Ines looked at her sister-in-law, who’d become a friend. But she was still Alexandre’s sister. “I emailed you. If I’d told you what I planned before, you would have told him. And he would have stopped me. And…” She didn’t know what would have happened then. Maybe itwouldhave been better. But she could not go back and undo what was already done.
Evelyne said nothing to this.
Ines took a careful step forward. “He’s…your brother. I wouldn’t have blamed you for telling him. I know how much you feel like youowehim, so I couldn’t tell you.”
“You shouldn’t have run away from him,” Evelyne returned. “He doesn’t deserve that.”
Ines’s heart gave another jerk, more painful this time. Something close to guilt, even though Evelyne did not know everything about their marriage. She might be Ines’s friend, but Ines had always been careful not to make out Alexandre to be the bad guy or the ogre.
She did not want to do so now, but part of the entire past few months had been about realizing…
“What doIdeserve?” Ines asked quietly.
Evelyne blinked once, clearly surprised by the question. And unsettled, because she offered no answers.
So Ines continued. “To haunt his life like a ghost and be happy with the crumbs he tosses my way on occasion? To never… I will not get into all of our private matters, but I deserve something too. I cannot simply exist to be whateverhewants without ever considering whatIwant. Not anymore.”
Evelyne couldn’t quite meet her gaze after that, but she didn’t leave the room.
“Evelyne. Please. I cannot…” She had taken for granted that Evelyne would always be her friend simply because they both lived in the palace. The thought of losing that friendship…
“Please, don’t be angry with me.”
“It isn’t that simple, Ines.”
No. Nothing was that simple, and she had to be careful to remember that just because she’d found some happiness didn’t mean simple was in the offing. She and Alexandre had a long way to go, and apparently she and Evelyne did as well.
But when Ines thought about it, she knew all her actions stemmed from something very—if not simple—straightforward. “I love your brother. Do you know that? Perhaps you don’t. I don’t thinkheknows it.”
Evelyne frowned at her. “I didn’t think—”
“I did not marry him for love, and God knows he didn’t marry me for love, but you of all people know how good he is. How could I not fall in love with him over the past year?”
“Why would you run away from someone you love?” Evelyne asked. “It’s not like if you stayed you would have hurt him.”
It didn’t surprise Ines that was Evelyne’s only thought to running away—because Gabriel had run away fromherfor that reason months ago. But there were so many reasons to run.
“No, I would not have hurt him, but it hurtmeto stay. Because he does not love me. Or at least, doesn’t want to. Because I want so much more from him, and he is so unwilling to give it. But…this baby changes things.” She put her hand over her stomach. “Running away doesn’t work with a baby. So I’m back to deal with it, and him, and make him fall in love with me. And make him realize that doesn’t have to cost him…his kingdom.”
She hadn’t realized what a tall order that was until she’d said it out loud. Sure, in her mind love should make it easy, but Alexandre—and Evelyne—were working against years and years of not havinganylove, any stability. They had spent their entire youth in survival mode.
Still, Evelyne had found Gabriel. Which meantshe’dlearned how to do more than survive, so Alexandre was capable of it too, wasn’t he? Ines didn’t know anything of Evelyne’s and Gabriel’s interior lives, except that Gabriel himself had been afraid to love, afraid ofhimself.
What was Alexandre afraid of?
Ines could only think there were too many things to count.
The baby reached out for Ines, and her heart tripped over itself. She had missed so much of his growth, and he was reaching out for her. But Evelyne would have to relinquish her hold. And she still hadn’t saidanythingin reply.
But she let Ines take the baby. Still saying nothing. Just standing there, watching her.
So Ines looked down at Gabriel. “Aren’t you handsome? And you’ll have a cousin playmate soon enough.” Ines looked up at Evelyne. “They’ll be friendsandcousins, like Jonet and I. They’ll have each other. What a gift for the both of them.”
Evelyne’s mouth curved, and she stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Ines holding Gabri. “Yes. How lucky they’ll be.”
Yes. Lucky. Ines liked the sound of that.
Chapter Nine
