by Ella Miles
“It’s going to be okay, Sophie. I’m going to find you a good home. I just don’t think I can keep you here. I can’t have one more daily reminder of Luca.”
Sophie licks my face and looks at me with her sad puppy-dog eyes.
“Don’t look at me that way. He hurt both of us. Abandon us both. We deserve better.” I stand up and pet Sophie one more time. “Good girl.”
I walk through my house, gathering my purse and keys before I leave, trying not to think about the fact that, when I return, my life could be vastly different. I might no longer be able to afford this house. I might no longer be able to practice veterinarian medicine. I might have lost everything that I had left. But, somehow, that thought doesn’t scare me. At least, not like it used to. Because I know I’m capable of starting over and doing something amazing with my life. If I lose everything, I’ll just start something better. Something stronger that no one will be able to break down. I have to.
I jump in my car and turn on the radio to distract myself as I drive to the courthouse. I turn it to a rap station and listen to my favorite Eminem song as I drive. Mainly because I just want to listen to music that doesn’t always have a happy ending.
The music fades and the DJ’s voice comes on the radio. I hear the words that I’ve been dreading every day since I left Luca. “Luca Mores is engaged to Sarah Thompson. They say they’ll get married later this year in an intimate wedding just for family and friends. Luca was recently linked to his longtime US love, Ivy Lane. A woman who went from rags to riches, but it wasn’t enough to steal the young prince’s heart. Ultimately, a scandal ripped the two apart. This must be devastating news for the young American. But we must say that we’re all excited to see what another beautiful royal wedding could be like with a prince as hot as him.”
I turn the radio off, not able to listen to another word. I knew that he would get engaged fast and marry even faster. I know that’s what he thinks he needs for his country. But it breaks my heart that he can move on so fast. I know that he loves me. And I know that he doesn’t love her, not yet anyway. But it still hurts.
So, I have no idea how to handle the news. Cry. Yell and scream. Or be at peace with his decision. None of the choices seems like the right one.
And it also means that I’m running out of time to decide if I want to share my own secrets with him. Because I know that, once he marries Sarah, I will keep quiet forever, burying my secrets deep down in my heart and never letting him know the truth. I just have to decide what I’m going to do.
But I’m just as clueless as I was the day I left. I have no answer as to what’s the right thing to do. But I do know that, if I saw him again, I would have a hard time continuing to lie to him.
Nothing. I will do nothing.
We both made our decisions. To protect each other, we can no longer be in each other’s lives. So, that’s what I’m going to do. Live my life and let him live his. I will try my best to find some purpose and happiness without the only man I have ever loved.
I park outside of the courthouse, take a minute to gather myself, and then walk inside to find my lawyer. The second I walk inside the courthouse, it makes me feel like a criminal. I walk through the metal detectors and then toward courtroom number two where I sit down on the bench outside, waiting for my turn.
Twenty minutes later, I glance down at my watch, realizing that my attorney is late. Shit. I don’t know if that’s a good sign or bad. Maybe he has worked out a last-minute deal that he’s settling before he comes to meet me. Or maybe he’s decided to drop my case because he knows he can’t win.
I dig out my phone from my purse and dial his number, but I get his voice mail. I look at the clock. Less than five minutes before I’m due in court.
What if he doesn’t show? Does that mean I’ll just have to represent myself? Will they appoint me a lawyer at the last minute? Or will they postpone this hearing?
I watch as the seconds and minutes tick by, growing more anxious by the second. So anxious that I even consider calling Luca, like he would be able to give me some sort of advice on what to do next. But I don’t call Luca.
“Ivy!” I hear my lawyer’s voice ring out in the hallway.
I stand up and look at him. “Where have you been, Brett?”
He runs toward me, very out of breath. “I’m so sorry. But I got you a last-second deal.”
My eyes widen. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I shouldn’t say I did. Your previous lawyer spoke with the couple this morning. They dropped the lawsuit.”
“What? What do you mean, they dropped the lawsuit? How much money do I owe them?”
“Nothing,” my lawyer says, smiling. “You owe them nothing. They said they realized that the only reason they were doing this was for the money. They thought you had done an excellent job, and your previous lawyer was able to convince them to drop it, saying how badly it would hurt you if they won the money. It would make you stop being a vet, and that wasn’t fair to you. Apparently, they agreed.”
I sink back down onto the bench.
Luca. Luca did this. He saved me from the lawsuit, just like he’d promised.
He still loves me. He’ll still do anything to protect me.
And I know what I have to do. I have to go talk to him. I have to tell him my secret. I have to let him know that I love him, too. And then we can make an honest decision about both of our futures.
I booked the first fight I could to Monaco. I ran home, packed a bag, convinced Skye to take care of my animals, and then headed to the airport. And, now, I’m sitting, waiting impatiently for my flight to board. I haven’t texted Luca or called him to let him know that I’m coming. I don’t even know if they’ll let me in when I just show up at the castle. But I have to try.
