The Prince's Devious Proposal - Holly Rayner Page 0,40

clock?”

“No, it wasn’t that,” he said. “I couldn’t tell you at the time, but…I haven’t actually been in Rome this whole time.”

“What do you mean, you haven’t been in Rome?” she demanded. “I thought you said you just got back to LA today!” Her anger was mounting. “How much of what you’ve told me has been lies?”

“That wasn’t a lie,” Petr protested. “I really did just get back. But before that, I wasn’t in Rome. I said I was because I didn’t want to tell you the truth.”

“Tell me the truth now,” she said. “I think I’m entitled.”

“You are,” he said and sighed. “It’s difficult.”

“Just tell me, Petr. I’m your wife, aren’t I?” For a terrible moment, she half expected him to say no. It was horrible not knowing where she stood with him, not knowing what she could believe.

“You’re right,” he said. “The truth is that I went back to Sovra.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said. “That’s another lie.” And such a transparent one. Who did he think he was kidding?

“It’s the truth,” he protested. “I swear.”

“It can’t be true,” she said. “You told me that you’d been exiled from Sovra, that you were never allowed to go back. Either you were lying to me then, or you’re lying to me now. Which is it?”

“Neither,” he said. “There was a royal emergency. I had to go back, as a representative of my family. I was allowed in by special dispensation from the current rulers, in order to consult with them. But I had to surrender my phone at the border.”

Naomi didn’t know what to think. “If that’s true, why didn’t you call me as soon as you got your phone back?” she asked.

“Because I was dealing with a lot,” he said. “I knew that when I reconnected with you, we would have to have a long and emotional conversation, and I wasn’t ready.”

That didn’t feel right. Petr had always taken care of Naomi’s needs. She hadn’t pegged him as someone who could put his own desire for some downtime above making sure she was all right.

But maybe that’s what I get for rushing into this marriage before I was sure of who he was. Maybe he was never that kindhearted person at all.

“What was the royal emergency?” she asked.

Petr hesitated. “I’m not allowed to discuss it,” he said at last.

“I’m your wife, Petr. Not an enemy combatant.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I’m not allowed to discuss Sovran affairs with anybody. It took me the entire flight home to decide whether it would be okay to tell you I had been there at all. I’m taking a risk here.”

“You can’t seriously believe that I’m going to tell anyone,” she said. “Who would believe me? I haven’t decided if I even believe it myself.”

“Maybe that’s a good instinct,” he said, and his voice was raw.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Listen, Naomi, can we just discuss this when we get together tomorrow?” he asked. “I need time to rest.”

“Time to get your story straight, do you mean?”

“You don’t trust me,” he said heavily.

She didn’t answer.

“I suppose I haven’t given you much reason to,” he conceded.

“No,” she said. “You haven’t.”

“Naomi…”

“Do you even really love me?” she asked him.

“How can you ask me that?” Petr asked her. “After everything we went through together in Europe, after everything we shared, how can you doubt that it’s real?”

“Because I feel like I’m trying to hold onto a shadow now that I’m back home,” Naomi said, unable to conceal her emotions. “Every time I try to grab onto a feeling or a memory, it slips away. Every time you say something to me that I can’t quite believe, it makes me wonder what else was a lie.” She grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. “Do you remember the day on the beach when you proposed to me?”

“Of course I do,” he said.

“You kissed me, and I felt the undertow pulling the sand away beneath my feet, carrying it out with the waves,” Naomi said. “But it didn’t matter, because I had you to hold onto. I couldn’t lose my footing, even as the earth shifted beneath me. But you’re not here now. And everything about the foundation of our relationship seems to be shifting. I don’t know what’s safe to believe in anymore. I don’t know where it’s safe to stand.”

“I love you, Naomi,” Petr said. “Everything is going to get back to normal for us, I promise you that. Just as soon as you and