with me isn’t part of his plan. Having a baby isn’t part of his plan.
All we’ve done is confuse each other, and it’s over now.
I would say it’s simpler this way, but I have a baby to deal with.
Shrugging away from my mother and sister, I head up to my bedroom. As soon as I close the door, I lean against it and shut my eyes. A deep, painful sigh slips through my lips.
I won’t cry. I can’t. I need to be strong.
If Prince Theo wanted to be with me, he would have said so. He wouldn’t have waffled on about me being happy. He wouldn’t have said anything about Juilliard, or about the laws allowing him to become King.
He would have said he loved me. He would have told me he’d die without me. That he needed me by his side. That he wanted me. He would have made it easier for me to tell him about the baby, because I’d have known I was safe in his arms.
But he didn’t. He basically told me to leave, and then showed himself out.
My head is a mess. My heart is broken. I’m pregnant, and alone, and about to face the wrath of my mother.
The pile of Juilliard paperwork is still scattered on the floor next to my bed. I move over to it, picking up the sheets of paper one by one. When I pick up the letter of acceptance, I let out a shaky breath.
As I read the words for the thousandth time, I know what I need to do. There’s only one option open to me now. Theo made that clear.
I need to go.
I have to show my baby that it’s important to pursue your dreams. I have to be independent and chase something bigger and better than Argyle.
A tear slides down my cheek when I think about what that means.
It means saying goodbye to Theo. For good.
But isn’t that what we just did?
I sink down onto my bed and finally allow myself to cry.
For the next week, I avoid everyone. Especially my mother. That’s two relationships with two princes that I’ve ruined, and she’s not happy about it.
Maybe I should look at the signs that are staring me right in the face—it’s not meant to be.
My saving grace is my father. He books me a flight to New York and finds me an apartment close to The Juilliard School. He wraps his arms around me and tells me he’s proud of me.
I don’t have the heart to tell him about the baby.
Maybe once I’m out of Argyle and away from my suffocating family, everything will make more sense. I’ll be able to clear my head.
One week after I say goodbye to Theo, I board a plane from Argyle to New York City and I say goodbye to my old life. I clutch my belly, knowing that I only have a couple of months before my pregnancy starts to show. There’s a time limit to my silence. An expiration date to my secrets.
Soon, everyone will know, whether I say it or not.
As the plane takes off, I know I need to tell Theo before that happens. Cathy’s right. The future King deserves to know. If rumors and secrets start being exposed, it’ll hurt him. I don’t want that.
Now that I’m leaving, though, I can’t tell him in person. Calling seems too difficult. Texting is cowardly. I watch the runway shrink below the plane, and I leave my heart behind.
What would I even say? How can I overcome all the obstacles and lies that we’ve told ourselves—and each other?
When the plane is in the air, I pull out a spiral-bound notebook from my carry-on bag and start drafting a letter of all the things I didn’t have the courage to tell him face-to-face. I don’t know if I’ll send it. I might burn the letter as soon as we land—but I need to write it. I need to get the words out.
I tell him I care about him. The weeks we spent together were the happiest weeks of my life, and I think he’ll be a wonderful King. He showed me a side of life that I didn’t know existed—one full of laughter and love and happiness. When he brought me to see Prudence, he reignited my love for singing and made me believe in myself again.
He gave me my voice back, and even though he encouraged me to leave, I never wanted to go at all.