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What she wanted in life was to be with Hafiz. Build a life together and have a family. Create a home that was filled with love, laughter and music.
Lacey quickly got off the stage and glided between the empty tables. There was no use yearning for that kind of life. She wasn’t going to get it. Not while she was on this path, waiting, hoping for Hafiz to change his mind.
Maybe she was Rapunzel. Lacey’s footsteps slowed as the thought crashed through her. Oh, hell. She was the one who was stuck. She kept following the same pattern, waiting for a different outcome.
This was why she felt like her life was on hold. She was waiting for Prince Hafiz to reach out, take her away from her tower, and carry her away with him.
Not anymore. As much as she loved Hafiz and would greedily accept whatever he could spare, she didn’t want a part-time love. She couldn’t agree to sharing him.
She wanted a love that was exclusive and one that would last. She was willing to work for it, willing to give up a lot to make it happen. But she would not be his mistress or long-distance lover. She deserved more than that.
Lacey hurried through the hotel and headed for the staff housing. An enclosed garden separated the employee residences from the hotel. She usually found it peaceful walking past the fountains and ponds, inhaling the fragrance of the brightly colored flowers. Today the formal garden seemed too big.
“Lacey?”
Her pulse gave a hard kick when she heard the familiar masculine voice. She whirled around and saw Hafiz. Her heart started to pound as she stared at him. He was devastatingly handsome in his black suit. The severe lines of his jacket emphasized his broad shoulders and lean torso. He looked powerful and sophisticated. She was very aware of her cheap lace dress and secondhand shoes.
“Hafiz?” she whispered and frantically looked around the garden. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?” he asked as he approached her. “I’m staying at this hotel.”
“I mean you shouldn’t be seen speaking to me. The last thing you need are more pictures of us together.”
“The picture has been deleted,” he said.
“Oh.” Lacey knew that it was the wisest course of action, but getting rid of the picture bothered her. She realized it was because she had no pictures of them together. It was as if all evidence of them together had been erased.
“Why do you look upset?” Hafiz asked. “I took care of it just like I said I would.”
“I had no doubt that you would be successful.” Hafiz always got what he wanted. Except her. It made her wonder just how much he really wanted her in his life.
“You don’t have to worry about it being released.”
“I wasn’t worried,” she said, crossing her arms as a gentle breeze brushed against her skin. “I don’t care if people know I’m with you.”
Hafiz frowned. “You don’t care if people know that you were a mistress?”
Did she care that people knew she didn’t hold out for a wedding ring? That she accepted whatever Hafiz offered so she could be with him? No, she didn’t regret those choices, but she knew she couldn’t make them again.
In the past she’d thought accepting his offer to live in Rudaynah was one step toward a future together. Now she understood the rules. She either got to be his mistress, or she didn’t get to be with him at all.
If he asked her to be his mistress now, she would decline. Even if he was unattached, even if he moved out of Rudaynah. It would be hard to say no, but these days she placed more value on herself and her dreams.
“I just finished working,” Lacey said as she took a few steps away.
“I know,” he said as he moved closer.
“I didn’t see you in the lounge.” Lacey bit down on her lip, preventing herself from saying anything more.
He frowned at her sharp tone as if he sensed an emotional minefield. “I wanted to be there.”
“Something more important came along?” she asked with false brightness. “Something better?”
“You know why I couldn’t be there.”
“No, I really don’t.” She had automatically accepted the belief that they couldn’t be seen together, and yet, here they were alone in a garden, deep in conversation. It felt as if he chose when he could and could not see her. “Explain it to me. Why were you not there to support me?”
