a spear to the chest. My heart bleeds, emptying itself of all the hope and happiness that had started to seep in.
I don’t cry. I don’t speak. I don’t tremble.
I just stand there.
Dante roughs a hand through his hair, his eyes bugging out of his head. He stares at the carpet at his feet, mumbling to himself before looking back up at me.
“Why?” he whispers.
I don’t know how to answer. Even if I knew what he wanted me to say, I don’t know that I could ever speak. How can I explain how much I’ve suffered? What words could possibly convey the guilt that I’ve felt over the one night I spent with Beckett?
I drop my eyes.
“Look at me,” Dante growls.
Taking a deep breath, I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment before dragging them up to his.
“Why?”
“I was lonely,” I answer lamely. “Beckett was there. I…” I can’t tell him about the diagnosis. It would sound like I was making an excuse.
Dante’s lip trembles. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I knew you’d hate me for it.”
The Prince’s face twists, and I watch the anger mount inside him. He roars, the sound rattling my bones. I sob, clapping a hand over my mouth. Prince Dante spins on his heels, driving his fist into the wall. I flinch as the plaster crumbles, leaving a fist-sized hole in the wall.
The first tear falls from my eye. I clutch my stomach, turning away from him.
“You used me,” he says to my back.
I shake my head. “Never.”
“You wormed your way into my heart so that your baby would have a father.”
I sob. “No. That’s not what happened.”
“You tried to have Luca, and then Beckett, and finally settled for me. I never meant anything to you.”
“No!”
His words lash my back like an angry whip, leaving long, bloody welts across my body. I clutch the edge of the desk, raking a breath in through gritted teeth.
“I love you,” I whisper, not able to look at him. “I’ve loved you since the first day we met.”
“I don’t believe you.”
I turn to look at him again, and immediately wish I didn’t. Dante’s eyes are dead. Empty.
Angry.
The Prince jerks his head to the door. I stuff my laptop and a few things into my purse, rushing out of the room. My feet take me to Ivy’s room, but I can’t bring myself to knock.
I can hear her and Luca making love on the other side of the door.
She’s happy.
Why would I bring my cursed existence into their life? They’ll be leaving on a honeymoon soon. Turning on my heels, I find the twins. They’re already packed up and ready to go back to Farcliff.
When Giselle sees me, she drops her suitcase and wraps her arms around me.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m coming with you,” I say between sobs.
“To Farcliff?”
I nod.
Giselle and Georgina exchange a glance, and then hook their arms into mine and take me to the plane. No one questions me. No one asks me where my suitcase is, or why Dante isn’t with me.
It’s like everyone knows that something has shifted.
They all know it’s over.
The plane ride back to Farcliff is excruciating. Every inch that takes me farther away from Dante feels like my heart is being ripped from my chest. I clutch my hands to my stomach, doubling over in my seat as I wait for the agony to end.
Maybe I should have stayed. Maybe I should have worked it out. Explained. Reassured. Trusted.
What’s the point, though?
I saw Dante’s eyes.
It’s over.
I’m on my own, just like I always thought I would be.
When the flight attendant hands me a glass of sparkling water, I stare at the bubbles that cling to the edge of the glass, tapping them with a fingernail to dislodge them. They rush to the surface and burst.
Georgina slides her hand over my arm and gives me a sympathetic smile. “You want to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
She sighs, turning to look forward. Her hand stays on my arm, and I draw a small bit of comfort from the touch.
“You’re not alone, you know,” she finally says. “We care about you, just like we care about Ivy.”
I laugh-snort, shaking my head. “You don’t know anything about me,” I answer bitterly. “I’ve always been alone.”
Georgie sighs.
I force myself to look at her. “Prince Beckett is the father of my child.” The words burn as they come out. Words that I thought I’d never speak out loud. Words that have ruined my relationship and any chance at happiness.