Page 18 of The Broken Queen

Her eyes widened for a minute, but she responded, “Yes, my King.”

She left the room and I swallowed the giant lump in my throat.

“Don’t make me do this. Please, don’t ask me to marry him.” My heartbeat quickened as I moved closer.

He looked up from the notes on his desk and frowned. “It’s what’s best for Amenida, Raven. Sometimes we have to push our own happiness to the back of our mind so we can make sure that others are happy.”

I shook my head and paced the length of the hardwood floor. My fingers gripped my hair. I’d been doing that my entire life. Making sureotherswere happy. Making surehewas happy. I went throughHellwith him and it still wasn’t good enough.Why couldn’t I have the one thing I desired? The one thing I wanted?

“Stop wearing holes in my damn floor.”

I looked up and glared. "No. Fuck you," I spat.

His brown eyes darkened. "You will do what I tell you to, Raven."

I placed my hands on my hips. "The hell I will!"

He slammed his fist down on the mahogany desk and rose to the terrifying height that gave me nightmares as a kid.That still gave me nightmares.I shivered. I closed my eyes and breathed. I wouldn't let him do this. I was a Queen and I was strong enough to run Amenida on my own, so why didn't he think so? Why did he have to sell me to the highest bidder?

I opened my eyes and met his furious ones. "I have waited patiently. You said he was coming back for you and Julianna, but he hasn't. It's time to move on, daughter, even if that means you have to be forced into it."

My heart rate sped up and my mind ran wild.Forced into it? No one was forcing me to do anything. I came back to the same question, how was he my father? What kind of parent did that to their kid? I missed Mother so much, but when Father did shit like this, it made me wonder what she ever saw in him.

I opened my mouth to interrupt, but he cut me off. "You will walk down the aisle in a white dress, and you will rule this kingdom with Zeke at your side, or there will be consequences. I am too old to be doing this on my own anymore. I want to retire. I need help and so do you. Discussion is over."

Tears rolled down my face as I looked into his eyes. At one point, I was Daddy's little girl. The man who stood before me was no longer the man Mother loved. That man died before she passed. In his place was a weak, dangerous man willing to sacrifice his own daughter and granddaughter in the name of money.Power.

I turned away from him and opened the door. I looked back over my shoulder and met his gaze once more. "I guess I'm no longer Daddy's little girl, huh?"

A pained look flashed across his face, but I ignored it. I stepped out of the room and slammed the door shut behind me. A hiccuped sob escaped my throat at the thought of telling my daughter her daddy was never coming back, and that she wasgaining a new one. I slid down the door and cried for a broken childhood, and the man who stole my heart and never gave it back.

Chapter Eight

Raven

I sat in the back of the car fiddling with my hands while we waited for her to come out. I hitched a ride with our driver, Lewis, to come pick her up from school. Lewis was always the one to pick her up from school, but today, I figured we needed to have some mommy/daughter time before she found out from anyone else.

I chipped away at the red paint on my nails which was almost non-existent. Then when I grew tired of that, I went for another method. The biting method. Lewis glanced at me through the rearview mirror, and once he saw my finger in my mouth, he shook his head and looked away. Yes, it was veryunladylike, and yes, it was not aQueenthing to do. But if he had a million knives stabbing his stomach repeatedly like mine, he would be doing the same.

I’d hoped I could convince Father to hold off, that maybe Slade would come back. But it was no use. He was determined to marry me off to Zeke, and I was determined to fight him until there was no fight left in me. Just because he made it final, didn’t mean that I had to completely give in. I would put on a show of course, but I wouldn’t let Zeke be my daughter’s new father.

There had to be another way around this. There justhadto be. I shifted in my seat and started tapping my foot. My patience was waning. I wanted to get this over with. I was hit with a bit of nausea at the thought of telling her.I didn’t want to do this. I couldn’t be the one to break her heart.

I sighed and looked at my phone.Two-thirty.She should be coming out those doors any minute. My gaze roamed to the frontof the car and Lewis was watching me through the mirror again. “Are you okay?”

He was one of my favorite people that worked with us. He was a little older, late fifties, to be exact. He was a dark-skinned man with short, curly black hair that was turning gray. He had the kindest hazelnut eyes. He’d been around for a long time, and I couldn’t think of trusting anyone else with my daughter.

I shrugged. “No. Unfortunately, I’m not. Will you take us to the park down the street from the school? I want some time alone with her. Away from prying eyes.”

He nodded. “Of course, Your Highness.”

I scoffed. “Please don’t call me that, Lewis. I know you need to do it in public, but around me and Julianna, just call me Raven. Ihateformalities.”

He tossed his head back and laughed. “You’re just like your mother.”

A slice to the chest.What would she say? What would she think of her husband’s choices? Would she be on my side? Did she know his dark side and what he was capable of?

The front doors opened, and shortly after, Julianna walked out and was holding hands with her teacher. Her hair was once again falling down, and a grin teased the corners of my lips. She was myeverything.

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