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For the rest of the flight, silence was the name of the game. Every once in a while, Brat would look over at me and smile, but Milos stayed quiet, his teeth clenched tightly, and his eyes fixed out the window. I could tell his anger had not subsided, even in the least. When we landed, I was actually relieved to be home, and I smiled kindly at the servants who greeted us.
It was the middle of the night, so we knew the Queen wouldn’t be awake, and Milos had already decided he was just going to tell her that I wasn’t feeling well and wanted to return home to get some rest. With every cover-up, we created another lie and another path to hide. It was a never-ending cycle, and I hated it with everything in my being. I did not want to continue lying to the Queen, but we couldn’t tell her what was going on. She would be furious.
When we got to our wing of the house, I sat down on the couch and stared into the fire that the servants had started, knowing I hated the chill in the castle at night. I smiled sweetly at my head servant as she asked me if I needed anything else. I shook my head and listened as she stepped from the room and the doors shut behind her. Milos approached the fireplace and leaned up against it, his arm at the top and his head facing the flames. He breathed in deeply and let it out, obviously mulling everything over in his mind.
“We should get some sleep,” he said, not looking at me. “It’s been a long night, a long plane ride, and we need to rest, especially you.”
Milos turned to me and smiled as he reached his hand out for me. I didn’t want to go to sleep. I wasn’t tired in the least, but I wasn’t about to argue with Milos. He had enough on his plate at the moment. I stood and kissed him on the cheek before retreating to the bathroom to change into my nightgown and brush my teeth.
I looked at my face in the mirror, remembering the nights in spandex gold jumpsuits and six-inch heels. It felt like it was a lifetime ago, yet it was still something that had to be drudged up again. My life was completely different now, and I couldn’t understand how someone could be as vile and despicable as Reg, especially since if he knew we were married, he must have known we were expecting a child. What kind of man bribes a pregnant woman? Reg Evers was an asshole and has always been one, so I don’t know why I can’t wrap my head around all of this.
I took in a deep breath and made my way back to the room where Milos was already in bed and waiting for me. He pulled the covers up over me, and I struggled to get comfortable. It was already difficult to find comfort with a basketball attached to my stomach, but on top of it, I had the stress of everything running through my mind. I turned from side to side, trying to find a comfortable position, but it seemed that no matter how I laid my body on the bed, I would still feel that aching in my chest, and an uncomfortable feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. Finally, as I turned away from Milos for the hundredth time, he grabbed onto me and pulled me in close to his body. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and laid his chin next to my ear.
“Shh, my love,” he whispered. “I promise that I will forever protect you, even from this idiot.”
“I know,” I said, losing control of my emotions and bursting into tears. “I’m so sorry for this entire thing. It is such a mess. You are a prince. You were groomed, taught, and brought up with an impeccable pedigree, and here I am, trashing your name. I’m the daughter of a single drunk mother, and I made a living taking my clothes off for other men. It's disgusting, and I feel sick to my stomach over it.”
I sniffled and wiped the tears pooling on the pillow beneath me. Milos shifted and turned me onto my back, looking down at my face. He moved the hair from my eyes and wiped his fingers across my wet cheeks. He leaned forward and kissed my lips softly, a tired look in his eyes.
“Did you forget that none of that matters?” he asked. “Did you forget that you are the love of my life? I see you only as this perfect creature that I am more than lucky to have as my wife. Besides, if it weren’t for you working for that scum bag, we never would have met. So, in some ways, your past is what brought you here to this moment. Try not to beat yourself up. I have screwed up so much in the past, this is barely a speed bump.”
“I guess I should be glad there are no pictures of me on the front of the paper yet,” I said, sniffling.
“Yeah, although maybe if there are, gold spandex jumpsuits will come back in style,” Milos joked.
I laughed through the tears and smacked him on the arm. He laid back down on the pillow and brought me in close again. I could feel his love wrapped around me, and suddenly, the exhaustion of everything hit me like a ton of bricks. Curled up in our warm, safe bed, I began to fall asleep, traveling through into the dream world.
