Page 54 of Modern Romance Collection December 2024 Books 5-8

Her heart shattered, the brittle tone, the assessing gaze as insulting as they were hurtful. And suddenly she was that little girl again... Rejected and alone.

She gave a stiff nod, blinking furiously—as she struggled to shore up the turmoil of emotions.

This was what she had wanted from him. To stop the yearning, to stop believing in the vain hope that more could be possible between them. He had simply told her what she already knew. Why on earth was she so devastated?

‘I’m glad you understand,’ she managed at last, before she shot out of the door.

But as she returned to her own room, and lay shivering, curled up under the covers, she couldn’t seem to reconcile her duty to her throne with the empty space that had always been inside her, and had only ever been filled in his arms, but was now emptier than ever.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

‘WHATDOYOUmean you haven’t heard from her, either?’ Isabelle demanded as the anxiety that had been clawing at her throat for over twenty-four hours started to restrict her breathing.

The last day had been nothing short of horrendous. Returning to Androvia had been hard enough, the responsibility of monarchy weighing her down as soon as she stepped off Lord Culture’s private jet on the White Palace airstrip, to be greeted by her staff and several members of the Ruling Council, all with new problems to solve, or duties to fulfil.

But it had been so much harder to leave Colorado—and the woman she had become in Travis’s home—behind.

The days there had merged into one long escape from reality, which made her life now in Androvia seem like so much more of a burden than before. But far worse, she had plunged down the rabbit hole of believing she and Travis might have been able to build something more out of their relationship. Because she couldn’t look at him now without the yearning coming back, not just the physical desire to be held, to enjoy the pleasure he could give her, but more than that.

How could she have allowed herself to become so reliant on his companionship, too?

They had generally avoided any thorny topics about their pasts—or their emotions—after Christmas Day, but even so, simply talking to him about the resort project, his business, the intricacies of her role in Androvia, which he had begun to show an interest in as the days wore on, had allowed her to share at least some of the burden for the first time in her life.

And she hadn’t even realised how much that had meant to her until she had thrown it away in her panic, on their last night in Colorado.

But as she glared at Arne now, she had to believe she had made the right decision to end their intimate relationship. She couldn’t rely on Travis, couldn’t lean on him, couldn’t risk confusing the endorphin rush of sex with the development of a real relationship. Because that would mean a commitment from him that he had made it clear he was not willing to give—from the way he had so easily accepted the end of their intimate relationship.

In the days since, he hadn’t made any attempt to change her mind. As they’d left the house and travelled back to Europe on his jet, their conversations had been stilted and far too polite—which was ironic given how much his lack of boundaries had once unnerved her.

She had missed the casual touches—and his irreverent relaxed way of speaking to her most of all. Even more than the physical intimacy. But she had forced herself not to reach out to him simply because she felt lonely again.

But she had been unable to sleep again last night, knowing he was in the room on the other side of the bathroom. It had been a titanic effort not to knock on his door and beg him to make love to her again. Just one more time.

She needed her friend Mel. She had to offload about all this. Because bottling it all up was only exhausting her more. But she hadn’t been able to get in touch with her PA since she had left on her not-so-fake honeymoon with Travis. Mel always took a Christmas and New Year break—if not to see her mother, then to some sunny clime where she could get away from the winter—and Isabelle had always respected her privacy. But it was beyond odd that if Mel had chosen to take leave after the ball, she hadn’t told anyone where she was going. Not even Arne, who was in charge of the palace personnel and their schedules.

‘Her phone has not been answered since the New Year Ball, Your Majesty. And she has not sent word about her whereabouts, but Prince Rene’s security detail said he relieved them of their duties in the early hours of New Year’s Day and has not reappeared either. So we suspect the two incidences are most likely linked,’ Arne finished.

Isabelle’s heart sped up. ‘What are you trying to say?’ she managed, her already agitated stomach starting to churn. Why was Arne behaving as if this were all perfectly normal?

‘Ms Taylor and Prince Rene were photographed leaving the ball together, Your Majesty. He dismissed his security detail it is believed to escort Ms Taylor back to Androvia alone.’ Arne cleared his throat, a dull red staining his cheeks, confusing Isabelle even more. ‘But when they didn’t return to Androvia it was assumed they...’ He trailed off.

‘For goodness’ sake, Arne, please just say whatever it is.’

He coughed. ‘They decided to have an assignation together.’

Disbelief came first, swiftly followed by a new wave of anxiety.

‘As you know, Prince Rene has a tendency to...’ Arne continued in that strained tone ‘...disregard his schedule when he is in the mood for...female companionship.’

‘That’s not possible,’ Isabelle cut into Arne’s painful explanation. ‘Mel would never go off with Rene.’ Because she hated him.

For the first time, fear gripped her throat.

‘Are you telling me no one has seen either one of them since they left the ball three days ago?’ she demanded.

‘Well, not specifically,’ Arne announced. ‘But I have been assured by Prince Rene’s private secretary it is not at all unusual for the Prince to be unavailable on occasion.’

Isabelle simply stared. She’d known Rene was troubled, and that he struggled with his role, but she hadn’t realised he went AWOL on a regular basis.

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