Page 98 of A Kingdom's Heart
The same man, now kissing my dearest friend.
The word tilted for a moment and I stood frozen in disbelief.
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
IRIS
They broke apart the instant they saw me. Both of them froze like they’d been struck.
Raven’s eyes went wide. “Iris! What are you doing here?”
I took a step forward, my heart pounding. “No, the question is what are you two doing?”
Neither of them spoke at first. The air felt too heavy, too sharp. Lorenzo straightened, his face pale but composed. “My lady,” he began carefully, “it’s not what it looks like.”
I let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Then what does it look like, Your Highness?”
Raven drew in a shaky breath. “Please don’t be angry,” she said quickly. “You remember the man I told you about—the one who broke my heart?”
I frowned, my voice barely steady. “Yes?”
Her next words made my stomach drop. “It’s him. The prince. Prince Lorenzo.”
For a moment, I could only stare. The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet. “What?” I whispered. “You’re sayinghewas the one?”
Raven nodded weakly, eyes full of guilt.
My chest tightened. My betrothed. My supposed future husband.
The same man who had hurt my best friend so deeply she still cried at night. And Raven hadn’t told me.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked, my voice trembling. “You should have told me, Raven!”
“I couldn’t,” she said, her words barely more than a whisper. “I didn’t know how.”
Before I could speak again, Lorenzo wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb. His voice came calm, too calm. “Because there’s nothing between us anymore,” he said flatly. “It was a mistake. A long time ago.”
The words sunk deep into me. I could hardly breathe. My eyes widened, searching both their faces. I was desperate to understand what I was seeing, what I was hearing.
Raven stepped forward, shaking her head. “Lorenzo, please don’t say that,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
He turned to her, his jaw set. “No, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it
again. There’s nothing between us anymore.”
“Then why were the two of you kissing?” I asked, my voice sharper than I meant it to be.
He looked at me then, guilt flickering across his face before he spoke. “Because I loved her once,” he said quietly, “and I still do. But the two of us don’t work.”
Raven’s face crumpled. Tears filled her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as she shook her head. “Please,” she said, her voice
trembling. “Don’t say that.”
“I already have.”
Then his eyes turned to me. “You’re the one I want now.”
The words struck me like a blade. My heart began to pound so hard I thought he might hear it. I didn’t move or speak. All I could do was stare at him and listen to the sound of Raven’s quiet sob.
