burying my hands in her hair. “She was only used to put pressure on your family, to convince them I could move on so they would agree to give back the bride-price.”

I felt her still under my feverish kisses.

“You were wrong,” she said dryly. “Instead of paying the bride-price, they would have preferred to kill me. And if you had ever given me back to them—I would have died that day.”

“I would never have given you back! What they did will not go unpunished,” I said tightly. My whole body felt heated, each inch of my skin burning with how close I was to my goal. How close I was to her forgiving me, letting me take her home again. “The fact that you were vulnerable to attack at the lodge is going to fucking scar me for life. And the fact that Hugo was the one to help you, not me, means despite my own issues with him, he has my permanent goodwill. I won’t make him go back to the lodge.”

“That’s big of you,” my wife said. “But Hugo is free now, and I think you would find it difficult to imprison him again.”

“I don’t want to imprison him again. I want you to tell me who you want me to kill and how you want me to do it, and I’ll bring you their head on a platter. I’m not going to let the Pinoteaux family go free for what they did to you. I don’t care about any agreements, truces, or keeping the peace.”

My cock was leaking down my pants, because this was always how it had been between my wife and I. My desire for Léonie had always been explosive.

Our wedding night I had barely been able to contain myself, nails digging into my flesh so I would go slowly, carefully, making sure not to hurt her. But that first feel of her silky sweet pussy had been enough to make me howl like a wolf.

And I knew I had been right to wait for her, have her be my first, because there was no one else who could compare.

I didn’t settle for second-rate shit and no one could be more of a prize than my wife.

My hand was on her belly now, fingers splayed wide, wanting desperately to feel my son moving.

But before I was able to, Léonie gave me a firm push.

“Guards! Hugo! Come quickly, I have Étienne in my bedroom!”

What the hell, what the fuck?

I could only stare open-mouthed as my wife slid gracefully from the bed to lean against the vanity.

There were sounds in the hall, the noise of tramping boots, and in baffled fury, I spun her bookcase around to block the door.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting you out of here. You’ve served your purpose. You conspired with Faustine to make a fool out of me, and that’s enough. Just tell everyone the baby is your brother’s and don’t come here again.”

She looked cool and unconcerned but her words were like being trapped in a nightmare.

“Léonie, you know damn well that isn’t Mano’s baby! You know damn well I don’t love anyone but you! How can you doubt that?”

She jutted her chin defiantly at me. “You wanted to convince everyone my baby wasn’t yours. So I give in. I admit it. You win, Étienne. Your wife was a slut and slept around on you, and you can tell anyone you want. Anything that makes you look better. I don't care.”

It felt like I’d been punched in the gut.

“Those were all lies!” I snarled. “I know you would never do something like that.”