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“Oh, shut up,” I snapped at him, taking the clothes. “I can’t wait for the day you fall in love and see how stupid you act.”
“Four minutes, sir,” he said without missing a beat, still grinning.
“Why did they not call sooner!” I snapped at him, hopping into my pants.
“I do not know, sir.”
Ignoring him, I buttoned my shirt. I wasn’t sure what to think. Why was she coming back? We hadn’t spoken in days. Maybe she was coming to have me sign divorce papers again. Shaking my head, I did my best not to care. Whatever the reason, even if it were for a final goodbye, I’d still be glad to see her, to know we both at least didn’t end on that night.
“Two minutes, sir.”
“Let’s go,” I said, adjusting my cufflinks as I moved out the door. With each step, my heart rang out loudly in my head.
The thought, What if this is all a drunken dream? suddenly popped into my mind.
“Are you sure she’s coming?” I asked Iskandar as we came down the stairs.
“Yes, sir.”
“Did she say why?”
“No, sir, and you’re fidgeting.”
I turned to glare at him, and he stared back. Ignoring him, I inhaled deeply as I made it outside with only seconds to spare. Her car entered through the private side of the palace, and as it grew closer, I felt my stomach drop. I felt like I was going to be sick but forced myself to remain composed.
No matter the reason. I thought as the car came to a stop in front of me. Thelma stepped out and opened the door for Odette. And when she did, I stopped breathing. Like always, she was a vision of visions, the most beautiful of the most beautiful as her brown eyes stared into mine, and I could not move.
We both stood there for a moment, like kids, and I opened my mouth to speak, but she stepped forward, then forward again until we were face-to-face, so close that I could smell the vanilla and honey scent rising off her. So close, I wanted to touch her to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. But instead, always beating me to the punch, she reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck. It was like the heavens opening or air filling deprived lungs. Wrapping my arms around her, too, I hugged her tightly.
“Welcome home, bevilën.”
—FORTY MINUTES EARLIER—
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“You aren’t coming, are you?” my mother asked when I didn’t step farther from the car, a frown on her face. “I could see it on your face the moment you stepped out of the hospital room, but I hoped for once, I was wrong.”
“I’m not strong enough to leave him,” I whispered with a half-hearted smile. “It could all go very wrong, and some other horrible thing might happen to me. I’m scared, and I want to run away, but I can’t because I’m also scared of not being with him. I want to go, but I don’t want to. Aren’t I mess?”
“Yes.” She walked up to place her hands onto my cheeks. “But you are my mess. And even though I dislike this place and what they say about you, I love you.”
“I’m sorry, Mom.”
“Don’t be.” She smiled. “When I went to go be Miss USA, my mom said not to go and that they’d never chose me. I went anyway, and I made them choose me. You’re my daughter, so I know you can do it too. I just don’t want you to suffer for anything or anyone. But that’s not possible, is it? What did your dad always say?”
I grinned. “If it were easy, you wouldn’t be first.”
“Go. Show them why you can’t mess with a Wyntor.” She kissed my cheek.
“Come back with me.”
She shook her head, laughing. “Don’t you know me? I can’t be around and not cause a scene. I might pull a Naomi and throw a cell phone at one of those nasty reporters.”
I flinched, which caused her to laugh more.
“See you at your wedding, sweetheart. I mean, Your Future Majesty.” She curtsied, then twirled and walked up the stairs of the jet. Before going in, she turned and pointed at me, a serious expression on her face. “Don’t let them pick an ugly matron of honor dress for me. No ruffles!”
“Matron of honor? Don’t you mean the mother of the bride?”
