Page 84 of Lost Prince
“He escaped from the mental hospital a couple weeks back. He’s probably been following you,” Henry says.
I look over at Matteo. “Didn’t I tell you I thought someone was watching?”
He laughs. “You did. I thought you were just being paranoid.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t. And look what almost happened.” I think of Diana then. I have an overwhelming need to see her, to make sure she's safe, to talk about our future and the child we've created. Except… I’ve sent her away.
I turn to Henry, my heart racing. "Diana… is she safe?"
Henry’s expression is reassuring. "I sent her to the mansion. She should be there by now."
My stomach drops. This isn't what I wanted. Well, it is, but it’s not what I told her to do. Not that she wouldn’t do her own thing, but I hoped she’d listen to me and start a new life far away from the D’Amatos.
I clench my fists, ignoring the pain shooting through my bruised knuckles. "Damn it, Henry. She was supposed to leave town."
Henry raises an eyebrow. "You wanted her to go? But Lana said?—”
I cut him off with a sharp wave of my hand. "It doesn't matter what Lana said.”
“She drove her own car,” Matteo offers. “Maybe she ignored Henry.”
Elio looks at me with concern. “Why would you make her go when you love her?”
“What do you know of it?” I’m being an asshole, but I don’t want to talk about mushy emotions with them.
“I know love,” Elio says.
“It bit him in the ass,” Matteo agrees.
I gesture to the bloody spot on the floor. “That’s why. She deserves better than this. I’ll marry Ava and do my duty. Now can we go?”
Elio’s gaze is sharp, assessing. It makes me squirm, so I turn and head out of the café. As I drive home, I mentally prepare for the life I need to lead. I'll marry Ava, as planned. It's my duty to the family, after all. I'll try to be good to her, to make the best of our arranged union. Maybe, in time, I'll even learn to care for her. The question is whether or not my love for Diana will fade. Will she ever stop haunting me?
The moment I step into the foyer, Lana rushes toward me, throwing her arms around me in a tight embrace.
"Thank God you're okay," she whispers, her voice thick with emotion.
I return her hug, feeling a mix of love and guilt. As she pulls away, Henry enters behind me and approaches her. “What about me?”
She doesn’t say anything, but the way her arms wrap around him and she buries her face in his neck tells me she’s relieved he’s okay too.
Piper rushes past me and into Elio’s arms.
He laughs. “You do this every time. I don’t have a scratch.”
“Don’t mock me,” she snaps.
He gives her a kiss. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Jealousy flares that my siblings have true love. A love I had but am too afraid to grab onto for fear of hurting Diana.
Exhaustion suddenly hits me. My knuckles throb. I need to wash the blood and stench of Peter Hartley away.
"I need a shower," I mutter.
As I make my way to the stairs, I see Diana standing in the entryway to the living room, looking both relieved and uncertain. My heart leaps at the sight of her, even as frustration wells up inside me. Why is she here? She should be far away from all of this by now.
I approach her, my emotions warring within me. "You shouldn't be here.”