Chapter 147

Maeve’s POV

For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to do. I stared at my fiancé telling another woman that he would only have a child out of royal duty. He sounded almost cold and calculating as he spoke. Mia nodded along with each word he said, a frown marring her lips and a small crease between her perfectly trimmed brows.

My heart had shattered into a million pieces and my entire body had gone numb. Neither of them had seen me, and at that moment, I realized I wanted to keep it that way. I wasn’t sure what I would say to him if he had seen me. I needed some time to think about this… he had been slipping away from me this past week since the negative results and he’s been spending most of his time with Princess Mia.

Now I’m understanding that maybe there was a reason he’s been distant from me. Maybe he truly did want to marry her instead of me. My fingers trembled around the test results; they crinkled in my grip as tears burned in my eyes. I finally found the strength to turn away from them and hurry away from the gardens.

I didn’t turn around to look back at them; I wasn’t sure my stomach could handle it. I walked into the palace and allowed some of the tears to escape my eyes and soak over my cheeks. I walked across the palace and towards the front entrance.

“Maeve?” I heard a familiar voice from nearby. I paused and saw Lucas walking towards me, Charlotte hot on his tail. He had a concerned look on his face when he studied me and when Char noticed me, she froze entirely.

“Maeve, what’s wrong?”

I nibbled my bottom lip and shook my head, hating that I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks. It was like a dam had finally broken and I couldn’t put it back together. I was angry and I was hurt; I needed to get out of there before I lashed out at the wrong people.

“I have to go,” I said quickly as walked past them and towards the front door.

“Don’t you want to wait for Xaden?” Lucas asked. “I’m sure he’s finishing up with his work soon and—”

“His work?” I asked, my tone becoming bitter as anger rose within me. I slowly turned to face Lucas; my eyes narrowed. “You mean spending quality time with the woman you were supposed to marry?”

He blanched at my words; his face going pale.

“It’s not what it seems…” Lucas tried to say, but I held up my hand, stopping whatever nonsense was about to spill out of his mouth.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I murmured. “I have to go.”

I didn’t wait for them to stop me, despite the look in Char’s eyes. I ran from the palace as fast as I could. I had one of the drivers take me back to the mansion and as soon as I was behind the closed doors of the mansion, I released the sobs that desperately wanted to consume me.

“Oh, Goddess…” Maggie breathed when she walked around the corner. ‘What happened? Did you tell him the news?”

I shook my head.

“I couldn’t,” I said softly. “Something came up and I wasn’t able to speak with him. I’m so tired, Maggie. I’d like to go to sleep for a little while if that’s okay…”

She nodded and wrapped her arms around me, giving me a gentle embrace.

“Of course,” she soothed, rubbing my back. “I’ll send dinner to your room later. You go on and rest.”

I nodded and wiped at my soaked cheeks. After I thanked her, I climbed the stairs and entered my room. I looked around the vast space with my heart heavy in my chest. It was still beating though it was broken into pieces. How had things gotten so bad between us so quickly? At one point, I would have laughed at the idea of Xaden straying. He would never betray me like that… but now…

Tears spilled down my cheeks and I walked towards the bed. Last night was the first night we shared that bed this week. The other nights he had been avoiding me and sleeping in the guest room. Last night he finally spent the night by my side; though, he didn’t touch me. I thought it meant he was warming up to me again and wanting to get things back to normal, but now I’m starting to realize maybe it was a manipulation tactic.

I sat on the bed, pressing my knees to my chest, and sobbed into my lap. My entire body was wracked with sobs as I released a week's worth of tears. The worst part was, I had nobody to talk to about this stuff. I couldn’t tell anyone in the royal family because they would only spin it around in Xaden’s favor. I had no family… no other friends.

I was completely alone, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.

Hours had gone by, and I remained barricaded in my bedroom, unable to move from the bed. There was a light knock on the door, and I knew that it had to be Maggie with my food.

“Miss Maeve, you should eat something,” she said from the other side of the door.

I opened the door slightly and saw that she was carrying a platter of beef stew. My stomach did growl at the sight and scents made my mouth water. I wasn’t sure if it was me who was hungry, or the baby, but regardless I knew I needed to eat something.

“Thank you,” I said to her as I took the platter from her hands.

“Are you unwell, Maeve?” Maggie asked with a frown marring her lips. “Is that why you insisted on resting early?”

I nodded and bit my lower lip as I decided on what to say to her.

“Yes,” I lied. “I’m a little under the weather. I’m sure it’s just a bug. I’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

“Shall I call the doctor and--:”

“No doctors!” I said a little too quickly and urgently. “I mean… I’m sure I’ll be fine tomorrow, Maggie. No need to make a fuss and involve the doctor.”

She studied me for a moment longer before relenting with a nod.

“All right, but if you are still unwell tomorrow, I’ll call the doctor,” she told me without leaving me any room to argue.

I nodded at her, and she looked satisfied. After we said our goodbyes, she left my room, leaving me alone with my thoughts and delicious food.

I sat in bed and ate the stew gradually. I basically licked the bowl clean. When I finished, I put my empty bowl and silverware on the table in the far corner of the room. I went into the bathroom to clean myself up a little before I walked out of the room, only to find Maggie taking my bowl and silverware off the table.

“I’ll clean the dishes,’ she told me sweetly. “Do you want me to draw you a bath?”

“No, that’s quite all right. Thank you, Maggie,” I told her.

She nodded and glanced at me briefly.

“After I finish with the dishes, I’ll be heading off to bed. Is there anything you need tonight before I do that?”

I shook my head.

Without another word, she left the room. I paced back and forth in my room, thinking about the events that unfolded. My phone went off and I froze as the screen on my nightstand lit up. Sighing, I walked over to my phone and lifted it to my eyes.

Xaden: Let’s talk in the morning. Don’t wait up for me.

That was all it said. My heart sank even further into my belly.

Don’t wait up for me.

He probably wanted to talk so he could end things with me. He was going to tell me he was planning on marrying Mia. The meaning was not lost on me; he was spending the night with Mia… he didn’t want me to wait for him like I had all those nights before when he spent the night with Mia.

I felt bile rising in my throat.

I realized at that moment that I couldn’t face Xaden again. Not after what I know about him and Mia. I placed my hands on my belly.

I don’t want my baby to feel unwanted by his father… not like I was. I had always been the unwanted one… I had always been unloved. It seemed it was happening all over again, only this time, I had a baby to think about. I needed to do what I could to protect him.

I swiped Xaden’s message away, not bothering to reply. I knew he’d be able to see if I viewed it or not, but I didn’t care. I just needed to get out of here. I needed to figure out what to do.

It’s not like I could return home… and I certainly couldn’t go to the palace.

A memory surfaced in my mind, and I sucked in a sharp breath. There was one person I knew could help me; the one person who could get me out of here.

I grabbed my phone and went through my contacts until I found his name. With a heavy heart, I pressed the call button and put the phone to my cheeks. I bit my lip as I waited for him to answer.

After the 8(th) ring, I finally heard his voice on the other end of the phone.

“Hello?”

“It’s Maeve,” I said quickly. “I need your help. Can we meet somewhere?