“As long as it won’t interfere with your schedule. You’re still his father. I won’t cut you off just because we didn’t work out.” She blows out a choked laugh, looking at the ceiling. “Although if you come to visit one day with a new wife you were forced to marry just to produce a real heir, I may have a complete breakdown.”
I frame her face in my hands so she can see the truth behind my words. My fingers dig into her skin, an intensity buzzing through me as a new wave of tears falls down my cheeks.
“Our child will always be a real heir.” I rest my forehead on hers. “And you will always be my queen.” My voice cracks as I struggle to speak through the agony enveloping me, mind, body, and soul.
“And you will always be my king.”
I press my lips against hers, torturing myself with one last kiss. One last taste of her. One last moment of happiness.
It reminds me of the last time I kissed her before telling her about my involvement in the crash that cost her everything. I knew once I did, there would be no turning back.
But like Esme so succinctly put it back then, I was torn between having a clear conscience and a broken heart. Despite knowing I could have very well kept it to myself the rest of my life, I told Nora the truth. She deserved to know.
Just like she now deserves to be free of the cage this life has trapped her in.
She deserves to fly, and she can’t do that with me.
To keep my conscience clear, I break my heart and let her go.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Nora
The airplane jostles as I stare out the window, the familiar skyline of Manhattan lit up at night zooming by. The engines roar, the plane gradually slowing down at the end of the runway before turning and taxiing toward the fixed-base operations office where I’ll disembark and leave this life behind.
“Ready, ma’am?” Lieutenant O’Kelly walks up to me from his seat toward the front of the plane, the crew bustling around to prepare the cabin to return to Belmont, minus one passenger.
I nod, forcing a smile.
Despite having eight hours to prepare for my return to New York, now that I’m here, it’s more difficult than I imagined. I once looked forward to coming home after a long time away. Now I fear anywhere I go in the city will remind me of Anderson.
Then again, I have a feeling I’ll find pieces of Anderson no matter where I go.
O’Kelly helps me to my feet, following me down the aisle, the cabin crew bowing and curtseying as I pass. It strikes me as odd. After everything my mother said in that interview, I assumed they’d be happy to see me go. They certainly wouldn’t show me any sort of respect or deference. Instead, many of them look at me with sadness.
When I reach the door, I hold onto the railing and take a deep breath, drawing in the city air for the first time in months. It’s still the same briny sea air mixed with fuel and something distinctly New York. But it feels different. I feel different.
I descend the steps for the last time and allow O’Kelly to lead me into the main office, where a customs officer greets us.
“Passport, please.”
I hand it to the woman. She cross-references the photo to make sure it matches.
“What was your purpose for your trip abroad?”
I part my lips, wishing she didn’t have to ask that question. “I—”
“She was previously engaged to the Crown Prince of Belmont,” O’Kelly interjects, saving me from having to answer.
The woman looks at him before scrutinizing me, realization kicking in. “Oh, of course. I apologize. I didn’t initially recognize you.”
“It’s okay.”
After she types a few more things into her computer, she returns my passport. “Welcome home.”
I wish this place felt like home, but it doesn’t. I’m not sure anywhere will ever feel like home again.
“Why did you go through customs just to essentially walk me to catch a cab?” I ask O’Kelly as he steers me through the FBO office where a few well-dressed men wait for their private jet or charter to take off.
I guess I should be grateful Queen Veronica showed me a sliver of kindness toward the end and arranged my use of the jet. Otherwise, I would have not only had to attempt to get through the Belmont airport with no one recognizing me, but here, too. At least this way, I don’t have to worry about people coming up to me and accusing me of being a murderer.
“Because I promised His Highness I would make sure you arrived home safely. Not just in New York. So I’ll be accompanying you to your final destination.”
When we step out of the small terminal building, a black SUV already waits. O’Kelly opens the back passenger door for me, helping me in. Then he runs around and slides in beside me.
“Do you want to stay in the Upper West Side apartment? His Highness wanted me to tell you that he’ll be signing it over to you once the lawyers draw up the paperwork. And not to concern yourself with the property taxes or any other expenses. He’ll cover those, too.”
“Tell him that’s generous, but I can’t go back there. He can sell it if he wants. I’ve already reached out to my friends to tell them I’m coming home. I’ll be staying with Izzy in Gramercy Park while I figure out where to go from here.”
“Are you sure it’s safe? You’re not just recognizable in Belmont, but also across the world. Especially here.”
“Her husband is Asher York. He’s—”
“I know who he is,” he says with a laugh. “The rock star. Pretty sure you’d have to be living under a rock to not know who Asher York is.”
“Exactly. So their house has adequate security. I’ll be fine there.”
“Okay.” He meets the driver’s gaze in the rearview mirror, giving him a nod.
During the drive from JFK and into the heart of Manhattan, I keep my eyes trained out the window. I should find comfort in the fact that I’m minutes away from seeing the friends I’ve missed these past six weeks, two of whom are on the brink of giving birth. But I didn’t expect the first time I returned to be so…permanent.
After a traffic-filled drive that takes over an hour, despite only being twenty miles away, the SUV finally pulls up in front of Izzy and Asher’s townhouse. I glance up at the five-story brownstone a block away from the exclusive, private park in Manhattan.
Lieutenant O’Kelly slides out of the SUV and heads to my side, helping me step down onto the sidewalk. After retrieving my small suitcase, he carries it up the front steps for me, then turns to face me. It’s sad to think that my entire life can fit into just one suitcase.
I once marveled at people who got rid of most of their belongings and decided to live more of a nomadic lifestyle, never staying in one place long enough to set down roots.
Now the idea is quite appealing.
“It was an honor, ma’am,” O’Kelly says stoically.
“Thank you. This entire ordeal would have sucked if I didn’t have you helping me, Kylian.”
He grits a smile and is about to retreat when he stops, lifting his gaze to mine. “Can I… Can I give you a hug?”
Tears well in my eyes once more and I nod. He wraps his arms around me, my body tiny compared to his huge bulk.