Page 165 of In Love with a Ruthless Man

But still, she chose to ignore all of them.

Still, she chose to hope.

Because he had come back to her, and that had to mean something.

It had to.

Stopping in front of the door to the prince’s study, she heard Igor say, “Ms. Crichton has reachedIsola L’Eternita, sir.”

Fawn tensed in surprise. She hadn’t expected Beatrice Crichton to leave the prince’s compound, considering that a man was dead set on killing her.

“Please inform Jason Christakos about this and call our contacts in Sicily. I want her heavily guarded. We require her testimony once Davos is tried for his crimes.”

“Understood, sir.”

Both men’s voices became muffled, and she pressed her ear to the door.

“Are you truly sending her away?”

Her heart squeezed, and she strained harder to listen to the two.

“She is not of our world, Igor. You know that.”

“What I do know, sir, is that she is for you.”

“For me?” The prince’s voice lowered into a nearly inaudible murmur, and Fawn could no longer hear what he had to say until his voice started to rise again in a furious hiss. “And yet you say someone like her...a goddamn living angel...is for me?”

More words being exchanged, but none of which she could hear, and unable to stop herself, she started to turn the knob, just in time to hear the prince snarl, “She’s engaged.”

Fawn flinched.

“Have you forgotten that fact?”Something shattered against the wall, and she heard the prince grit out, “She’s not for me—-”

This time, she couldn’t stop herself and she threw the door open. “I want to be yours.” Wrenching Grant’s engagement ring off her finger, she threw it away in vain hope that finally the prince would understand what she knew would never change.

She neededhim.

She lovedhim.

She chosehim.

“I want to be yours,” Fawn whispered. “So please, please don’t make me leave you.”

The prince motioned for Igor to leave them.

And when they were alone—-

The bleakness in his gaze made Fawn fall to her knees.

So many stupid signs now—-

So many of them, they were impossible to count.

And still, she held on to hope.

She held on.

The prince knelt in front of her, saying quietly, “You know, you understand now, don’t you?”

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