I take the phone out of my purse and contemplate my next move. Should I send him a text, letting him know that I’m coming? No. He’ll just tell me not to come. I need to get to Monaco first, and then I’ll try to figure out how to get him to see me.
I hear them announce that they are boarding my flight. I jump up and get in line. I wait anxiously as the line slowly moves forward. When I get to the front, I hold out my boarding pass, waiting for them to scan it so that I can board the plane and be one step closer to Luca. I watch as the gate attendant scans my boarding pass and then frowns.
“I need you to step aside for just a moment,” the gate attendant says to me.
“Why? What’s wrong?” “Your passport has been flagged for further screening. An agent will be here any second to help you.”
I sigh and step aside, hating that they won’t just let me immediately on the plane. But I know that being on the plane isn’t going to make the plane move any faster. So, it doesn’t matter if I wait here or in a seat on the plane. I’ll get to Luca equally as fast either way.
“Miss Lane, come with me, please,” I hear a man’s deep voice say.
I turn and look at a man in a dark suit, clearly not a uniformed officer.
“And you are?”
“Airport security.” The man nods at the gate agent, and I know I have no choice but to follow him.
I follow the man, not having a clue as to what’s happening, but I’m ready to fight if I have to. I’ll do anything to get to Luca.
The security officer opens the door and waits for me to go inside. I hesitantly look at him, trying to decide how much of a threat he really is, and then I step inside.
“Luca,” I breathe, not understanding what he’s doing here.
Luca is standing in a small room by himself. His hands are in the pockets of his jeans, and he’s wearing a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His hair has grown a bit longer again and is no longer styled perfectly. He slowly walks toward me while keeping his hands in his pockets.
“Is there a reason you were going to Monaco, or was it just to see me?”
“I was going to see you.”
He nods with a confused expression on his face. “Why?”
“Because I have some secrets that I need to tell you the truth about.” I pause. “Why are you here? Do you have some business in the US, or are you here to see me?”
Luca slowly looks up at me. “Everything I do is because of you.”
I take a deep breath in and out, not prepared to be facing him quite yet. But here he is, and I know I’m only going to get one chance at us.
“Luca, I—”
“Stop. I need to talk first,” Luca says.
Luca glances over at the small couch in the room. I nod, and we go take a seat on the couch, facing each other.
Luca takes a deep breath in and out. He opens his mouth and then closes it several times, like he’s about to say something but doesn’t quite know how to start.
He finally begins, “Ivy, letting you go the first time was hard. It stayed with me for the three years after. It killed me. It consumed me until I had no choice. Until I had to come and make you mine again. Losing you the second time was tragic. Worse than that. I haven’t been able to sleep. I haven’t been able to eat. I haven’t been able to deal with any of my duties because all I can think about is you. Last time, it took me three years to come to this realization. This time, less than three months.
“I’ve tried doing what I’m supposed to. I’ve tried going through the motions, finding a new woman to marry and make the princess. And, if after everything is said and done here and you still don’t want me, then I’ll do what I’m supposed to. I’ll marry another woman and never come back for you again.
“But I need you to know the complete, honest truth, and then you can decide if you still hate me. Because I need to do everything I can to fight for you. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I don’t.”
I open my mouth, but Luca shakes his head, not letting me answer. I sigh, trying to be patient even though I feel the exact same way about him. I need to listen to whatever he has to say. Because his words might make all the difference.
“I want to tell you the truth about everything. Because I trust you and love you, and I know that you will never reveal the truth to anyone.”
I nod.
Luca reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a picture. He hands it to me. I slowly take it from him and look at the picture of two young boys, maybe ten. One, I immediately recognize as Luca. The other though, I can’t place, but he has an uncanny resemblance to Luca. They look like brothers. Twins even.
I look up at Luca. “I don’t understand.”
“That’s a picture of me and my cousin, Luke, the Prince of Monaco.”
I blink rapidly, not understanding the words that are coming out of Luca’s mouth.
“I’m not the prince. He is.” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “Well, was. My cousin was the prince. He was born a prince.
“I was just born into a middle-class family. My parents died when I was quite young. I went from foster home to foster home. I didn’t even know that I had a cousin who was a prince until I was about ten years old.
“Margaret and Murray decided that Luke needed some family his age to hang out with, so I spent an entire summer with them, hanging out with the only family that I had left. Luke and I became the best of friends that summer. We did everything together, shared everything in common. We became like brothers.
“So close in fact that Margaret and Murray decided that they wanted me as their second son. They let me live at the castle, but the summer before they were going to announce their plans to the country, before they were going to introduce me as their new son, Luke was kidnapped and killed.”
I feel the tears streaming down my face as I feel his pain at losing the person he felt was like a brother.
“Margaret knew she couldn’t have any more kids, and even if she adopted me, I wouldn’t be heir to the throne. Murray’s uncle and his son would be next in line. So, Margaret made a decision to keep the crown out of the hands of those she felt would bring devastation to the country. She turned me into her son. I went along with the plan because it meant leaving my life, hopping around from foster home to foster home, to living permanently in the castle. It was all just one big game to me, pretending to be Luke.
