29. Luca

CHAPTER 29

LUCA

M y eyes snap open, the remnants of a restless slumber still clinging to my lashes. This is it: coronation day. The day I’ve been prepared for my entire life.

And yet, as I stare at the tiled ceiling above me, all I feel is a hollow ache in my chest.

Hailey . Her name echoes through my mind, a relentless reminder of what I’ve lost.

I glance at the clock on the nightstand. Seven a.m. She’s probably at the airport by now, waiting to board a plane that will take her back to New York. Back to her life. A life that no longer includes me.

I drag myself out of bed, each movement heavy with regret. The palace is already buzzing with activity — servants scurrying to and fro, the distant clamor of guests arriving for the ceremony. But as I go through the motions of getting ready, I feel detached from it all. Numb.

The royal tailor enters the room, his assistant’s arms laden with my ceremonial robes. “Good morning, sir,” he greets me, his voice bright with excitement. “The big day has finally arrived!”

I force a smile, but it feels like a grimace. “Indeed it has.”

The assistant lays out the robes on the bed, smoothing the rich fabric with reverent hands. “The people are so eager to see their new king,” the tailor says. “The crowds outside the palace gates are already massive.”

I nod, but his words barely register. All I can think about is Hailey. The hurt in her eyes as I pushed her away. The way something shattered in those eyes when I said that perhaps we should keep the baby a secret forever.

I didn’t really mean that. It just came out.

And now she’s gone. Because I was too much of a coward to fight for her. For us.

I dress mechanically, letting everyone else fuss over the drape of my robes and the placement of my medals. But as I catch sight of my reflection in the mirror, I hardly recognize the man staring back at me.

I am soon to be a king. But at what cost?

Did my father ever have the same thought? As committed as he was to Werdenfeld, were there times where he wondered if the price wasn’t worth it after all?

A knock at the door startles me from my bleak thoughts. “Enter,” I call out, my voice sounding hollow even to my own ears.

Simon steps into the room, resplendent in his own ceremonial attire. But his brow furrows as he takes in my expression. “She’s gone, isn’t she?”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Yes. She’s gone. Hailey and I… we’re over. You were right. This situation could never work out.”

He looks incredibly sad, like he’s the one who’s been dumped and not me. “What happened?”

The staff in the room take the hint and scurry out, leaving me and Simon to ourselves.

I sink onto the edge of the bed, my head in my hands. “I pushed her away. Told her that maybe we should keep the baby a secret forever. That the scandal would be too much for the monarchy to bear.”

He sucks in a sharp breath. “Luca…” His voice is gentle as he sits beside me. “I know I expressed my doubts before, but listen.”

I look up at him, confusion mingling with the ache in my chest. “Listen to what? It is over, Simon. It was folly to think that it ever could have worked out.”

“Your relationship with Hailey can work out. But only if you give her the respect she deserves. Public opinion be damned.”

I stare at him, hardly daring to believe what I’m hearing. “But the backlash… the tabloids… It could destabilize the monarchy.”

He grips my shoulders, his gaze fierce. “And what good is a stable monarchy if its king is miserable? Hailey makes you happy, Luca. Happier than I’ve ever seen you. That’s worth fighting for.”

His words floor me. He’s right. I’ve been so focused on what others might think, on the potential fallout, that I lost sight of what truly matters.

Hailey. Our love. Our future together.

I want our child to have two parents united, two parents devoted to them. They deserve what Hailey and I never had growing up.

I stand abruptly, my heart pounding. “I have to go after her. I have to make this right.”

But even as the words leave my mouth, reality comes crashing back in. The coronation. My duty to my country.

I can’t just leave. Can I?

Simon seems to read my thoughts. “You have to go through with the coronation, Luca. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still fight for Hailey.”

I pace the room, my mind racing. The future I always envisioned for myself — taking the throne, leading my country — it all seems hollow now compared to the life I could have with Hailey and our baby.

“Your people are waiting for you, Luca,” Simon goes on. “Call Hailey. Ask her to come back, to join you in this day.”

I nod excitedly. I want to be there for my family in a way my father never was for me. I want to give them the time and attention they deserve, even if it means defying tradition and expectation.

But first, I have to make sure Hailey knows how I feel.

I pull out my phone with shaking hands, my breath catching in my throat as I dial her number. It goes straight to voicemail, and for a moment, I’m seized with panic. What if she’s already boarded her flight?

“Hailey…” My voice cracks as I leave the message. “I know I have no right to ask anything of you right now. But please… if you haven’t left yet… if there’s even the smallest part of you that still believes in us… come to the coronation. Let me show you how much you mean to me. I am sorry for what I said.”

I end the call, my heart hammering against my ribs. I have no idea if she’ll come. If she’ll even listen to my message.

But I have to try. I have to believe that our burgeoning love is strong enough to overcome any obstacle.

Even though that obstacle is my own destiny.

The minutes tick by agonizingly slowly as I wait for the ceremony to begin. Waiting in the antechamber that will lead me into the hall and then outside to the grounds and onto the makeshift coronation stage, I try to focus on the faces of the people around me — the dignitaries, the advisors, the staff bustling about making final preparations. But all I can think about is Hailey.

Did she get my message? Or is she already on her flight to New York, ready to leave my life forever? Is there a chance, even the slimmest possibility, that she might show up here today?

I clench my fists at my sides, fighting the urge to pace or run my hands through my carefully styled hair. I have to maintain the image of a composed, confident ruler, even as my insides churn with anxiety and regret.

Stefan appears at my elbow, his brow furrowed with concern. “Sir… it’s time.”

I nod, swallowing hard. This is it. The moment I’ve been preparing for my entire life. The moment I take on the mantle of king and all the responsibility that comes with it.

But as I step up to the dais, my eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of Hailey’s familiar face, I realize that none of it matters without her by my side.

The archbishop begins the opening invocation, his voice ringing out through the massive speakers. I try to focus on his words, but my mind is miles away, imagining Hailey on a plane whisking her across the ocean, her eyes red from crying, her heart broken in two at my hands.