“I was so scared for you, Lia. You… you looked awful. He… oh my God, why didn’t you ever say anything?” There it is, the question that changes everything. My stomach clenches tightly, and the lump in my throat grows heavier.
Lizzy is lying on her side next to me, looking at me, and I close my eyes, defeated.
“I… I was so ashamed. At first, it was just jealousy—back when my father was still alive. Everything felt so different with your family. Your mom… she’s an angel. And your dad, he… well, at least he’s nothing like mine was. I never understood why I was never enough, why I was the one being punished when no one else around me was. Then, when Dad died, when Henry… well, I started to think maybe I deserved it. And I was ashamed. So ashamed that something like that had happened to me, of all people,” I reply quietly, still not looking at her.
“You know that’s incredibly stupid, right? No one, absolutely no one, deserves violence, abuse, or beatings. Your family is seriously messed up, I hope you see that now.” Lizzy’s angry, Ican hear it in her voice. She’s worked up. I turn my head toward her.
“I think I’ve figured that out by now, yeah,” I say dryly, glancing down at myself. I still haven’t fully grasped the extent of my injuries, haven’t even asked, but if I was out for four full days, it must be bad.
“But if it’s any consolation, my family isn’t much better. And I definitely need to revise how you see my father.” She makes a disgusted face, and now she has my full attention.
“What—” But I’m cut off. Again.
“Not now. Lizzy, damn it, I told you to wait,” Nicolas scolds from the doorway, where he’s apparently been standing for a while, watching us.
“What? She has a right to know. Better to rip the bandage off fast than pull it off slowly and painfully.” She sits up and glares at her brother furiously.
“Can someone please tell me what the hell you’re talking about?” I cut in, a little annoyed. I agree with Liz on this point. I’d prefer the truth over any more secrets.
“My father slept with Damien, and a bunch of others too. On the day of the accident, he found out from Richardson, who had been tailing Damien and Phil, that Damien confessed to Phil he’d cheated on him. So my father asked Richardson to follow you two, to intimidate you a little, distract Phil so he wouldn’t keep digging. He bribed Richardson to scare you, just a little, and that makes him partly responsible for Phil’s death. Your brother knew, because Richardson was playing both sides to hurt the royal family, and ta-da, here we are.” She throws her arms up, but I can see the pain and fury in her eyes.
“That… okay… wait… what?? Maybe that’s a bit too much all at once,” I mutter, trying to sort out my thoughts. I can feel both of them staring at me, but the puzzle pieces are only just starting to fit together in my head.
“Now… now their behavior makes sense. Both of them. Oh my God… holy shit!” I look up, wide-eyed, first at Lizzy, then at Nicolas, because my God, now it all makes sense.
It was cruel—but in a twisted way it made sense.
“What the hell do you mean, woman?” Confused and alarmed, I look at my wife, whose face shimmers with various shades of violet.
Seeing Amelia alive at all feels like a miracle, since I honestly thought I was losing her.
Four days. Four fucking days that have felt like years stolen from me. Days when it hit me that my heart belonged to this woman—the one I never wanted to love. Yet, I do.
I love Amelia with everything I have.
The fear I’ve endured these past few days is something I never want to face again, truly never, but it’s not over yet.
In the next few days, I will confront my father with the incriminating evidence, as soon as Richardson is arrested. My security company has gathered enough proof to put him behind bars for years, and that will happen today.
I haven’t seen Damien since then, but Ced is watching him closely. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to forgive him for all of this. I really don’t know. Still, I don’t want that asshole to get hurt. Only Henry, that fucking bastard, hasn’t resurfaced yet, but he will, and when he does, he’s mine.
Lizzy and Amelia both look at me, and I can see the wheels turning in my wife’s head. She swallows hard, glances briefly at Lizzy, then back at me.
“Philipp discovered that Damien had betrayed him, on the very night our relationship was supposed to be made public. He was utterly devastated and furious, incredibly furious, and I believe he knew exactly with whom. The mere fact that he was betrayed at all was unbearable to him. Now I also understand why he was so reluctant to visit his father. And Damien, God, what he did was unbelievably foolish, but I can’t help feeling deeply sorry for him. Truly sorry. He’s suffering. He’s in so much pain, and maybe we should listen to his side of the story before passing judgment. I speak from experience.” Her eyes bore into mine, both warning and pleading, and it stings briefly in my chest because I understand exactly what she means.
We all acted too fast and judged each other too quickly. But she’s the one feeling it most, through the press and the public.
But I’m not ready yet.
“That may be true, but right now I don’t want to see him. At the moment, I don’t even want him near me because I’m not sure I could stop myself from punching his lights out.” Amelia flinches at my words, and instantly a sharp twist hits my stomach, followed by a rush of guilt.
“Sorry, Goldilocks, I…” I shrug, because I truly mean every word I said. She nods briefly and then nervously plays with her blanket, but I remain silent, giving her the space she needs until she’s ready.
“What about… what about Henry?” she finally asks, and an aggressive snort escapes me.
“He hasn’t been caught yet, and no one knows where he is. But there’s a warrant out for his arrest. He blackmailed the king over your marriage and demanded a large sum of money on the side. He’s got massive gambling debts and, apparently, unpaid bills at some brothels too,” Lizzy explains to her, while I’m already boiling inside and my whole body tenses at the mention of him.
“That’s why Perlington House is being forced into auction, but it suits him, he has a serious drinking problem, and when he’s drunk, he completely loses control. I’ve… crossed paths with him more times than I can count.” Her voice drops, and I clench my fist. I think of the scars on her back, The Purge, and how I was the one who called that bastard myself to have her taken away.
