โโฆreports the King is in stable condition after his heart
attack four days ago. The palace asks the public to please respect the royal familyโs privacy at this difficult time, while well-wishers have left thousands of cards and flowers outside the palaceโฆโ
The news anchorโs voice droned from the TV in the corner as I stared down at the guard in front of me.
โLet me be clear,โ I said, my calm voice belying the fury churning inside me. โIโm going to see Princess Bridget today, one way or another. Donโt make this the hard way.โ
The guard drew himself up to his full height, which was still a good six inches shorter than me. โAre you threatening me?โ
I smiled, and he gulped. โYes.โ
โNow you listen. Iโm a Royal Guardโโ
โI donโt. Give. A. Shit.โ I enunciated slowly and carefully in case he was too dumb to notice I wasย thisย close to shoving a syringe in his throat if he didnโt get out of my way.
We stood outside the kingโs private wing of the hospital. Itโd been four days since the allegations about Bridgetโs and my relationship broke and the king suffered a heart attack.
Four days of not seeing her, talking to her, or knowing whether she was okay.
Four days of fucking hell.
The palace had terminated my contract the same day the allegations came out, citing concerns over my ability to do my job due to my โincreased media profile.โ
I didnโt care as much about the termination, which Iโd expected, as I did not seeing Bridget before security escorted me off the grounds. She hadnโt answered my calls or texts since that day, and I needed to know she was okay before I lost my mind. Hell, I was already halfway there.
โYouโre not her bodyguard anymore,โ the guard said. โOnly family and approved staff are allowed inside. How did you get in here, anyway?โ
While part of me appreciated him standing his ground since he was right, Iย wasnโtย allowed in, a much larger part was fast running out of patience.
โNot your concern. What youย shouldย be concerned about is stepping aside before you have to explain to the Head of Royal Security how you ended up with a broken nose.โ
In truth, Iโd had to disguise myself like a fucking pop star hiding from the press to get past the paparazzi camped outside the hospital. News of Bridget and me had taken a backseat to the kingโs hospitalization, but my face had been splashed all over Eldorran TV, and I couldnโt risk someone spotting me.
Things at the hospital were so crazy I snuck up to the VIP floor and the kingโs private suite without detection. It didnโt say much about hospital or royal security, even if I could evade guards and cameras better than the average person.
The guard opened his mouth, but before he could spew more bullshit, the door swung open. My heart soared for a second at the flash of blonde hair, only to crash back to earth when I saw Elinโs frown.
โMr. Larsen,โ she said. โI thought I heard your voice.โ She nodded at the guard. โIโll take it from here.โ
Relief spread across his face, and I made a noise of disgust. Iโd trained eighteen-year-old Navy recruits with more balls than him.
Elin opened the door wider, and I wasted no time in pushing past the guard and into the kingโs wing. I didnโt see Bridget, but she could be in any of the half dozen rooms. The place was bigger than most peopleโs houses.
โI assume youโre here to see Princess Bridget.โ Elin crossed her arms over her chest, perfectly put together as always with her bun, suit, and heels. Not a hair out of place or a wrinkle on her clothing.
I dipped my chin. โWhere is she?โ
โThe kingโs room. Third door on the left.โ
Suspicion unfurled in my stomach.ย This is too easy.ย โJust like that?โ
Elin gave me a hard smile. โYouโre already here, Mr. Larsen, and itโs safe to assume you wonโt leave until you see her. I donโt engage in futile exercises, so please.โ She gestured down the hall. โGo ahead.โ
My suspicion ramped up another notch, but fuck it, I wouldnโt look a gift horse in the mouth.
I walked to the kingโs room and stopped in front of the door, my breath knotting in my throat when I saw Bridget through the small window.
She sat next to her grandfatherโs bed, holding his hand and looking smaller and more vulnerable than Iโd ever seen her. Even from a distance, I spotted the paleness of her face and the redness of her eyes.
Something grabbed my heart and twisted. Hard.
I opened the door and stepped inside. โHey, princess.โ I kept my voice soft, not wanting to disturb the hushed quiet or wake up the king. Sunlight streamed through the windows on either side of the hospital bed, adding a touch
of cheer to the somber mood, but there was no avoiding the beeping monitors, or the tubes stuck to Edvardโs chest.
