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Then it comes to me like a flash. What if there was much bigger news to divert everyone’s attention? I can think of a news item that would knock Lily Adams right off the front pages.
Like a royal prince introducing his beautiful fiancée to his nation.
It almost makes too much sense. We've already laid the groundwork for the act here. We can simply replicate it in Solvaria. It would serve as the perfect distraction while Lily spends time with the King.
And it would give me a few extra days with Bella at least.
I'm certain she will fight the idea as hard as she can. But if it's what Lily wants, she won’t say no. I stay up all night practicing the phrasing as if my proposition for Bella is a diplomatic address.
I'm already knocking at the front door of their house before the sun is fully up. When it opens, I greet Bella with a warm smile and a box of crullers. She looks at me with a strange kind of removal.
"Oh," she says. "We weren't expecting company this early. Can I help you?"
My smile quickly fades. It's even worse than going back to square one. She's decided to treat me like a complete stranger. But I have to go along with my plan.
"I need to speak with Lily," I say urgently. "And you."
She shrugs indifferently. "If you say so." She steps back from the door and allows me in. The silence is deafening as I step inside. She keeps her gaze firmly on the floor, a wall of indifference between us.
"I brought you these," I say. "Not quite as good as a Solvarian pastry, but they might hit the spot." She simply nods, taking them from me without a word. Without even a look.
There's a longing to reach out to her, but the emptiness of her gaze stops me. This is going to be a harder sell than I had originally thought. I speak to her as I'm walking through the front room.
"I know it's early, but this is too important of a conversation to wait. I told your aunt that I would respect her decision, whatever it is. But I have one more thing that she needs to know first."
“I see,” she whispers. Then, she disappears. Probably off to her room. Despite my desire to chase after her, I hold my ground.
When I step into the living room, I’m shocked by the sight of Lily Adams standing in the middle of the room. Her face seems to have acquired an entirely new set of lines overnight. My heart starts to skip when I notice that she is holding the handle of a rolling suitcase.
She takes a deep breath and nods. "When do we leave?"
22
ISABELLA
Aunt Lily sits on my bed. The light of the rising sun bathes her in a golden glow as she stares into the distance. I wonder how long she's been sitting here. I doubt she ever went to sleep last night.
"What's going on?" I ask as I rub the sleep out of my eyes.
She turns to me with a melancholy smile. "I've decided," she tells me. "I need to go to Solvaria."
She can see the protest about to leave my mouth, but she holds up her hands to stop me.
"I know you don’t like the way Alex has gone about everything. I know you don't think we should give them what they’re asking for."
I silently listen, fighting my urge to argue.
"But, sweetheart, there’s a lot that you don’t know, too. For thirty years, there's been an entire part of my life that's felt like this unfinished painting. One locked away in a dark corner of the cellar. And now, the lights are on and I have a key. I need the chance to finish it."
I close my eyes and take a long breath. Lily's right.
She had both Francis and Alex taken away from her. In one single moment, she lost a family and a future. She's probably been wondering ever since what her life could have been like.
Lily's done so much for me. I owe it to her to be supportive. "If you need to do this, Aunt Lily, and if it's important to you, I won't stand in your way. I promise."
She reaches out and squeezes my hand. "Thank you, Bella," she whispers, a weight visibly lifting from her shoulders.
Once she leaves my room, I throw my pillow to the floor. It's not much, but it feels good to let out the frustration.
