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)
“Your Highness?”
Her voice, soft and uncertain, brought him back to the present.
She was holding out the empty glass.
He reached for it, careful not to touch her in any way. If he touched her now, he would not be able to let go. And she deserved better than that. She deserved the choice he had never given her.
He took his time placing the glass back on the cabinet.
Hated himself for causing more pointless delays.
Just get this over with.
He turned to face her, steeling himself for goodbye.
And stopped.
Aurora had risen from her chair. Her arms were wide open, her blue-gray eyes shining with tears, a wobbly smile trembling on her lips.
“Life is too short, Your Highness.”
He stared at her, not daring to breathe.
“I asked for Ella and Prince Khal’s assistance.” Her voice cracked, but she didn’t lower her arms. “They already have a judge waiting for us in your courtroom, and after that we can go straight to our honeymoon.” The wobbly smile widened, even as tears spilled down her cheeks. “Gordan helped me pack for both of us, and—”
She didn’t get to say anything else.
Her words were lost in his kiss as he crossed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, holding on tight, so tight, like she was the only thing keeping him tethered to this earth.
And maybe she was.
Maybe she always had been.
The sheikh kissed his Briar, and he knew at that moment he would never let her go.
Not for pride.
Not for duty.
Not for anything.
Once upon a time, a prince fell in love with the wrong sister.
But in the end, the fairy tale found its way.
And they lived...
Well.
That part was still being written.
Epilogue
TWO MONTHS.
It had been two months since the sheikh made me his wife, and still I found myself standing before the mirror, searching for the woman he claimed to see.
The queen’s chambers were far grander than anything I had ever imagined calling my own. Silk drapes in shades of ivory and gold framed windows that overlooked the palace gardens. The vanity before me was carved from rosewood, its surface cluttered with jeweled combs and perfume bottles that sparkled like tiny stars.
And in the center of it all sat me.
Aurora, his queen.
The thought still made my breath catch and my fingers tremble as I fastened the last of my earrings—teardrop sapphires that matched the delicate beading on my gown. Tonight was my first official engagement as queen. A charity ball in honor of orphaned children from broken families, and the irony of it was not lost on me.
I knew what it felt like to be unwanted. To be the child no one chose.
Even now, the echoes of my mother’s voice drifted through my mind like smoke I couldn’t quite wave away.
You’ll never be as beautiful as Aretha.
You’ll never be as graceful.
You’ll never be enough.
The memories still hurt, but there were times I still found myself wishing it would be okay to hear those hurtful words again, if that would mean having them alive.
So much had changed since the night Mik’hail brought me back to the palace. Aretha had been sent to a private facility abroad, a rehabilitation center for grief management, though we both knew it was more than that. My sister needed help that none of us could give her, and while the sheikh had paid for everything, he had also made one thing abundantly clear.
She could never return to Layla, and a part of me ached at the thought. Aretha was still my sister, the girl I had spent my childhood chasing after, desperate for a scrap of her attention. I would always love her, and I would never stop praying that she would one day find it in her heart to love me back.
As for Royce, all the charges against him had been dropped. Mik’hail had seen to it personally, and though I never learned the full details, I knew it had something to do with the evidence Ella and Khal had helped uncover during the letter scandal. Lord Barton’s schemes had implicated far more people than anyone had anticipated, and in the end, Royce had been little more than a pawn. He was in America now, living under a new name, building a new life. I hoped he found peace there. I hoped he found someone who could love him the way he deserved to be loved.
The way Mik’hail loved me.
My chest tightened at the thought, and I opened my eyes to study my reflection once more.
The woman in the mirror was elegant, I supposed. The turquoise gown hugged my curves before cascading to the floor in waves of silk and chiffon. My hair had been swept into an intricate updo, threaded with tiny sapphires that caught the candlelight.
I looked like a queen...so why did I still feel like a fraud? I couldn’t help but feel like this was just me playing make believe, dressing like a queen when in reality I was—