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He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “What was I supposed to do?” he said roughly. “Let another man destroy our marriage?”
Callie’s throat hurt. She closed her eyes, hearing the purr of the engine and soft whirr of the tires against the road.
“No,” she whispered. “You destroyed it yourself.”
She looked at him, and his dark eyes burned through her. Then wordlessly, he looked back at the road as the car turned into the gatehouse and drove up the sweeping entrance to the riad.
“We left Brandon,” she cried. “Injured in the medina …”
“I’ll send someone to check on him,” Eduardo said coldly, not looking at her. “I wouldn’t want your best friend in all the world to be left abandoned and alone.”
Parking the car, he turned off the ignition and got out. Callie didn’t move. She stared at the beautiful tile work of the grand home, at the green gardens and swaying palm trees above the blue-water pool. This place truly was paradise.
Her hands were shaking. She felt chilled to the bone.
The car door opened.
“Come, querida,” Eduardo said quietly, reaching for her hand. She did not resist as he pulled her from the SUV and into the house. Inside the riad, all was quiet. Perhaps her parents and baby were sleeping. Callie heard only the soft burble of the fountain from the courtyard garden.
She felt her husband’s hand in her own, as strong and protective around hers as it had ever been. But everything had changed. Was it only that morning that she’d been so happy, feeling like all her dreams were coming true? As Eduardo led her through the cloistered walk around the interior courtyard, she felt cold in the fading light of the sun.
“Why did you do it?” she rasped. “Why?”
&nbs
p; Eduardo stopped.
“I’m tired, Callie,” he said wearily. “Tired of trying to keep you. Tired of feeling like I’m failing. Tired of knowing, whatever I do, it won’t be good enough.”
“I did nothing but love you.”
“Love is nice.” His eyes glittered like hot coals as the edges of his lips curved. “Love changes nothing.”
She stared at him, her heart chilled. “Is that what you think?”
“It’s what I know,” he said grimly, and that was the end. Her heart frosted over.
“You were right about one thing,” she said. “Brandon was in love with me. But you’ve been so wrong about the rest. You are a wonderful father, Eduardo. But—” she gave him a trembling smile “—a terrible husband.”
Hearing the noise of servants down the hall, he pulled her into their bedroom, closing the door behind them. Looking down at her in the shadows, he spoke in a low voice.
“I always knew that someday you would see through me.”
She felt trails of ice on her cheeks and lifted her hand to discover she was weeping. She loved him. But she wouldn’t be his prisoner. Not anymore.
“I loved you, Eduardo.” Her voice choked. “I loved you so.”
His handsome face was hard with anguish. “Loved?”
“I would have done anything to make you love me,” she whispered. “Anything.” With a deep breath, Callie looked up at him through her tears. She squared her shoulders. “But I won’t be your prisoner.” Pulling off her diamond ring, she held it out to him with a trembling hand. “So I can’t be your wife.”
CHAPTER TEN
IT WAS like a punch through Eduardo’s gut, a blow so deep it reverberated against his spine.
When he’d found Callie embracing McLinn, it had been like walking into a nightmare and seeing his worst fear come to life. He’d felt fury that he’d never known. He’d wanted to kill the man with his bare hands. And he might have done it, if not for Callie.
Now, sinking down on the bed, Eduardo stared at the ten-carat diamond ring twinkling in his palm. And realized that seeing Callie with another man had only been his second-worst fear.
