Page 84 of Reckless Royalty

“I can and I will,” he snaps, turning to glare at me. “What’s the point of staying? Everything’s fucked. You know it as well as I do.”

I cross my arms, forcing myself to stay calm. “Running doesn’t fix anything.”

He laughs bitterly, throwing another shirt into the bag. “This isn’t running, Mihai. This is me walkin’ away from the shit show that’s been my life for the past few hours.”

“You’re seriously going to leave? Just like that? Because Nikolai fucked up?”

Connor’s hand freezes mid-air, a pair of jeans gripped in his fist. His green eyes flash as he looks at me, his face twisted with raw anger.

“This isn’t just a fuck-up, Mihai. This is betrayal. The kind of betrayal that cuts so deep you can’t fuckin’ breathe.”

I flinch at the venom in his tone, but I don’t back down. “I get it. You’re pissed?—”

“Pissed?” he interrupts, his voice rising. “This isn’t about being pissed, mate. This is about trust. Trust that’s been shattered. We were brothers, all of us. Nikolai… he was supposed to have my back, and instead, he went behind it. He went after my little sister.”

“Nikolai made a mistake,” I say, though the words feel hollow. “A big one. But that doesn’t mean you throw everything away.”

Connor slams his hands onto the edge of the dresser, his head dropping down. “This isn’t just about Nikolai,” he saysquietly, his voice trembling. “It’s about me. About how I failed her.”

I frown, stepping closer. “What are you talking about?”

He turns, his eyes red and glassy, and the sight makes my chest tighten. “Cat,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. “She’s my little sister, my responsibility and I didn’t protect her. I didn’t even fucking see it.”

“Connor—”

“She’s pregnant, Mihai!” he shouts, his voice cracking. “She’s pregnant, and I didn’t even know she was sneakin’ around with him. I didn’t see the signs, didn’t question the little things that didn’t add up. I was too busy being the carefree asshole everyone expects me to be.”

“Connor, this isn’t your fault,” I say, my voice firm. “Cat’s an adult. She makes her own choices.”

“She’s still my baby sister,” he snaps. “Do you have any idea how scared I am for her? How much it kills me that I didn’t see this coming?”

He lets out a harsh, broken laugh, running his hands through his messy blond hair. “How did I not see it? How the fuck did I miss it?”

His shoulders sag, and he lowers himself to the floor, sitting with his back against the dresser. He buries his face in his hands, his whole body shaking.

“What kind of fuckin’ Crown will I make if I couldn’t even see what was happening right under my nose?” he says, his tone laced with guilt.

I crouch down in front of him, resting my arms on my knees. “You couldn’t have known,” I say gently. “Cat didn’t tell anyone. She didn’t want anyone to know.”

He looks up at me, his green eyes glassy. “That’s not the point,” he says, his voice breaking. “Ishould’veknown. Ishould’vebeen there for her. But I was too busy with my own shit to see what was happenin’ right in front of me.”

His words hang heavy in the air, and I don’t know what to say to take the weight off his shoulders. He’s right, in a way—this is more than just a betrayal. It’s a fracture in the foundation we all thought was unshakable.

“You’re not leaving,” I say finally, my tone resolute. “You can’t just walk away from this when Cat needs you here.”

He lets out a bitter laugh, his head falling back against the dresser. “What good am I to her here? All I’m doing is gettin’ in the way, makin’ things worse.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” I snap. “She needs her brother, not some ghost who disappeared because he couldn’t handle it. You think leaving is going to make her feel better? You think it’s going to fix anything?”

He doesn’t respond, his jaw tightening as he stares at the ceiling. The silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating.

Finally, he speaks, his voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t look at him, Mihai. Not without wanting to kill him.”

“Then don’t look at him,” I say, my voice softer now. “Look at Cat. Focus on her. She needs you now more than ever.”

He looks at me, his expression torn. “I don’t know if I can do it.”

“You can,” I say firmly. “You’re Connor fucking Cunningham. You don’t back down, not from anything.”

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