Bridgetโs shoulders stiffened, and a few beats passed before she faced me. โRhys. What are you doing here?โ
โI came to see you.โ
Something felt off. Maybe it was the way she avoided my eyes or the tightness of her expression, but sheโd gone through hell the past few days. I couldnโt expect her to throw herself into my arms with a big smile. โHowโs your grandfather?โ
โBetter. Weak, but stable.โ She squeezed his hand. โTheyโre keeping him here a few more days, but they said he could be discharged next week.โ
โThatโs good. Canโt be too bad if theyโre letting him leave.โ
Bridget nodded, still avoiding my gaze, and unease rippled down my spine. โLetโs talk in another room. He just fell asleep.โ
She gave her grandfatherโs hand another squeeze before we stepped into the hall. Elin was gone, and only the smell of antiseptic and faint beeps from the monitor on the other side of the door disturbed the air.
โHere.โ Bridget led me to a room two doors down. โThis is where Iโve been sleeping.โ
My eyes swept over the space. It had a pullout couch, a kitchenette, and a bathroom. A thick blanket draped over the back of the couch, and a half-empty bottle of Coke sat on the table next to a pile of magazines.
I pictured Bridget sleeping here alone, night after night, waiting to hear if her grandfatherโs condition had worsened, and a needle of pain jammed into my heart.
I wanted to sweep her up in my arms and hold her tight, but a strange distance stretched between us, giving me pause. She stood only a few feet away, yet it might as well be miles.
โIโm sorry I havenโt answered your calls or texts,โ she said, fiddling with the blanket. โItโs been a crazy couple of days. The palace is trying to figure out how the press got their hands on those photos of us, and between that and my grandfatherโs hospitalizationโโ
โI get it.โ We could deal with all that later. โAnd you?
How are you doing?โ
โAbout as well as youโd expect.โ She finally looked at me, her eyes tired and missing their usual sparkle, and the needle of pain pierced deeper. โNik and I have been staying here overnight, but he went home to take care of some paperwork. He and Sabrina are postponing their honeymoon until Grandfatherโs better.โ She let out a weak laugh. โWhat a wedding present, huh?โ
Yeah, it sucked, but I didnโt give a crap about Nikolai and Sabrina. I only cared about one person in the world, and she was hurting.
โCome here, princess.โ I opened my arms.
Bridget hesitated for a beat before she finally closed the distance between us and buried her face in my chest, her shoulders shaking.
โShh, itโs okay.โ I kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair, a heaviness sinking into my bones at the sound of her soft sni๏ฌes. Iโd weathered artillery fire, nighttime missions in subarctic temperatures, and more broken bones and near-fatal injuries than I could count, but Bridget crying came closer to breaking me than all those things combined.
โNo, itโs not. I almost killed him.โ Bridgetโs voice was mu๏ฌed, but her pain shone through loud and clear. โHe had a heart attack because ofย me.โ
I tightened my hold, her pain seeping through my skin until it became my own. โThatโs not true.โ
โIt is. You werenโt there. You donโt knowโฆโ She pulled back, her nose red and her eyes glassy. โWe were having an emergency meeting about the news ofโฆyou and me. I
confessed the allegations were true, and when he told me to end things with you, I refused. I was arguing with Markus about it when he collapsed.โ She blinked, her lashes glittering with unshed tears. โIt was me, Rhys. Donโt tell me it wasnโt my fault, because it was.โ
A deep fissure split my heart in half. Bridget already blamed herself for her motherโs death. To add the guilt from her grandfatherโs heart attack on top of thatโฆ
โItโs not,โ I said firmly. โYour grandfather has an underlying condition. Anything couldโve set it off.โ
โYes, and this time it was me. He was supposed to cut back on his stress, and I gave him a yearโs worth in one day.โ Bridgetโs laugh sounded hollow as she stepped all the way out of my embrace and wrapped her arms around her waist. โWhat a great granddaughter I am.โ
โBridgetโฆโ I reached for her again, but she shook her head, her eyes fixed on the floor.
โI canโt do this anymore.โ
Everything fell silent. My heartbeat, my pulse, the hum of the fridge and the ticking of the clock on the wall.
Could I still be alive if my heart wasnโt beating?
โDo what anymore?โ My voice sounded strange in the vacuum Bridgetโs words created. Lower, more guttural, like an animal ensnared in a trap of its own making.
It was a stupid question.
I knew the answer. We both knew. A part of me had been expecting this moment since our kiss in a dark hallway a lifetime ago, but still, I hoped.
Bridget blinked, those beautiful blue eyes shimmering with heartache before they hardened, and my hope died a swift, fiery death.
โThis. Us.โ She gestured between us. โWhatever we had.
It has to end.โ
