“Last night—-” And then he started in his seat, terror flickering in his gaze.
Fawn stiffened. Last night?
Grant jumped off his seat. “I h-have to go.”
She managed to block his way, demanding, “What do you mean last night?”
Grant shook his head jerkily. “It doesn’t matter—-”
“It clearly matters. It’s written all over your face.” When he stared at her in horror, she asked shakily, “Is this about you calling me last night?”
“No.” And then he was walking away, and for one moment, all she could do was stare at him, unable to believe that he would end their discussion just like that.
When he was halfway to the door, Fawn finally got herself to move and running to catch after him, she said fiercely, “I don’t believe you. This obviously has to do with last night’s call.” She reached for his arm—-
He wrenched himself out of her hold hard, like her touch burned him, and shoved her away in the process.
A stunned Fawn staggered a step back, and Grant said brokenly, “I’m sorry.” This time, he was the one who reached for her—-
“No.” She backed away from him. Her eyes were burning, but she would die before she’d let the tears fall. She didn’t even know why she felt like crying, but one thing she did know was that someone like Grant Bennett—-
Or at least this Grant Bennett who had cheated on her—-
This Grant Bennett who no longer seemed to give a damn about shunning her, hurting her—-
That kind of man would never deserve again even a single drop of her tears.
Grant was gazing at her with painfully bleak eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“I k-know.” Her voice shook. But it wasn’t enough.
His desperate gaze clung to hers. “Forgive me.”
Ah. She wished she could ask him what he was apologizing for, but at that moment she just...couldn’t. She wanted to hate him, but the bitterness she felt on the day she saw him cheating on her seemed no longer within reach. It didn’t even feel that it still existed inside of her.
When she looked at Grant now, all her heart could do was ache—-
Like it was grieving over a broken piece that could never be a part of her heart again.
She stared at him, and the ache grew worse and worse.
“I have to go,” Fawn choked out.
As she spun away, she heard Grant whisper hoarsely, “Stay, luv.”
The tears started to fall.
Dump him. Take pity on him. Scream at him.
Hadn’t she just thought that their love wasn’t ever the two-way kind?
And yet here he was—-
“Please.”
She walked faster, and her tears fell faster as well.
I’m sorry, Grant.
He might need her now, but it was too late.
Someone else already owned her heart.
****
Fawn was driving back to the prince’s compound, with the prince’s bodyguards trailing behind her car, when her phone started to ring.
Again, the ringtone clued her in, and Fawn was all thumbs in her haste to answer it. After pressing the loudspeaker button, she answered breathlessly, “H-hello.”
“I’m sorry for breaking my promise this morning, parthena mou.”
Oh. Fawn swallowed hard, forcibly keeping down all the questions that wanted to rush out of her. You’re his lover, not his girlfriend, Fawn. Remember that.
“It’s o-okay.”
The prince leaned back against his chair at the overly bright tone of her voice. The hotel suite he was in was completely dark, with all the lights turned off and the blinds completely drawn.
Even so, he could see Fawn so clearly and vividly in front of him—-
It was almost like she was really there.
Almost like he missed her so damn much that he could no longer function properly without her.
All of these were true, and as soon as it became clear to him, the prince jerked in his seat, knowing that his time with Fawn was drawing to an end.
His grip tightened around his phone almost as if he needed to hold on to her, even if it was just the sound of her voice.
“Are you driving back home already?” It was the first thought that had come to his mind, and he didn’t hesitate to ask it. All he cared about was being able to keep hearing her voice...while he could.
“H-home?” Despite the prince’s abrupt tone, Fawn couldn’t stop a little spurt of hope from growing inside of her. The prince had just referred to his place as ‘home’ while talking to her.
She knew she was being silly, but even so—-
It was a good thing, wasn’t it?
“Fawn?”
Clearing her throat, she stammered, “Yes, sorry, I was thinking of something. I’m,