RHEA'S POV“Is she sure about that?” Estefan raised his eyebrows at me. “She said she is.” I ran her fingers through her hair. “Mom is going to be devastated when she finds out but we can't keep her in the dark.”Despite being married for years, my parents loved each other unconditionally. I was still trying to figure out what could have prompted my dad to take such actions.“Why don't you talk to your dad first? You should hear his side of the story before telling your mom,” Estefan advised. “If you are not careful in handling the situation, it might break them apart.” “That's what I'm scared of.” Tears slipped out of my eyes. “I don't want to see my parents fighting each other in court to sign a divorce agreement.” “That's not going to happen.” He pulled me into his chest and rubbed my back. “You should get your mind off it, it will only distract you.” “How am I going to do that? I can't stop thinking about it.” I sighed with my head resting on his chest.“You need a distraction
LEAH'S POVTears rolled down my cheeks as I made my way toward the hospital exit. “Leah,” Asher called, making me stop on my track. I was so eager to get out of there that I forgot he was here with me. Turning to him, I watched him jog toward me.“What's going on? Why is your dad here?” He asked before he noticed the tears on my face. “Are you crying? What's wrong? Please talk to me.”“I just found out that my dad has been cheating on my mom,” I answered and his eyes widened in shock. “The child that woman delivered is my half-sibling.” “Leah, I'm so sorry.” He pulled me into a hug and I sobbed against his chest.“Please just get me out of here.” He pulled away and led me out of the hospital building. We sat in his car in a comfortable silence and I closed my eyes recalling how my father claimed to be the baby's father and the doctor congratulating him on the birth of his son.It made me angry as I thought about it. To think that my mom was home preparing his dinner and waiting fo
RHEA'S POVA palace maid dragged my suitcase out the door as I stood in the living room with Estefan's parents. “Is it that important that you leave immediately?” Queen Carina asked.“Yes.” I nodded. “My family is going through a rough time and I need to be there to help out. I'll be back as soon as it is sorted out.”“If not for the current situation in the palace, I would've insisted that Estefan goes with you,” the king said.“It's fine, I can manage by myself.” Estefan and I already argued about him not going with me because he wasn't okay with letting me go to London all by myself. It was the first time I would be travelling on my own, so he was a bit sceptical about it.After so much bickering back and forth, I was able to convince him to let me go alone. I knew I was only able to win the battle because he was needed in the palace and it would leave a great void if he left the palace on short notice.“We should get going now.” Estefan escorted me out of the house and opened th
LEAH'S POVI was in my car, driving to my grandparent's house to see my mom. As I drove into the compound, my phone rang in my bag. I parked in the garage and brought out the phone. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that it was Asher calling. He had warned me last night and I ended up breaking my promise to him.I took a deep breath before answering the call. “Hello.”“Hey babe, how are you doing? Did you have a good night's rest?” “No, I didn't.” I sighed. I knew there was no point trying to hide what I did from him because I was going to end up telling him myself anyway. “Why? Is it because of what happened yesterday?” He asked the obvious. “You shouldn't worry about it too much. I'm sure your father would find a sensible way to break the news to your mom and resolve it more quietly.”“I don't think that would be happening.” “Why not? Don't tell me…” “I'm sorry,” I said to confirm his suspicion. “Leah, come on, you promised me you wouldn't say anything.” I could imagine ru
RHEA'S POV“If that was the case, why didn't you explain everything to Mom before it got to this point?” I asked. “All these issues could have been avoided.”“I wanted to, but every time I tried to bring it up, I chickened out,” my dad explained. “I love your mother, Rhea. I was scared that she might leave me.”“What difference does it make? She is already planning to leave you.” “You are her daughter, she might listen to you if you talk to her,” the woman whose name I found out to be Paris added. “I don't need anything, I just want my son to be taken care of. That's all.” I bit my finger as I thought of what to do. After searching through my brain, I came up with an idea. “Can she leave the hospital for a while? Like an hour or two.”“Let me check with the doctor.” He walked out of the room.I sat down on the couch in the room and we lapsed into a comfortable silence. “You are just as your father described,” Paris said, breaking the silence. “Beautiful and kind-hearted. I see why
The rays of the rising sun peeked through my curtains, letting me know that it was morning. I had been awake since four, trying to complete another chapter of my book which was a daily routine for me because I get my best ideas and inspiration by that time of the day. I added a period to the last sentence of the chapter before saving it and shutting down my laptop. Falling back on the bed, I straightened my legs which had been in a crossed position ever since I woke up, and I massage my aching fingers that had been typing furiously on my laptop. Closing my eyes to sleep for a little while, I heard faint footsteps that grew louder as they approached my room. The footsteps stopped followed by a knock on my door. "Rhea, come downstairs. Breakfast is ready," my mom sweet voice said from outside before her footsteps drew farther away from my room. Standing up from my queen-sized bed, I pulled my curtains apart and sighed, enjoying the warmth from the ray of sun entering the window on my
ESTEFAN'S POVAfter two excruciating hours which felt like a lifetime, our plane descended to the ground and stopped moving. My father, King Estevan Borbon-Anjou of Spain, stood up from his seat and moved towards the exit as my younger sister, Princess Esmeralda and I followed behind him. A cold breeze greeted me as I stepped out of the plane and descended the stairs. Seven years ago, I swore to myself that I wouldn't come back to this city but here I was, stepping my feet on the soil of London. A red carpet lay on the ground from the bottom of the stairs to the entrance of the white Limousine waiting to pick us up. With my hands shoved deep into my pants pocket, I strode to the car behind my dad with Esmeralda beside me. "This place is beautiful." Esmeralda gasped as she looked out of the moving car. "Hmm," I replied as I stared out at the "beautiful city" that took everything away from me. The city didn't change a single bit, it was the same as how I left it seven years ago."Wh
RHEA'S POVEveryone was having breakfast except me because I had long forgotten food and focused all my attention on my phone. I was busy doing some research on the Joseon Dynasty. The book I was writing for my final project was titled Royal Deception and it was based on the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. At the end of the online class session, we were to submit our masterpiece which would be reviewed by some editors and they would pick a winner whose book would be published in paperback and the writer would be given recognition.My online school has been holding a writing contest every year and my book has come third or second since I joined two years ago. That year was my final year and my last chance to win the contest which was why I put all my effort into it this year."Rhea, I've told you about using your phone on the table. This is why you are using eye contact in the first place." My mom scolded."Just to be clear, I love my eye contact, and I'm almost done," I said with my eyes st