The Prince's Bride Part 2 - J.J. McAvoy Page 0,119

sick.

“How is this possible...” My mother gasped, squeezing my arm as she looked over my shoulder to watch them drag him away. She released me and stumbled back.

“Mom!” Eliza grabbed her, helping her sit on the chair.

How?

How had someone like him been at our side this whole time, and we did not notice? I did not understand?

“Gale?”

Were we blind?

“Gale?”

Shaking my head, not wanting to see or hear any of them, I walked out of the room. I didn’t know where I was going. I had no real plan to go anywhere...I just kept walking and walking. Until I, somehow, found myself outside my father’s rooms.

Without knocking, I entered to see him lying peacefully on his bed, even snoring slightly. The whole palace was collapsing, and he was sleeping soundly. Completely free of all obligations, duties...pains. There was no turning to him. It was just me.

Slowly sinking into the chair, I placed my hand on the side of my face.

“You will get to a point where all of the world seems to be pressing on your neck, and you feel utterly defeated.”

“I am there, Father. I am at that point.”

Chapter 28

I had gotten on the very first flight of the morning.

I had no luggage.

I was still wearing the same yoga pants and workout blouse I had been wearing when I was watching TV during dinner.

I could not sleep on the plane, and I could not eat. Not when I kept seeing my daughter’s panicked face. I just moved to get as close as I could to her. Thankfully, I had the good sense to reach out and call the numbers she’d given me because I would not even know where to go once I landed. Right from the plane, they picked me up and brought me to the hospital. I only knew one face, and that was Wolfgang’s. He took the time to explain everything he could, even went to bring the doctor to see me, who told me she was off the ventilator and awake, happily. I did not realize she had gotten that bad to begin with. It was all blur and yet all so clear.

Either way, nothing else mattered other than seeing my daughter, my little Sunrise, lying in bed, her lips and eyelids swollen. I held her hand and kissed her forehead, but she was only able to open one eye.

“Mommy.”

“Shh.” I shushed her, petting her face. “You’re okay. I’m here. You’re okay.”

She was not okay, which was why she began to cry.

Knock.

Knock.

“Ma’am, Prince Galahad is here,” Wolfgang spoke from behind the door.

“No,” Odette whispered, gripping me tightly, shaking her head beside me. “I don’t—”

“It’s okay. I’ll go. I’ll talk to him,” I replied slowly, releasing her and going to the door. She turned away from the door, lifting the sheet to cover her face.

When I opened the door, he stood in wrinkled dress pants and a simple white shirt. His hair was disheveled, and his face low. As if he had the hardest time.

“Wil—”

“Don’t say anything—just go.” My fist clenched when he dropped his head. “Don’t look down. What good does looking down do now? You were supposed to protect her. You asked her to stay. She didn’t want to. She was scared. I was scared. Why? Because of this! Because I knew this would happen! That just because you both wanted this, it doesn’t mean the rest of the world would stop and applaud for you. And you, you made her stay. You did not protect her, and now you stand here looking a mess with your head down. What does that do for me? For her? Nothing. You can do nothing, so leave. Don’t come back. She doesn’t want to see you.”

He didn’t say anything. He nodded, turned, and left, leaving only Wolfgang and some giant woman waiting in the hall.

“He—”

“I don’t want to know. And I don’t care,” I replied, turning and going back to the only person I did care about.

The only person I had left that I loved in this world.

I was going to help her recover and get her out of here.

Enough was enough.

It took two days for the swelling in my face to go down.

It took another day after that for me to actually begin to eat food, though I was scared to. If not for my mother’s pushing, I think I would have just stuck to applesauce. But I ate and spent my time talking to her. My throat ached, but I didn’t want silence. The silence made