Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Klaus tried to convince her they didn't need to break up because of what happened, but Prue knew it was over for them, and there was no changing that...even if she was never to see Khadem again.
A week passed, and Prue could no longer stand it. She had been the one to push Khadem away. She knew that. She should've been glad that he was no longer around. But she wasn't.
With her parents still understandably paranoid, Prue was forced to act like everything was normal as she went back to university...only to ditch her classes for the day so she could jump into the backseat of a cab and give the driver the address of Khadem's hotel.
As the cab driver did his best to weave his car in and out of heavy traffic, Prue was left alone with her thoughts, and she gradually realized how unfair she had been to Khadem.
Look before you leap.
That had always been her motto, but instead of giving herself time to think things through, she had let her knee-jerk reaction overrule her common sense, and she had ended up acting like this awfully sanctimonious person who could do no wrong and thus judge people like she was God.
That wasn't her at all, and the more Prue thought about it, the more terrible she felt. It was only now that she realized she had been so scared she was being impulsive with Khadem...that when the first opportunity to doubt him had come up, she had immediately used it to convince herself that she was better off without him.
Prue was relieved when Martin readily came out to meet her, and when she asked if she could see Khadem, the older man directed her inside the club and asked her to wait.
"Ms. Prue Galloway, isn't it?"
The voice had a slight accent, and when Prue glanced up in surprise, it was to see a tall, dark, and handsome stranger standing next to her table, and one who bore an extraordinary resemblance to Khadem.
"I was told you were looking for my brother?"
Prue scrambled to her feet. "Y-Your Highness—-"
The man shook his head. "Please call me Saif."
Prue almost gasped. Saif was the name of the eldest son of the king of Huzna, which made this man the Crown Prince and heir to the throne.
As the two of them took their seats, Saif studied the girl that had somehow managed to get under his youngest brother's skin. Long blond hair, big, brown eyes, and an air of purity that easily explained why a drunk Khadem had referred to her as the angel he did not deserve.
"I've been apprised by the events concerning you and your brother," Saif said quietly. "I'm sorry that you had to undergo such an ordeal."
"I was lucky," Prue said unsteadily. "Khadem was there to protect me."
"I'm glad you think that way now."
Prue could feel herself turn red when Saif also appeared to know how her last conversation with Khadem went.
"Has my brother ever told you about Alanna?"
"No." But even so, Prue could already feel herself hurting, since she instinctively knew that Alanna was a woman who used to own Khadem's heart.
"She was Khadem's first girlfriend."
Prue bit her lip hard. How awful it felt to be right!
"And the only one as well...until you."
Prue felt like someone had just stabbed her. Even though she knew this was all in the past, the mere thought of Khadem falling for another woman made her feel like dying.
"Alanna had convinced my brother to keep their relationship a secret. She told him that her parents would punish him if they were to find out she was dating a bastard like him. She was also an expert at twisting my brother into knots, with how she could make Khadem feel like a brute every time he asked her to make their relationship public. Khadem would still probably be under her spell until now...if our other brother, Rashad, hadn't overheard Alanna talking about Khadem to her friends. That was how we found out that she had always looked down on Khadem for being a bastard, and that it was her who didn't feel Khadem was worthy enough to present to her parents. Worst of all, the only reason she had been dating Khadem was to make another man jealous enough to offer her marriage."
When Saif stopped speaking, he could tell by the play of emotions on the girl's face that she more than understood why he had chosen to tell her about Alanna.
"I didn't...I didn't know." Prue's heart was aching. If only Khadem had told her this himself, then she would never have asked him to hide himself from her parents.
"Do you love him, Ms. Galloway?"
Prue's breathing became uneven. "I do."
"Then I'll have someone take you to where Khadem is, and after that...it's all up to you."