Independence

Sophia

“Is that why you came back?” he asked. His eyes were wide, as if he could see through into my soul. I glanced at the empty plate in front of me as if it held all the answers.

“I wanted to see you,” I said. It was as honest as I could be at the moment. “It was stupid of me to run away in the first place.”

“You’re here now,” Luke said, raising his glass of champagne. “That’s all that matters.”

The bubbles popped over the rim of my glass as I lifted it to touch his. I had promised Mr. Fraser an article, and I was going to get him one. I would have to rely on inspiration, though, because at that moment, there was nothing about Luke that I wanted to expose. He’d done so much for me. It was only fair that I repaid the favor by not revealing his family’s secrets to the world.

“Have you put any more thought into becoming king?” I asked. I hoped I didn’t sound too much like a reporter, but I was genuinely interested. The last time I left him, he was close to saying yes, but he hadn’t d