“Margaret taught me everything I needed to know to become her son. Slowly, the name Luke turned to Luca, which made it easier for me to respond to when called. I was mostly out of the public eye until my late teens through early twenties, enough to quiet any questions about the changing prince’s appearance. But then again, I looked so much like Luke that only those closest to the family would have even noticed a difference.
“Then, in my early twenties, I started to rebel and get in trouble. I was having a hard time with accepting that I had given my life away to become a prince. I wound up getting caught for speeding or getting caught in various women’s beds. So, Margaret and Murray let me go for a while to the US to get away from it all to try to find myself and make sure that this was the life I really wanted. All the while saying that I had joined the military and was gaining some discipline. During that time, I graduated college and got a law degree.
“I was on my way back to being a prince and accepting my role when I met you. I was always supposed to marry another when I returned. Someone that Margaret had picked out in order to keep her secret. She would do everything in her power to keep me safe. Because I had truly become a son to her, and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing me after everything she sacrificed the last twenty years.
“But, when I met you, that was all I could think about—you and me. I even considered giving up the throne to be with you. I tried to stall by reapplying for law school again—this time, under a different name. To give me more time with you. To give me time to convince Margaret that you could lie and keep our secrets. That a foreigner would be willing to give her life up to protect our country—knowing that, at any moment, she could be kidnapped or killed, especially if she ever carried an heir. Because the people who kidnapped and killed Luke have never been found.
“But then you thought I was lying. I realized that I would be making a huge mistake if I gave it all up or couldn’t convince Margaret you were the one. So, I let you go. I went back to law school for the second time and then prepared to marry someone else. Just like I’m doing now. Except I can’t marry someone else, not while you’re still breathing.
“I know that I said we could never be together because I didn’t trust you with our lives or to pretend like I’m a prince even though I’m not. But that’s not true. I trust you with my life, and even Margaret has come around to agree with me. I tried to break up with you to keep you safe. Because I know that, once you carry an heir, your life is going to be in even more danger. These people will stop at nothing to try to regain their power for my great-uncle and who they feel is the rightful heir to the throne. I thought I was protecting you by giving you up, but I need you to know the truth. The only real thing I’ve ever lied to you about is being a prince even though I’m not. Everything else I ever told you was the truth.
“I love you, and I know how much you would have to sacrifice to be with me. And I know that you probably hate me and want to see me miserable, but I couldn’t live with myself if you didn’t know the truth.”
After he finishes speaking, I sit for a long time, trying to understand everything.
He’s not a liar.
He’s not a prince.
Yet he is a prince.
His life is in danger every second of every day.
And mine would be, too, if I chose to marry him.
“You might have never lied to me. But I lied to you.”
Luca leans forward, trying to understand what I’m saying. “It doesn’t matter what you lied about. I just want us to be together.”
“See, that’s the thing. Last time we were together, I lied to protect you. Because I thought that I was the reason they shot at you. I thought I was the one causing so much turmoil in your country. So, I lied and told you that I didn’t love you, but I do.”
A s
low smile creeps up on Luca’s face. He crashes on top of me, grabbing my face, while our lips kiss, desperate for each other. When we kiss, I know it won’t take much for our clothes to be gone and for us to be naked and making love on this couch. But there’s more to be said before we do.
“Ask me the question you were going to ask me that night,” I say.
Luca grins and reaches into his back pocket, pulling out a rose full of thorns and handing it to me. I take it from him.
“You’ve seen the highs and lows of what it’s like to rule Monaco. You’ve seen the good and the bad, just like this rose is beautiful yet has thorns. I know the sacrifices you are going to have to make to do the job, but I know that you’re more than capable of doing the perfect job. Ivy Lane, will you be Monaco’s princess?”
I look up from the rose, slightly disappointed that there’s not a ring attached to it. But I know it’s a good first step and that he wouldn’t be asking me to be a princess if he wasn’t also willing to marry me.
“Yes.”
“Oh, yeah. I should probably ask you one more question, too.”
He softly kisses me on the lips and then says, “Open.”
I look up at him like he’s crazy. “Open the rose?” I ask.
He laughs. “Yes.”
I begin digging into the center of the rose, and I realize now that it isn’t completely real. When I get to the center, I find a latch and open it. Inside is a large diamond ring.
I look up at Luca.
“Marry me?”
I laugh. “Yes!”
Luca slips the ring onto my finger and then starts kissing me again, ripping the clothes off my body as he does.
“Let’s practice making some babies now,” Luca says, kissing me.
I laugh. “I have one more secret to tell first.”
Luca kisses my neck. “Whatever it is, it will have to wait. I need to fuck my dirty princess and fiancée first.”
I laugh again. “I was just going to say, there’s no need to practice making babies. We’ve already succeeded.”