Is it too much to hope for that this thing with Dante could be real?
It’s scary to jump into a relationship with Prince Dante. I don’t want to get hurt. I want to protect myself, my mental health, and my baby. I want to make the best decision possible for my future, no matter what lies ahead with my disease.
But what if that best decision includes him? What if he can provide a life that I thought only existed in fairy tales?
Dante gives me one last kiss before heading off into Farcliff Castle in search of his brother. Luca is meeting with Prince Damon to talk about the next steps with regard to our safety.
As I walk back to my guest room in the castle, a smile drifts over my face.
For the first time in a long, long time, I feel good. I don’t mean a chemical, artificial kind of good. I don’t mean a numb kind of good.
I mean truly, deeply happy.
Then, my baby kicks for the first time.
Stopping in the middle of the hallway, joy floods my spirit like I’ve never felt before. A laugh tumbles out of my mouth as I put both hands to my stomach, feeling the quickening of new life inside me.
Right now, it doesn’t matter who the father is. It doesn’t matter that my career is hanging on by a thread, or that I’m not sure if things between Dante and I can really work.
Nothing matters, because my baby just moved. I laugh, alone in the hallway, as tears start to fill my eyes. I know that it’s not a coincidence that the moment I allowed myself to feel joy, the baby moved.
This baby wants me to be happy. It can feel everything I feel, and it’s gone through a tough existence so far. The instant I let myself be really, truly happy, my child let me know that it was right.
That Dante is right.
That what I’m doing is good.
Leaning against the wall, I wrap my arms around myself. My smile practically splits my face in half until the baby stops kicking, and I let out a happy sigh.
That’s the only sign that I need to follow Dante to Argyle.
No more hesitation. No more doubts. No more holding back.
I’m jumping head-first into my feelings, because I know that it’s the only way for me to move forward.
Pushing myself off the wall, I let my feet carry me back to my bedroom. I don’t even remember the walk there. I’m too distracted by the joy exploding inside me like a million fireworks flashing through my soul.
Then, my joy turns to ash when I see a man step out of my bedroom.
I’d recognize him anywhere.
Hunter.
I let out a yelp, stumbling backward. My hands go to my stomach, protecting the life inside me. He’s dressed in a castle valet uniform, wearing a sneer on his face. I never realized how ugly he was until I saw this vindictive side of him.
“Margot, Margot, Margot,” he starts, taking a step toward me. “How you’ve betrayed me.”
“I haven’t done anything, Hunter.”
“I created you.” Another step closer. “And you turned your back on me.”
“You poisoned my sister.”
“I tried to give you a chance to come back to me, but you threw it in my face.”
“How did you get my medical records? How did you get into the castle?”
He spreads his arms, motioning to the uniform. “It’s not hard, when you have the means.”
My heart thumps, and for the thousandth time since I fired him, I wonder who Hunter really is. What did he do to get me to the top? How did I earn the acting roles that I was given?
Was my rise to fame done using dirty, underhanded tricks?
“You were always a fucking idiot, Margot,” he spits. “And whose bun is baking in there, huh? It wouldn’t be Prince Luca’s, would it?”
My jaw clenches. I try to back away from him, but my back hits the wall. My fingers clutch the picture rail as my mind speeds, trying to find a way out of this situation. Hunter is stronger than me. He’s faster than me. I’ll never be able to get away.
Wasn’t the castle supposed to be safer than our house?
Then, Hunter’s eyes brighten. “Not Luca’s. Beckett’s, maybe? The timing would make sense. Luca was never interested in you, anyway. Beckett, on the other hand…”
My heart takes off at full speed, bouncing off my ribcage. A lump forms in my throat as my cheeks flush, and Hunter starts to