Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 44113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
“I prefer to keep my business out of my families lives,” he muttered. “But I’m willing to break that in this case.” He looked right at me, his brow furrowed. “Prince Cole is a brute of a man.”
“Dad—”
“Listen to me, Faith,” he growled. “None of this is public knowledge, and it damn well better stay that way under order from the judge, but that damned man is a brute, and a savage, and he’s under investigation for attacking several women of high brith.”
Something cold pierced through me.
“What?”
“Horrible, just horrible,” my father spat out, shaking his head. “He tried to force himself on Queen Jemma, from Urum, and he damn near tried to do the same thing to Princess Kelly, of Glis.”
My mother gasped in horror again, her face paling as she brought a hand to her lips.
“No.” I shook my head slowly, my mouth drying. These were complete lies, of course. I knew Cole, and there was just no way any of this was remotely true.
“And another woman, an acquaintance of mine,” my father scowled. “The, uh, the wife of one of my advisors.”
“Dad, there’s no way any of that is tr—”
“Here.”
My dad grabbed an official looking manila folder from a pile next to his breakfast plate and slid it across the table to me.
“Again, I want to remind you that the investigative judge on this has a gag order on the whole thing. This will be conducted out of the spotlight until we can make our case and put this beast down.”
Slowly, like I was moving underwater, I reached out and thumbed open the folder. And right there, on official international royal committee letterhead paper, was the full story — Queen Jemma’s deposition to the court.
I wanted to cry.
There was the story of Cole letting himself into his neighbor’s vacation home, and finding Jemma swimming naked and alone. Apparently, there was a history of his being inappropriate to her and making advances. This time, the queen had been shocked when a naked Prince Cole had jumped into the pool with her and tried to force himself on her. It’d only been stopped when King Rodney had barged in, spotted him, and leveled a hunting rifle at him.
…These were sworn statements. Not tabloid fluff articles. A sharp coldness sliced through me.
“You met him once, yes?” My father spat. “Charming his way into your good graces?” he barked out a laugh. “Well, that’s what he does, Faith. The man is a con artist and a snake. I guarantee that the only reason he was speaking to you at the museum was to corrupt and sully you!”
My mother looked like she wanted to faint, and she reached over the grasp my hand in hers. “Thank God you were able to avoid him and his violence!” She gasped, gripping my hand tight. “Goodness knows what he might’ve tried if he’d gotten you alone!”
Except, I did know. Alone, he’d charm the hell out of me. Alone, we’d get drunk, get tattooed, and get married. Alone, I’d wake up naked in bed with him, and later, alone again, I’d let him back in to my bed.
Alone, I’d give him everything, like a completely naive idiot.
I didn’t want to believe a word of what I was hearing, but the facts were starting to stack. I wanted to say Cole was just a target for gossip and slander, but at what point did you realize that maybe that was for a reason? I mean there were dozens of stories about him being in the middle of one scandal or another, and usually involving women. And all of this new stuff? Well, it wasn’t tabloid rumor, this was actually being investigated by a judge, and there were actual sworn statements. This was real.
Something shriveled inside of me as I stared into my coffee.
…I’d fallen for it. He’d seen he naive inexperience in me, and he’d seen me out of my element, and he’d pounced. And like a total sucker, I’d swallowed every line and every move, until I’d let him slide right into my bed and take everything he wanted.
Except it was worse than that, even if I wasn’t even ready to admit it to myself. I hadn’t just let him into my bed, I’d let him into a part of me I’d never opened before. He’d somehow snuck and charmed his way into my heart, and something about that betrayal with this new information hurt worse.
I hated myself for falling for his bullshit. I hated myself for marrying him.
But mostly, I hated myself for falling for him.
I made the world’s weakest excuse about needing to check in with my friends about Callie’s wedding and rushed from the breakfast table as fast as I could, before the tears came.
Chapter 10
Cole
She was ignoring me, and avoiding calls.
Something had happened, and I was pretty sure I knew what it was. I knew being seen that morning leaving the castle had been a misstep. They hadn’t found me inside the palace walls, but when the gate guards saw me sweeping the branches off my motorcycle after hiding it the night before, they’d started asking questions. I’d just shrugged and said I was out for a drive, and of course, knowing who I was, they’d let it be.