Page 61 of The Prince's Green Card Scheme

“Okay,” I say. “And you’ll buy me an expensive dress?”

“I’ll buy you whatever you want.” He grins, leaning in to kiss me on the forehead.

We sit there for a little longer waiting to see if my stomach will settle. “I think I’m good,” I say eventually. “I think the worst of it has passed.”

“Good. I’ll speak to Maria about getting some different pills for you. But in the meantime…” With a groan, he gets up to his feet and offers me his hand. “There’s one more thing I have to put right.”

I take his hand and let him pull me to my feet. I know exactly what we have to do now, and the idea isn’t filling me with joy. But if his parents hate me after this, so be it.

We can’t force them to accept us.

Now that we’re hand in hand, I feel braver than ever. Now that all of our messy untruths are laid bare, I feel like I can face anything.

He opens the bathroom door and holds out his hand. I take it and follow him back to the dining room.

My heart rate spikes as we approach the door. His hand squeezes mine as if he can tell how nervous I am, then he puts his hand on the golden knob and opens the door. “Mother, Father,” he says, staring his parents straight in the eye. “There’s something we need to tell you.”

CHAPTER 30

PAOLO

My parents stare at me expectantly. My heart leaps into my mouth. I glance back at Chloe, and she nods, encouraging me as always. She gives me the strength I need to do what I have to do.

I take a step forward, completely exposed, like I’m under a spotlight. Like I’m standing in the line of fire, waiting for them to pass judgment.

“We’ve got some news,” I say taking a deep breath. “And I have a confession. Me and Chloe… we’re not really married.”

My parents’ faces don’t change, like this was something they expected. I continue. “I mean, the ceremony was real, but, well, it wasn’t really under my name. And the thing is, Chloe only agreed to marry me because I offered to pay her. I lied to her about who I was, and she only agreed to do it because I promised her money. And because she’s a wonderful, generous, and kind person, she went along with my scheme. She agreed to come here and meet you.”

“Why would you do this?” asks my father sternly, his eyebrows knotting together. He looks more like an angry old man than ever.

“I wanted to know if I was in Grandfather’s will,” I confess, my eyes pricking with tears. I clench my fists and fight them back. “Because nobody told me that he had died, and I wanted to know if any of you remembered me. It all started this plan to get home, to marry a Bellamari citizen. To get a fake passport. It was all working perfectly. And then I went and made the stupidest mistake of all.”

“Which was?” asks my mother, raising the most unimpressed eyebrow I’ve ever seen.

“I fell in love. I fell in love forreal. I found something more important than myself. I realized how much more I should be. I realized that, all this time, I’ve been listening to what you think of me and accepting it as the truth.”

“What we think?” Mother scoffs.

“Yeah. What you’ve thought about me my entire life — that I’m stupid and unworthy. You’ve always favored Miguel and Luca, and I get that. Miguel’s going to get the crown, and Luca’s next after that. But me? I’m nothing. The only way I could ever get anyone to notice me was to make noise in the stupidest way possible.”

“We never thought that,” says my father quietly.

“What?” I blink.

Father slides his chair back and gets to his feet. “Yes, Paolo, you are the youngest. Yes, the crown is unlikely to ever fall to you. But we’ve never thought any less of you because of that. We haveloved you as a son, ever since you were born. We have always wanted what was best for you.”

“You did?” I say, my throat closing up with emotion. Chloe reaches to take my hand, giving me an anchor in this stormy sea I’ve been thrown into.

“We did. And I see now, perhaps we were a little harsh on you. But it seems the year of exile has done wonders for you after all.”

“This is the man we always believed you could be,” says my mother, getting to her feet. They both round the table to approach us, and my heart leaps into my mouth.

A million times, I’ve imagined having this conversation with my parents. A million times, I’ve imagined standing up to them, telling them how I’ve always felt. Asking them why they’ve never cared about me the same way that they’ve cared about my brothers. And in all my imaginings, I never thought that the answer would be that theydidcare about me all this time.

“We’re sorry if we’ve let you down,” says my mother. “You are our son, Paolo. You are important.”

She glances at my father, and a rare smile splits across his face “Yes. You’ve learned the lesson that we hoped you would. You’ve become a man. So, we’re ready to welcome you back with open arms.”

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