Chapter 61

MILA

For a moment, I could not move or speak. It was all of my dreams and nightmares coming true at once.

His face–that face that had haunted my every thought for the last week and a half–was now only a few feet away. I could reach out and touch him if I wanted.

I had spent so long convincing myself that Felix would never find me that I had not allowed myself to ponder the possibility that he actually would. And now, seeing him…

I wanted to throw my arms around his neck and beg him to take me away from my family’s house. But I couldn’t go back to Fresonia if I was running away from something. I wanted to move towards something, not away.

And right now I did not know if Felix could reasonably be something to run to.

I could not tell what Felix was thinking as he saw me. His face was impassive, stoic. He carried a massive bouquet of flowers and wore one of his nicest jackets. My heart melted when I saw him, but the logical part of my brain was fighting against any relief I might have felt.

He lied to you, I reminded myself. He never actually loved you.

But why bring flowers if he wasn’t in love?

“Felix?” I asked finally. He gave me a small smile.

“I found you,” he said, his voice full of wonder and awe.

“Were you… looking for me?” I asked, still blocking him from entering the house.

“I was. I’ve been looking for you ever since you left,” Felix said. “Mila, you have no idea how miserable I’ve been without you. I know that I screwed everything up, but please, I have so much to tell you, and so much to apologize for.”

“So you came to America?” I asked. My brain was short circuiting, unable to piece together what he was telling me.

“I tried calling first,” Felix said sheepishly. “But your sister picked up the phone, I guess. She wouldn’t pass a message to you.”

Of course she did. I sighed heavily. “And I assume you did not tell her you were a prince? Because I am positive that would’ve gotten her attention.”

Felix actually blushed. “Uh, no, I introduced myself as your boyfriend. She told me in no uncertain terms to stop calling.”

“She’s a real charmer,” I said, my smile softening. It felt strange, talking to him again. But I could already feel myself settling into the calm familiarity of the man I loved.

“Mila?” a shrill voice sounded from behind me.“Is there a man at the door?”

“Speak of the devil,” I muttered. Nadine came racing to the front door, having conveniently changed into a low-cut shirt and red lipstick. Her eyes widened when she saw Felix.

“Oh my god, I know who you are,” she said. Felix shot me a nervous glance.

“You do?” he asked.

“Are you… Prince Felix?” she asked in a breathy tone. “From Fresonia? The man set to inherit the throne and millions and millions of dollars? Europe’s most eligible bachelor?”

Felix nodded, looking unsure. Nadine let out a sound at a pitch previously unheard by humans and started yelling up the stairs.

“Mom! Dad! The prince is here to see me!”

Felix shuffled his weight from foot to foot as my mother and father came charging down the stairs.

“I’m here to see Mila, actually,” he said as my parents arrived at the door.

“Mila?” My father turned to me. “Why? Did she do something wrong?”

“I–” Felix tried to speak, but was cut off by Nadine’s chirping.

“Tell me all about what it’s like to be royal!” She said, draping herself over his shoulders. He tried to shrug her off, but she clung to him like a barnacle. “I’ve always dreamed of being a princess.”

“Well, first tell us why you’re here to see Mila,” my mother said, gently taking Nadine by the arm and pulling her off Felix.

“Mila and I are together,” Felix said. Only I could hear the question in his voice. “We met while she was living in Fresonia.”

“Together?!” My father practically exploded. “You have your pick of all the women in your homeland and you choose her?!”

“Mila is–” Felix could barely get a word in.

“We are so honored to have you at our home, my lord.” Nadine was currently attempting a curtsy that would have made Queen Rowena cringe.

“It’s Your Highness,” Felix and I said automatically at the same time. He gave me a look. I avoided his gaze.

“There’s extra space in my room if you’re in need of a place to stay,” Nadine babbled, oblivious to the tension between me and Felix.

“I thought Mila broke up with the man she was dating in Fresonia,” my mother said, still clearly trying to figure out what a prince was doing on her doorstep. “That’s why she came home. She’s been crying for days.”

I blushed. “That’s not true, Mom.”

“It is true. She’s pathetic,” Nadine inserted herself in between me and Felix. “Just saying, I would never do anything to make a prince break up with me. I would be a wonderful princess.”

“You’re already a princess in my eyes,” my father said adoringly.

“Uh, good to know,” Felix said. He was obviously unprepared to deal with the boldness of my sister, and watching him squirm under her attention made me smirk. Good. Let him squirm.

Nadine snatched the bouquet of flowers out of Felix’s hands. “I’ll take these, thank you.”

Felix watched helplessly as she rushed the flowers into the kitchen.

“Those are for Mila,” he called after her, his voice tapering off as she disappeared.

“Are you here to work things out with Mila?” My mother asked. At least one person had the capability of staying on task.

“I would like to,” Felix said. His voice was sincere. My chest tightened.

“If you and Mila can’t work it out,” my father said to Felix gruffly, “I always have another daughter. She would be a beautiful bride.”

As if on cue, Nadine re-entered the foyer and flung her arms around Felix.

“We don’t need to talk about boring old Mila,” Nadine said. “I want to hear all about you.”

The sight of Nadine all over Felix made me feel ill. I could feel my heart breaking in my chest. Surely he would fall in love with Nadine, as everyone did, according to Josh. She might not have been his Destined Bride, but everyone had always liked her more than me.

And I knew Felix was not immune to the charms of a pretty girl. It was, in fact, one of the first things I had learned about him.

It was hopeless to think he would see her for what she was–rotten, cruel, and calculating. I didn’t stand a chance against her.

Despondent, I returned to my attic. If anyone noticed my departure, they said nothing.

There was no use in yearning for Felix anymore. Him showing up here did not make a difference in my feelings. He did not care about me, and was only pursuing me for selfish reasons.

I was done.