Page 50 of Lily and the Billionaire Prince

Lily wished the circumstances of their conversation were different. She wished things were simpler, and that she was just a girl who met a prince and fell for him.

Crazy, right? I’m in Einvar and the prince is going to ask me to marry him!It felt like such a lie. His intentions may have been true, but she wasn’t going to accept. She couldn’t, and that wormed inside of her like a snake. She added a selfie and a few pictures of the room she was in for good measure.

Oh my goodness, seriously? Congratulations! You deserve something like this. I wondered why you hadn’t come back yet.

Yeah, I’m crazy happy here.

When is the big day?

I’m not sure, but can you try and rehome my fur babies?Tears began at this. She wasn’t ready. This was too final. The thought hurt so much she couldn’t breathe. Lily thought she’d have more time. She’d thought she could say goodbye, or at least take some of them with her.

And then there was Snow. She hadn’t planned on messaging her friend, the girl who’d gone through so much with her, again; at least not for a while. Lily had grown up with Snow, she’d gone to grade school and school dances with her. She’d moved across the country with her and though she’d been alone, things hadn’t seemed so bleak knowing her friend lived across from her. How could she live without her friend?

Of course, I will! Don’t you worry for a second about them. They’ll find good homes, I promise. And hey, girl, you’d better send me an invitation. I’m coming to the wedding!

You got it. Thanks, Snow. Love you.

Love you too, girl!

Lily deleted her social media accounts after that. She sent a hasty message to Mr. Elir and Aaliyah, apologizing for not giving them both more notice but she’d left the country and had no immediate plans to return. They would have to find someone else to fill her position.

This email brought on an all-new stream of emotion, one she couldn’t easily stem. The Elirs had become close to family, the closest thing she’d had since she’d lost her own. She should have given two weeks’ notice. She should have expressed gratitude to them and told them how much they’d both come to mean to her.

But Damon had already discovered her disappearance. It wouldn’t be long now before those emails surfaced. It was either stay known and be manipulated, or hide and find peace once and for all. She would let her old self die. She had to. There was no other way to handle this.

Lily scheduled her flight next. Her plans had always included Italy, and now that she was here in Europe, she intended on staying. She flipped through her purse and retrieved the fake IDs from their bubble envelope. With a resolved sigh, she tossed her old driver’s license into the fire. She did hold on to her passport, though, in case the other IDs didn’t work for some reason.

Then she sat in front of her mirror and went to work shearing her ruby red locks of hair so that when she was finished, a set of short bangs dangled to her eyebrows and her cropped mop went to her earlobes. She willed more tears away. While she’d loved her hair, it would grow back.

Flight scheduled under the pseudonym she’d previously settled on, Lily set her alarm to go off before dawn. She would leave before sunrise. She would disappear without a trace so even if Damon released those emails, no one would know they involved her. She could deny the truth to any new person she met.

Henrik would miss her for a little while, but he would move on. He would find a bride better suited for life as a royal at his side than she was.

And then Lily cried herself to sleep.

17

Henrik rose before the sun to get the final preparations ready. The orchestra would be paid double their time for agreeing to come at such an unseemly hour, and he’d dressed in his finest suit and tie.

He could picture everything now. Lily would hear the music beckon her from sleep. She would rise to a delectable spread of the most delicious breakfast she’d ever tasted. They would break their fast by candlelight and then he would dance with her. And then, mid-dance, he would retrieve the ring from his pocket. Down on one knee before her, she wouldn’t be able to fail to see the sincerity in his gaze, the evidence of just how badly he wanted her to be his bride.

Lily would reluctantly smile. That lurid flash of color would blush in her cheeks and she would see everything she was giving up if she left. Then she would say yes, and together, they could handle whatever reservations she still clung to.

Henrik’s phone beeped its alarm. Nerves spiraling, he adjusted his perfectly tied tie in the mirror and released an exhale before making his way to the door of his bed-chamber. He hurried past his parents’ rooms in the same corridor and at the left mouth of the castle’s dual grand staircases, he noticed several sleepy musicians assembling their instruments from within their cases in the main level below.

“Good morning,” Henrik greeted, chipper at the positive turn this morning would take. Darkness still shrouded every window. He didn’t doubt the orchestra would also wake his parents, but they wouldn’t interfere, not when Henrik insisted how set his mind was. He couldn’t picture a life with anyone else but Lily Hope.

The ensemble conductor nodded her head in Henrik’s direction. “Your Grace,” she said in acknowledgment. “We’ll be ready in a moment.”

“Very good. Thank you all for assisting me with something so important.”

A violinist nodded behind a yawn, and the sight only made Henrik beam. Perfect. This would be perfect.

Soon enough, the orchestra began its string of lullabies. Violins chorused in three-four time, lulling and tranquil, blanketing the room with poignant energy. The staff paused in their morning tasks and peeked their heads out of nearby rooms with curious glances. Henrik manned his position at the base of the stairs, keeping his gaze upward with anticipation. Finally, though longer than he thought it would take, a door opened, and the unmistakable sound of a suitcase’s wheels joined the footsteps.

Wait, a suitcase?

Henrik turned and nodded eagerly to the conductor, and then straightened his posture. His heart pulsed the closer to him Lily drew. He fought the urge to tug his lapels. The sound of wheels on the stone stopped. Then she came into view, carrying her suitcase by its handle.

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