Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 30190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Just get through this, I told myself. Just say the words and leave. You can fall apart later.
I knocked.
“Enter.”
His voice. Even now, even when I was about to destroy everything between us, the sound of it made my chest ache.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
The sheikh’s study was bathed in late afternoon light, dust motes floating lazily through the golden beams that streamed through the tall windows. Mik’hail sat behind his desk, papers spread before him, a pen in his hand. He looked up when I entered, and for just a moment—just a fraction of a second—I thought I saw something in his eyes.
Pain. Longing. Love.
But then it was gone, and his expression smoothed into something cold and distant.
“Aurora.” He set down his pen and gestured to the chair across from him. “Please. Sit down.”
His voice was stiff. Formal. Like he was addressing a stranger.
He had never spoken to me like this. Not once in all the years I had lived under his roof. Even when he was exasperated with me, even when I had pushed him too far, there had always been warmth beneath his words. Affection. Tenderness.
Now there was nothing.
My throat tightened as I crossed the room and lowered myself into the chair. The leather was cold against my legs. The desk between us felt like an ocean.
Does he know? I wondered. Does he know I’m not Lord Richard’s daughter? Is that why he’s looking at me like this—like I’m something dirty, something shameful?
“I won’t make this long,” Mik’hail said. “I think both of us would appreciate brevity at this point.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
“Our previous commitment to marriage is no longer binding.” His tone was clipped. Businesslike. “You will be provided a regular allowance as Aretha’s sister. The palace will continue to support you financially until you are able to support yourself.”
I had come here prepared to lie to him. Prepared to tell him I didn’t want him, that he was too old for me, that what we had was nothing but infatuation.
But hearing him say these things first—hearing him dismiss what we had with such cold efficiency—
It broke something inside me, and I just found myself dragging oxygen to my lungs...because I suddenly had a hard time breathing.
“I’m...I’m pleased to hear this.”
And speaking.
It was so much harder to speak, even though I had practiced the words for so many times.
“Because I also r-realized that you’re too old for me.”
This was the lie Aretha had asked me to tell. The words she had coached me to say, over and over, until I could deliver them without flinching.
“And t-that there’s so much I still want to do with my life. So much I want to experience.”
But now, looking at the coldness in his eyes, I realized I needn’t have bothered.
“I’m glad we see things the same way.” His voice was curt. “The palace staff will assist you in your departure. Your discrete cooperation is appreciated.”
That was it.
No argument. No protest. No desperate plea for me to stay.
Aretha had worried for nothing. She had been so concerned that Mik’hail would fight for me, that he would refuse to let me go. But looking at him now—at the stranger sitting behind that desk—I saw the truth.
He didn’t just want me gone.
He couldn’t wait to be rid of me.
“Of course, Your Highness.” I rose from the chair, my legs somehow holding me upright. “I’ll begin packing immediately.”
I turned and walked to the door.
I didn’t look back.
I just focused on what I should do next like...like walking.
And...and packing.
Yes, I had to pack because he wanted me gone.
Immediately.
So, first...clothes. Then...shoes. I was doing all of these things like a robot, but it also felt like I was watching myself at the same time while my mind was somewhere far away, replaying those moments in his study over and over.
Our previous commitment to marriage is no longer binding.
I’m glad we see things the same way.
Your discrete cooperation is appreciated.
I felt like I should thank Aretha at this point. Because if I had not practiced the lies she wanted me to say, I wouldn’t have been able to pretend or hide anything. I would have just broken down completely and ask him...were you lying, too?
When he said he loved me, was that a lie?
And when he had that one night with me, was that when the novelty had worn off, and he realized the lie was impossible to maintain?
A knock at my door startled me from my thoughts.
“Yes?”
The door opened, and a man stepped inside. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a plain face and forgettable features. Palace staff, from the look of his uniform.
“Lady Aurora.” He bowed. “I’ve been assigned to assist you in your departure.”
“Already?” I looked at the half-packed trunk on my bed. “I haven’t finished—”
“His Highness insists on expediting the process.” The man’s voice was smooth. Apologetic. “I’m afraid there’s no more time to pack. We can have the rest of your belongings sent to you later.”