“Where would I go?”

With long strides, Alexandre crossed the room. Sitting down beside her, he took her hand in his. “Your place is with me, Raquel,” he said, stoking the hope that had almost burned itself out. “I’m sorry for lashing out at you.” His words were filled with remorse, his expression contrite. “I shouldn’t have said... what I did.”

“I know I hurt you,” she said, her voice raspy from her tears. “But I had to do it. I’m sorry for hurting you and your pride, but I will do it again because Carlos needed to hear the truth.” Alexandre opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head. “Let me finish. Your father’s family treated you horribly, Alexandre. They never cared about you. They were only concerned about their precious family name.

“I had to tell Carlos that he’d crushed the heart of a lonely boy who only wanted love and affection from him. I had to tell him what a wonderful man you’ve become despite growing up with a family hostile toward you. I couldn’t stop myself because I love you, Alexandre, and I will always stand up for you.”

He hung his head, ashamed that he had lashed out at her. “Tonight started out bad, Raquel...” He told her how he’d hopped on an early flight, eager to get home to her when he’d learned of Alisha’s betrayal. He told her how he had helped Alisha over the years and how much her betrayal upset him.

“Oh, Alexandre, how could she do this to you after all you’d done for her?” she cried, aghast.

“I was furious that she exposed us to the whole world,” he admitted. “Although it did bring us together. Believe me when I say, I was going to find you anyway.”

“You were?” Raquel couldn’t contain her surprise.

“You were in my thoughts, every day of the hour,” he confessed. “So much that I was going mad with the need to find you. I’d tasked my security team to look for you but before I could discover you, you found me.”

Raquel rejoiced at his admission. So their one night together had plagued them both equally!

Alexandre continued, telling her about his unexpected meeting with Carlos—and their life-changing conversation.

“When Carlos begged me for forgiveness and hugged me, I should have been overjoyed, but I felt nothing.” Meeting her eyes, he admitted, “All I ever wanted was to be accepted by Pops and when it finally happened, it felt like a hollow victory.”

“Why?” she asked, her heart thudding with hope, believing it was love she saw in his beautiful eyes.

“Because I couldn’t believe that you’d betrayed me, too.”

“I didn’t betray you!” Raquel protested, and this time, he nodded.

“I understand now. But earlier, I didn’t—not when Carlos told me everything you told him. Every feeling I confided in you, he knew and to me, it was an act of betrayal. I couldn’t believe that you would expose me like that. It unmanned me—having my feelings exposed in such a way.”

“Alexandre! I didn’t know it would hurt you so much!”

“It did,” he admitted grimly, “that’s why I lashed out at you, but I didn’t mean to reject your love.” His eyes mellowed. “Tonight, I realized how important you are to me, Raquel. Alisha’s betrayal didn’t hurt me as much as yours did, and you know why?”

She shook her head.

“Because I love you.”

Shock blasted through her. “You love... love me?”

“I do. It was anger that made me say all those horrible things to you, and I regret saying them. I was hurt that you exposed me to Carlos but now I know why you did it, and I can’t thank you enough for it. If it weren’t for your intervention, Pops would never have come to me and asked for my forgiveness.”

Tears glistened in both their eyes as joy filled them—forgiveness asked and received—love curing the painful wounds on their hearts.

“I will always stand up for you, Alexandre,” she whispered, smiling when he cupped her face, wiping away her tears. “I will always fight for you, because I love you.”

Alexandre covered her lips with his, kissing her with pent up hunger.

“Forgive me, darling,” he muttered between kisses. “For hurting you, for not believing you.”

“I hurt you, too.” She kissed him back. “Forgive me.”

“I love you,” he rasped against her mouth, gathering her into his lap. “I can’t lose you, Raquel. Don’t ever leave me.”

“Never.” Dropping kisses all over his face, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

“Give me another chance. Let’s start all over again.”