I found myself floating downward through the air, as if I were as light as a feather. When my feet touched down, I looked at the sand and surf surrounding me. I was no longer in the castle, but back at the beach. I could only see a few feet in every direction. The rest was pitch black. I looked down at my body and realized I was no longer pregnant. Instead, I was holding my child in my arms.
I pulled the blanket back and stared at the baby’s perfect little face. A feeling of warmth washed through me. However, before I could say a word, cold water rushed over my ankles, and the darkness began to close in around us. From the edges of the encroaching blackness, I could hear a deep, menacing laugh. I pulled the baby close to my chest, frantically looking around.
“Who’s there?” I screamed. “Leave us alone!”
Everywhere I turned, it was nothing but darkness, and I couldn’t figure out where I was going. The voice started growing louder and louder. I climbed up the beach and ran through the woods. The sounds of screeching monkeys and laughter filled my ears. I stopped, sensing something getting cl
ose, and I squinted into the distance. Moving quickly toward us was a large mouth, laughing loudly and opening wide. I screamed and shot forward into the woods.
I could feel the wet leaves under my bare feet and the breathing of the baby against my chest. As I stepped into the clearing, I froze, looking out over a giant cliff, plunging into the darkness below. I turned around and watched in horror as the mouth spread over us and slammed shut.
I sat up in the bed, grabbing my chest where the baby had been, and I looked around in panic. My head was covered in sweat, and Milos ran his hand over my back. My vision cleared, and the fear clouding my brain receded. I looked down at my belly and sighed in relief. It had been a horrible nightmare, and I knew exactly who was to blame. Tears filled my eyes, and I put my face in my hands, no longer able to control any emotions. I sobbed uncontrollably. Milos scooted up behind me, put his arms around my chest, and kissed the back of my neck.
“It’s all right,” he whispered soothingly. “It was just a nightmare. Take a deep breath. I’m right her with you.”
I breathed in through my nose and out my mouth, trying to settle the uncomfortable feeling in my chest. It had all seemed so real, and I’d felt so helpless. I couldn’t protect myself, I couldn’t protect my child, and I was left, standing on a cliff with a choice of either jumping or facing the demon chasing me. In the end, I let the mouth engulf us both, lost in the darkness that followed.
There was no doubt in my mind it represented my uncertain future. Do I let Reg engulf me with his bribery and continue with these terrible snow ball of lies, or do I jump into the darkness, hoping for a soft landing below? One thing was for sure. I never wanted to feel that helplessness again, not for me or my child.
I gathered my emotions and leaned back into Milos’s arms, feeling his comfort wrapped around us both. The baby kicked hard in my stomach, and I rubbed my belly, knowing it too could feel my despair. I felt terrible about all of this, every part of it, but even worse, I no longer felt like I was in control of the situation.
I felt like everything was spiraling out of control, just like in my dream, where I was running blindly through the woods, everything frightening, and no knowledge of where to go from there. However, unlike my dream, I knew that I did not have to face the darkness alone. Milos was there to stay, there to do whatever he could to help us get through this, and no matter what happened, we would have each other in the end.
I turned my head and let Milos wipe the tears from my face. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against my forehead. I closed my eyes, taking in his scent, his strength, and his comfort. Reg Evers had picked on the wrong family, and I wasn’t going to sit by and let him take advantage of me all over again.
Chapter 26: Milos
I sat in my chair by the window, staring down over the gardens. It was now raining here, too, and the weather matched my mood. I hadn’t slept very much, since Adriana was having a hard time getting settled. Then, without warning, she woke from a nightmare that had completely shaken her world upside down. She didn’t explain the dream to me, but I could tell that this Reg controversy had really gotten into her head.
I felt helpless, and I needed to step up and stand up to this tyrant. No one was going to come into my Kingdom and bully me and my family around without some severe repercussions. The first thing I needed to do, though, was find out what exactly he was looking for. I swiveled my chair around and faced Brat, who was standing, waiting for me to tell him what came next.
