26. Hailey

CHAPTER 26

HAILEY

I find Luca in his study, his brow furrowed as he scans a stack of papers. He looks up when I enter, his expression softening. Joy ripples through me.

It’s only been a few days since we spent the night together, and ever since then we’ve been sneaking kisses here and there throughout the days and spending every night together in his room. He’s made no effort to hide our burgeoning romance from the palace staff, which makes me more pleased than I can put into words.

“Hello, sweetness. How are you?” He sets the papers aside, giving me his full attention.

“I’m stir-crazy,” I admit, perching on the edge of his desk. “It’s gorgeous out. I was thinking we could go to the lake? Get some fresh air?”

Luca’s smile falters. He reaches for my hand, his thumb skimming my knuckles.

“I wish I could. But we need to be careful, Hailey. Keep things private for now. Remember?”

Irritation prickles under my skin. “Luca, I haven’t left the palace in weeks. I feel like a prisoner.”

“You’re not a prisoner.” He sighs, squeezing my fingers. “I’m trying to protect you. Protect us. Until I can figure out how to handle this publicly.”

I tug my hand free, my earlier restlessness sharpening into frustration. He’s been “figuring things out” ever since I told him I was pregnant, and it hasn’t gotten us anywhere yet. It feels like we’re just biding time until the coronation.

“Well, maybe I’m tired of needing your protection.”

His eyes widen at my sharp tone. “Hailey?—”

But I’m already turning away, striding out of his study before he can finish. The halls blur as I blink back sudden tears.

It’s not that I don’t understand his caution. But understanding it doesn’t make it any easier to bear.

I’m in the garage before I fully register my destination, sliding into one of the sleek cars. The engine purrs to life under my touch, thanks to the key that one of the servants handed over. Apparently being a guest at the palace can get you almost anything you ask for.

Luca will be furious if he finds out that I’m leaving the grounds. But in this moment, sweating in the stifling heat, our child fluttering in my womb, I can’t bring myself to care.

What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him, and so I head down the long drive, through the gate, and to the lake only a few miles away. Finding a parking spot, I slip to the edge, where families are enjoying themselves on blankets.

The water sparkles invitingly under the afternoon sun as I wade in, my sundress billowing around my thighs. Delicious coolness laps at my skin, soothing away the worst of the heat.

I tip my head back, savoring the play of sunlight on my face. The rhythmic slosh of gentle waves is the only sound, wrapping me in blissful solitude.

If only Luca were here to share this stolen moment of peace. His strong arms around me, his lips brushing my temple…

“Excuse me, miss?”

I startle at the voice, whirling to face the shore. A man stands at the water’s edge, a curious tilt to his head as he studies me. Recognition lights his eyes.

“You’re her, aren’t you? The prince’s girlfriend?”

Ice slithers down my spine despite the oppressive heat. “I’m sorry; I think you have me confused with someone else.”

“No, it’s definitely you. From that photo in the gardens with Prince Luca.”

I curse inwardly, my brief contentment shattering. Of course people haven’t forgotten that damned picture. How foolish of me to imagine otherwise.

The man is still talking, oblivious to my rising panic. “What are you doing out here alone? Is it true that you moved here just to be with the prince?”

I force my leaden legs to move, wading back to shore as quickly as I can manage. “I’m sorry, but I really must be going.”

The man trails after me, questions tumbling from his lips faster than I can deflect them. “Wait! Can you just tell me?—”

Other people have taken notice, and they abandon what they’re doing to approach me. “It’s her,” a woman excitedly tells her friend.

“Excuse me.” I try to be polite as I sidestep the woman, but another person takes her place.

It doesn’t matter what I say, anyway. My words are lost beneath the growing clamor of voices. More people are gathering now, alerted by the man’s excited shouts. Faces swim before me, a sea of eager eyes and grasping hands.

“Is it true you’re carrying the prince’s heir?”

“How long have you been together?”

“What’s he like behind closed doors?”

I shield my face as people film me on their phones, the footage probably streaming straight to every social media site there is. Terror claws at my throat. I have to get out of here.

I try to push through the crowd, mumbling apologies as I go, but there are too many of them. They press in from all sides, suffocating me with their proximity. My chest constricts, lungs straining for air.

“Please, let me through,” I beg, hating the tremor in my voice. “I don’t want any trouble.”

But they’re relentless, drunk on the prospect of a juicy scoop. The questions keep coming, each one more invasive than the last. I feel like a cornered animal, defenseless against the onslaught.

Tears burn my eyes as desperation takes hold. Where are Luca’s security teams? Surely someone must have noticed my absence by now.

I scan the area wildly, praying for a glimpse of a familiar face, but there’s no one. Just an endless sea of strangers, all clamoring for a piece of me.

A hand closes around my arm and I yelp, trying to wrench free. But the grip only tightens, fingers digging into my flesh. Panic surges through me, hot and sharp.

Luca was right; I shouldn’t have left the palace. This is a nightmare come to life, and I’m completely alone, stuck in the middle of it and with no way out.