Page 72 of Princessa
Chapter 38
The knock on my door startled me.
It had been a few days since Mama told me she’d made contact with Queen Isadora.
Queen Isadora told her that Iris confessed and turned the video over to Grayson.
All should have been good, right?
It wasn’t.
After unblocking his number, I called Grayson numerous times, only to be greeted by his voicemail. I even sent him text messages and a few direct messages on Instagram.
Nothing.
I’d lost him. The only man I will ever love.
Stepping out of the shower, I dried off then pulled on the T-shirt I’d been wearing for the past few days. It belonged to Grayson—the one he gave me to slip on after our first night of lovemaking. After several washes, it no longer carried his musky scent; however, wearing it made me feel like I was wrapped up in him.
Padding over to the door, I thought it would probably be Camille; it was late in the evening, but she was expected back from Paris any day now. The two of us were to say our final and formal farewells as she was planning to move to Andorra with her new husband.
The knock came again, and Diamond jumped off the couch, scurrying to my room, hiding under the bed.
My breath hitched when I swung the door open.
“Grayson,” I breathed out with a frayed tone I tried to control, thick with a hybrid of emotions. “I’ve been calling and texting you…”
His eyes lifted to meet mine. “I know. May I come in?”
Inside, I stood, my back against the door, waiting for him to speak because, though I had lots to say, nothing moved past my lips. I was angry he’d been ignoring my calls and at the same time, elated to see the man I walked out on only days before.
Grayson looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept in days, weeks, or months. Through the disheveled hair, the unshaven scruff dotting his chin, he still looked like the man of my dreams.
“Bella,” he said, hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans. “I need you to explain why you left. Why you didn’t trust in the man who asked you to be his wife?”
Chest rising and falling, I stayed put, arms folded, frightened that no matter my reply, he was on a mission to give me a piece of his mind, then take off, never to be heard from again.
Girl, you’d better fight for this man.
Swallowing a lump of humility, the words finally broke free: “In my mind, at that moment, leaving was the right thing to do.”
“Surely you knew I’d never let anything break us apart, given how much you meant to me, right?”
“Meantto you?” My body quivered at his past-tense reference. I was right. He’d traveled all the way to Savannah simply to tell me what a fool I was to leave him. Fuck, for all I knew, he would be demanding his T-shirt back too. “So that’s it? We’re done? I mean, seeing how you’re talking about your feelings as though they existed only in the past.”
“It’s kind of hard not to be pissed at a woman who basically, out of the blue, sent me a text saying she had a change of heart. And believe, me, I realize Iris put you between a rock and a hard place. But what I can’t seem to get past is why you didn’t trust me enough to give me a chance to make amends.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks and I was no longer sure I’d be able to continue standing.
“You told me Iris wouldn’t be a problem for us. Said you were sure she’d moved on after she paid you an unexpected visit. Yet, somehow, she managed to get her evil little hands on a private and very heated moment between us. A moment that, of all things, violated every single principle I left home with. No cussing. No drinking. No nude photos or videos. No drama. My parents spent my whole life ensuring I understood my public life should be void of any of that.”
Grayson’s shoulders sagged, his Adam’s apple visibly bobbing as he swallowed.
When he stayed quiet, I continued. “Maybe I should have come to you. But a piece of me felt violated at how easily that conniving snake slipped in and planted a recording device. Truth is, I panicked and did what I thought was best for my family, best for those I love—which includes you, Grayson.” Swiping away my tears, I walked toward him until nothing but our grievance was wedged between us. Looking up, still mesmerized over how tall he was compared to me, our grief-stricken gazes locked. “I’ve been to Andorra, the beautiful, family-oriented, church-minded country you will one day rule.” I rested my palms on his chest. “That video would have damaged your image as a model leader. At the end of the day, I didn’t want you to have to choose between me and your crown.”
Beats of silence drifted by and I began to worry that what I said didn’t matter.
He loves you girl, wait for it…
