Page 46 of His Beloved Princess
"We didn't," she replied, taking a deep breath before she continued. "He died during a test ride. I don't know the specifics, and no one ever bothered to explain anything." She shrugged, wiping the wetness from her eyes. "I married your grandfather and had a great life with him. Yet, I never lived through the full potential of my desires. I swore to myself to never love someone the way I loved my king."
She paused momentarily, leaning closer to me and retaking my hand. "I don't want you to be satisfied with less than you're worth. If Sebastian Thorn is a cheater and a liar, then he doesn't deserve you, and you need to forget about him." She rubbed my knuckles with her thumb, looking directly into my eyes like she was trying to find something in them. "But if he comes, ready to fight for you, let him at least explain himself. You don't want to wake up one day regretting the time you pushed someone you loved away because you didn't want to listen."
"What if he never comes?" I asked in a brittle voice, swallowing the big lump in mythroat.
"Then you'll know for sure that he's not worthy of your tears," she quickly replied, moving closer, cupping my face with her palms. "A man who loves you would do anything to get you back."
"What if I was never good enough for him?" I burst out, the fear overcoming my every cell. I dreaded the moment I had to face Bastian and his harsh words. He could be overly rough, and if this was the truth, that he only played with me, he was able to destroy me with one statement.
"Oh, my dear," Granny whispered, hugging me tightly while I sobbed into her blue sweater. "If he ever thinks something like that, you're too good for him."
A hard knock on the door interrupted our conversation, and I pulled away. I wiped my cheeks, watching her as she stood and walked to see who had arrived. I observed her the whole time while she was walking to the door. With one swift movement, she opened it, and I heard the familiar profound baritone that always sent shivers down my spine.
"Hello," Bastian said politely, sounding like a businessman meeting with an important client. "I'm Sebastian Thorn. I'm here to take my girl home."
"Well, young man," Granny started, eyeing him up and down. I saw everything because I was already in the hall, almost behind the door, listening to their every word. "First, you're eight days late, and second, I'm not sure she wants to see you."
"If you don't mind, ma'am, I'd like to find out for myself," he stated in a tone that didn't take no for an answer, but Granny wasn't fazed. She gave him another once-over, and then she turned to me, opening the door wider so I could finally see him.
My breath hitched in my throat at the sight of him. He was dressed in a simple black sweater, leather jacket, and black jeans. His hair was messy, and the stubble on his face was longer than I’d ever seen on him. He looked tired, and dark circles had formed under his eyes.
He gave the impression of a broken, sad person who had lost someone very dear to him. I couldn't help but feel a certain satisfaction from his somber expression. For the past week, I'd felt like shit. It was only fair that he was miserable, too. After all, he and his stupid contract with Rose were the reason behind this.
"Hello, princess," he greeted me gently, scanning me from head to toe with his probing gaze. I instantly regretted my choice of clothes. I wore an oversized grey sweater and black leggings. With messy hair that flew around my face, there was no way I looked exactly appealing.
"You forgot something when you left." He raised his hand and let the pink heart-shaped diamond necklace dangle. The white gold chain was hanging on his thumb. He gave me this ridiculously expensive piece of jewelry along with my collar.
I gulped, feeling tears in my eyes again, yet this time, I wasn't crying because he lied to me. I was crying because he came. He was willing to fight for me, for us, for our future. I couldn't deny the evident happiness settling in my chest. He was the only man who could heal my wounded heart.
However, one thing was absolutely clear. I wasn't ready to just forgive and forget. I didn't want to let everything pass with a wave of my hand only because he would say he was sorry.
It was up to him to show me how much he wanted me back, to persuade me it was nothing between him and Rosalind. I said it at the beginning, and nothing has changed since then. I would not share him with another woman.
Ever.
24
The Visit
Electra
It took me a few minutes to calm my erratic heart and crazy thoughts. While preparing coffee, I used the opportunity to do some breathing exercises. My whole body felt strained. I couldn't relax. I was afraid that the following conversation would end my relationship with Bastian.
He was in the living room with my grandmother, politely answering her questions and passing her snarky comments with a polite silence. I’d never seen him so tense in someone's presence. I was sure he would send her to hell for her not-very-nice words if she weren't part of my family.
I refreshed my face with cold water before I took the mugs and joined my grandma on the couch. She smiled at me and gently patted my shoulder when I served her coffee, but I knew she didn't intend to stay. I hoped she would start another round with Bastian, yet my greatest wish was that she would buy me some time to prepare for a horrible dialogue. But she left the room with one last wink at me and a stern glare at my boss.
An extremely awkward silence settled between us when we were alone. I was stirring my concoction, staring at the table, waiting for him to finally start talking. He didn't say anything for more than two minutes, and I felt my nervousnessgrowing every second. Eventually, I lifted my head to steal a look at his handsome face, only to find him looking back at me.
I was frozen on the spot by the intensity of his stare. It wasn't his typical lustful gaze that made me weak at the knees. Instead, I saw so much pain in his eyes that my heart skipped a beat, and my eyes watered. My lower lip quivered, and I quickly raised my mug to my mouth and lowered my head to avoid his piercing look.
It was as if he was trying to understand what was happening in my head, and maybe sometimes he could predict my reactions, but this time, I doubted his ability to know how I felt. He broke my trust and my heart as well. I was in pain. I was suffering because I gave him everything I was capable of, and he just took it and threw it out of the window.
Yes, I made some mistakes and lied to him about my first meeting with his brother, but it was nothing compared to his contract with Rose. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't imagine what he could possibly say to change the fact that he was hiding another woman from me.
We signed an agreement stating that we wouldn't have another partner, and he entered it with the knowledge of another ongoing contract with his ex. That was a bignofor me.
"Why are you here, Bastian?" I asked after another few minutes when the silence became unbearable. I wanted us to get this over with.
