the distance in her voice—it’s getting worse as time goes on. Every day that I spend in Argyle, Ivy slips further and further away from me.
I can’t stay here. I have to go back to Farcliff.
It’s moments like this that you realize what’s important to you. I don’t care about Theo and Cara. I don’t care about the betrayal that consumed my heart for the past year.
I don’t care about Beckett, or his fresh betrayal. His attempt on my life means nothing.
The only thing that matters is Ivy.
My Poison. My antidote. My everything.
Rushing to my bedroom, I start throwing clothes into a bag. I’ll jump on the jet tonight. I need to see her.
But Theo appears in the doorway, his eyes flicking to my bag.
“Where are you going?”
“Farcliff,” I answer, tossing my toothbrush in my bag.
“Luca, you can’t.”
“Like fuck, I can’t.”
“What about Beckett?”
“What about him?” I spin around, staring at the King. Shaking my head, I scoff. “Why would I give him any more of my time? The woman I love needs me, Theo. Surely you would understand that?”
Theo stares at me, his eyes boring into mine. “So, you leaving has nothing to do with Cara? Nothing to do with me?”
I laugh, turning back to my suitcase. “No,” I say. “Nothing.”
Theo is silent behind me, and I sense his eyes on my back as I move back and forth in the room. The air hangs heavy between us, and I force myself to straighten my shoulders and turn to look at him.
“Do you have a problem with me leaving?”
“I grounded all the planes and closed the ports,” Theo says quietly. “I wanted to make sure Beckett didn’t make a run for it.”
“Are you going to force me to stay?” Anger flares inside me, igniting the fire in my veins. I clench my fists. Everything feels hot. The tips of my ears feel like they’re burning.
After everything that’s happened between us, is Theo going to stop me from leaving? He stole the woman I thought I wanted, sent me off to get fixed, and never visited me once. Then, once I got better, he used me for his fucking publicity campaign to boost the image of our Kingdom.
Now, he wants to keep me hemmed in here while he looks for the man who tried to kill me, all the while sweeping the whole thing under the rug?
I’m trembling, clenching my fists to stop myself from doing something that will have me arrested for treason.
Theo lets out a sigh and shakes his head. “I’ll get the royal jet prepared for you.” My brother lifts his eyes to mine. “Thank you for coming back and doing the events over the past couple of days. Thank you for treating me and Cara with respect. You’re a better man than I am, Luca.”
I shake my head. “I just know what’s important.”
Theo nods. “You going to bring her back here? I’d like to meet her.”
“If she lets me,” I smile.
Theo snaps his fingers, and an attendant materializes in the doorway. I turn back to my suitcase as Theo commands the man to prepare the jet.
The tension between my shoulders eases slightly, because I know I’ll be by Ivy’s side within hours. I’ll get to hold her hand in mine and press my lips against hers. I’ll touch her, kiss her, breathe her in.
I’ll bridge this distance that has grown between us, and show her that I care about her more than anything else in the world. More than my reputation, or my Kingdom, or my past.
She’s everything to me.
Even if she wants to push me away, I need to go back to her and let her know how I feel.
My knee bounces up and down the entire flight back to Farcliff. A car is waiting for me at the airport. The driver puts my small suitcase in the trunk of the car and then slips into the driver’s seat. He looks in the rear-view mirror and arches his eyebrow.
“Where to, Your Highness?”
I stare back at him blankly. “I… I don’t know.”
To his credit, the driver’s face remains neutral and professional. I clear my throat and give him Spoonful of Sugar’s address. While we drive, I dial Ivy’s number.
She doesn’t answer.
I text her, staring at the screen as I wait for a response. The sun has long gone down, and I wonder if maybe she’s asleep.
When we get to the bakery, the shopfront is dark. I direct him to the back of the building, but the door