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It was perfect She still had her Banca Casa di Rossini ID badge and she still had the dress she’d thought she’d never wear again

With the hugest reluctance she’d dragged it out fro at the bottom of her wardrobe and had it cleaned and altered A few centimetres at the waist was all she’d needed to allow the zip to close She’d bought her first ever strapless bra, put on her e other than her passport and her handbag, her sto with horht to Nice

With cameras everywhere, there would be no better place to do it He couldn’t say or do anything bad to her with the world watching She’d juates, flashed the badge and h the crowds, over the lawns, and up the marble steps to where the rich and the talented had been kissing their hellos

Her heart had lurched at the sight of him The same tall, broad frame, the wide, sure stance His hair had flopped over his brow and his head had been down like a panther about to pounce He wore a dark suit and pale blue shirt, open at the neck And, damn him, he’d looked even more handsome than she remembered

She’d walked along the path, never taking her eyes off hiht there on the steps, but as he’d turned and seen her, and shock had filled his eyes, so in that look had held her in place, told her not to say the words yet So that, miraculously, she had decided to heed

But it was all about a deal

As soon as he’d learned he was going to be a father he’d upped and left, gone back to his party The deal was clearlyto be a father But what else had she really expected? And now she’d lost her chance to shame him in front of the world

She walked to theand stared down at the party

The elderly couple were pulling away in their car She saw Matteo raise a hand to wave the still as the marble pillars on either side of him that held the roof aloft

‘That’s your father,’ she whispered to the baby growing silently within her ‘Your father that I barely know I’el I never meant this to happen But whatever is best for you I will do it I will fight for you—and I will make sure he does not abandon you’

As she stared down at the top of his head he suddenly turned and looked up at the , as if he’d heard her words Shesprang between them He turned around fully now, as one, two, three aze so powerful that itto hold on to

Then he bowed his head and was gone