30. Paolo

CHAPTER 30

PAOLO

M y parents stare at me expectantly. My heart leaps into my mouth. I glance back at Chloe, and she nods, encouraging me as always. She gives me the strength I need to do what I have to do.

I take a step forward, completely exposed, like I’m under a spotlight. Like I’m standing in the line of fire, waiting for them to pass judgment.

“We’ve got some news,” I say taking a deep breath. “And I have a confession. Me and Chloe… we’re not really married.”

My parents’ faces don’t change, like this was something they expected. I continue. “I mean, the ceremony was real, but, well, it wasn’t really under my name. And the thing is, Chloe only agreed to marry me because I offered to pay her. I lied to her about who I was, and she only agreed to do it because I promised her money. And because she’s a wonderful, generous, and kind person, she went along with my scheme. She agreed to come here and meet you.”

“Why would you do this?” asks my father sternly, his eyebrows knotting together. He looks more like an angry old man than ever.

“I wanted to know if I was in Grandfather’s will,” I confess, my eyes pricking with tears. I clench my fists and fight them back. “Because nobody told me that he had died, and I wanted to know if any of you remembered me. It all started this plan to get home, to marry a Bellamari citizen. To get a fake passport. It was all working perfectly. And then I went and made the stupidest mistake of all.”

“Which was?” asks my mother, raising the most unimpressed eyebrow I’ve ever seen.

“I fell in love. I fell in love for real . I found something more important than myself. I realized how much more I should be. I realized that, all this time, I’ve been listening to what you think of me and accepting it as the truth.”

“What we think?” Mother scoffs.

“Yeah. What you’ve thought about me my entire life — that I’m stupid and unworthy. You’ve always favored Miguel and Luca, and I get that. Miguel’s going to get the crown, and Luca’s next after that. But me? I’m nothing. The only way I could ever get anyone to notice me was to make noise in the stupidest way possible.”

“We never thought that,” says my father quietly.

“What?” I blink.

Father slides his chair back and gets to his feet. “Yes, Paolo, you are the youngest. Yes, the crown is unlikely to ever fall to you. But we’ve never thought any less of you because of that. We have loved you as a son, ever since you were born. We have always wanted what was best for you.”

“You did?” I say, my throat closing up with emotion. Chloe reaches to take my hand, giving me an anchor in this stormy sea I’ve been thrown into.

“We did. And I see now, perhaps we were a little harsh on you. But it seems the year of exile has done wonders for you after all.”

“This is the man we always believed you could be,” says my mother, getting to her feet. They both round the table to approach us, and my heart leaps into my mouth.

A million times, I’ve imagined having this conversation with my parents. A million times, I’ve imagined standing up to them, telling them how I’ve always felt. Asking them why they’ve never cared about me the same way that they’ve cared about my brothers. And in all my imaginings, I never thought that the answer would be that they did care about me all this time.

“We’re sorry if we’ve let you down,” says my mother. “You are our son, Paolo. You are important.”

She glances at my father, and a rare smile splits across his face “Yes. You’ve learned the lesson that we hoped you would. You’ve become a man. So, we’re ready to welcome you back with open arms.”

My hands fly to my mouth and I let out a choked sob. “Really?”

“Really.”

Suddenly, I’m more vulnerable than ever. Everyone’s eyes are on me, boring deep into my soul, trying to decide what I’m going to do next.

Chloe squeezes my hand, and I turn to her. “I love you. I’m so sorry for all the lies. If you’ll still have me…?” She nods with a teary smile, and I turn back to my parents. “Allow me to marry Chloe. Properly. Allow me to give her the ceremony that she deserves, to express our love in front of everyone. I’m not afraid to shout it from the rooftops.”

I turn back to Chloe and sink to one knee. “Marry me again?” I ask, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. I wish I had a ring, but for now the promise is enough. “Promise to be mine forever.”

“I promise,” she says, a tear tracing down her face.

I jump back to my feet and wrap my arms around her, kissing her on the cheek. She squeezes me tight, and I smile. This is perfect.

“Oh, and another thing,” I say, letting her go and turning again. “Chloe’s pregnant.”

My mother’s mouth drops open. She looks down at Chloe’s belly, then back at me. “Then we’d best arrange for this marriage to happen as soon as possible.”

“Wait,” says Chloe. “Please. Yes, Paolo, I will marry you. But, Your Majesty…” She hesitates and curtseys to my mother, and I see a flash of amusement behind my mother’s eyes. “Do you mind if we don’t do it straightaway? Unless me having a baby will cause some big scandal. I am happy to stand in front of everyone in the country and tell them that I’ll be faithful to Paolo forever, but we never had a chance to have a real relationship. Let us have that first. Let us fall in love the real way, then get married.”

I look at my parents. They look at each other. My father leans in and whispers something in my mother’s ear, and she nods. An eternity passes as we wait to hear what they’re going to say next.

Then my mother smiles, a real, genuine smile, the kind that she doesn’t give very often. “Yes,” she says. “I think that can be arranged.”