Page 60 of The King's Secret Baby

He sucks in a sharp breath. “Luca…” His voice is gentle as he sits beside me. “I know I expressed my doubts before, but listen.”

I look up at him, confusion mingling with the ache in my chest. “Listen to what? It is over, Simon. It was folly to think that it ever could have worked out.”

“Your relationship with Haileycanwork out. But only if you give her the respect she deserves. Public opinion be damned.”

I stare at him, hardly daring to believe what I’m hearing. “But the backlash… the tabloids… It could destabilize the monarchy.”

He grips my shoulders, his gaze fierce. “And what good is a stable monarchy if its king is miserable? Hailey makes you happy, Luca. Happier than I’ve ever seen you. That’s worth fighting for.”

His words floor me. He’s right. I’ve been so focused on what others might think, on the potential fallout, that I lost sight of what truly matters.

Hailey. Our love. Our future together.

I want our child to have two parents united, two parents devoted to them. They deserve what Hailey and I never had growing up.

I stand abruptly, my heart pounding. “I have to go after her. I have to make this right.”

But even as the words leave my mouth, reality comes crashing back in. The coronation. My duty to my country.

I can’t just leave. Can I?

Simon seems to read my thoughts. “You have to go through with the coronation, Luca. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still fight for Hailey.”

I pace the room, my mind racing. The future I always envisioned for myself — taking the throne, leading my country — it all seems hollow now compared to the life I could have with Hailey and our baby.

“Your people are waiting for you, Luca,” Simon goes on. “Call Hailey. Ask her to come back, to join you in this day.”

I nod excitedly. I want to be there for my family in a way my father never was for me. I want to give them the time and attention they deserve, even if it means defying tradition and expectation.

But first, I have to make sure Hailey knows how I feel.

I pull out my phone with shaking hands, my breath catching in my throat as I dial her number. It goes straight to voicemail, and for a moment, I’m seized with panic. What if she’s already boarded her flight?

“Hailey…” My voice cracks as I leave the message. “I know I have no right to ask anything of you right now. But please… if you haven’t left yet… if there’s even the smallest part of you that still believes in us… come to the coronation. Let me show you how much you mean to me. I am sorry for what I said.”

I end the call, my heart hammering against my ribs. I have no idea if she’ll come. If she’ll even listen to my message.

But I have to try. I have to believe that our burgeoning love is strong enough to overcome any obstacle.

Even though that obstacle is my own destiny.

The minutes tick by agonizingly slowly as I wait for the ceremony to begin. Waiting in the antechamber that will lead me into the hall and then outside to the grounds and onto the makeshift coronation stage, I try to focus on the faces of the people around me — the dignitaries, the advisors, the staff bustling about making final preparations. But all I can think about is Hailey.

Did she get my message? Or is she already on her flight to New York, ready to leave my life forever? Is there a chance, even the slimmest possibility, that she might show up here today?

I clench my fists at my sides, fighting the urge to pace or run my hands through my carefully styled hair. I have to maintain the image of a composed, confident ruler, even as my insides churn with anxiety and regret.

Stefan appears at my elbow, his brow furrowed with concern. “Sir… it’s time.”

I nod, swallowing hard. This is it. The moment I’ve been preparing for my entire life. The moment I take on the mantle of king and all the responsibility that comes with it.

But as I step up to the dais, my eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of Hailey’s familiar face, I realize that none of it matters without her by my side.

The archbishop begins the opening invocation, his voice ringing out through the massive speakers. I try to focus on his words, but my mind is miles away, imagining Hailey on a plane whisking her across the ocean, her eyes red from crying, her heart broken in two at my hands.

CHAPTER 30

HAILEY

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