An Heir – Chapter 20

Istvan returned from his run, a grin spread wide across his handsome features, thinking about last night. After being apart for almost a month she was back in his arms, back in their bed, ready to give things a real chance, willing to start trying for a family soon. The hurt and anger of the past few weeks nightmare starting to feel like it had been lifted from his shoulders. He suddenly felt ten years younger. Bastian smiled at him as he approached the steps,

“Good morning your majesty, all is well I trust?”

Istvan winked at him as he hurried past,

“Certainly is Bastian, it certainly is.”

The guard nodded and waved him on, glad to see that things were getting back to normality around the palace!

Istvan entered their suite within the palace. Viktoria was on the balcony practicing yoga. He smiled as he admired her – she looked radiant in her skin-tight leggings and a crop top with her hair up in a messy bun – she was in some contorted pose that was worthy of a prima ballerina, looking out towards the gardens. Istvan pulled his shirt over his head and quietly stepped onto the balcony, moving behind her, he captured her waist in his strong arms, pressing his rippling chest down into her exposed side, his lips finding her neck as she squealed, spinning out of her now seriously compromised sugarcane pose into his arms, her lips brushing his as her nose crinkled,

“You’re all sweaty!”

He stood her upright and hooked a finger in the strap of her top, grinning as he raised one eyebrow,

“Well, I was thinking of heading to the shower, but I don’t think I can reach my back…?”

She stifled a laugh as she looked at him,

“Yeah, that’s why you want me to jump in the shower with you…”

He pulled his most convincing, best sad face; Viktoria couldn’t contain her giggles any longer,

“Aww poor baby… Ok then I will join you, but purely for hygiene reasons you underst-”

Her sentence cut off by a delighted squeal of his name as her husband threw her over his shoulder and carried her back inside.

—

After their shower, Istvan and Viktoria had managed to keep their hands off one another just long enough to grab some breakfast before falling back into bed together, their need and desire for one another amplified from their time spent apart. Viktoria wriggled herself into the nook of his arm as the lay tangled in their bed sheets, in need of another shower. Istvan released a contented groan as he kissed the top of her head, smoothing her hair,

“My love, I missed this, so much…”

Viktoria managed only a yawn and a nod as she drifted off into a sated slumber…

Some time later, a loud knock at the door to the royal suite roused them both from post-coital their nap. Viktoria groaned and rolled away pulling the covers tighter around her naked body as Istvan rose, throwing on a pair of jeans before heading to the door. Viktoria lay there feeling annoyed at the intrusion, the last twenty-four hours had almost been like a second honeymoon, just their own little bubble, sheltered away from the rest of the world. She tried to pick out the voice, it sounded like Justin? She sat up in the bed as she heard the volume of Istvan’s voice increasing. ‘What the hell is going on through there?’, she rose and threw on a silky dressing gown, smoothing down her hair and padding across the hall to find out… As she thought, it was Justin. And for some reason, his face fell upon seeing her? ‘Rude?’ she huffed to herself. She nodded her acknowledgement, sticking out her chin stiffly,

“To what do we owe this pleasure Justin?”

Justin averted her gaze,

“Your majesty, I didn’t realise you were… Here.”

She gestured up and down her body,

“Here I am..”

Her attention turned to Istvan, his face had drained, he looked almost grey as though he’d seen a ghost,

“Are you alright?!”

Justin winced,

“Your majesty, I need a bit of time with the King if you wouldn’t object?”

Viktoria’s eyes flashed at Justin, ‘First he turns up announced interrupting my love-in, now he’s trying to get rid of me?’ She snapped,

“I would, actually, what is going on?? Istvan you’re scaring me? Has there been a terrorist attack?”

Istvan moved to the chair by the window as he waved Justin off with his hand,

“Please go Justin. Do whatever it is that you need to do to minimize the fallout… I need some time to speak to my wife…”

Viktoria followed him over to the window as Justin quietly made his exit. Istvan sat in the chair his elbows on his legs, head in his hands.

“Ist what is it?“

Her eyes were wide, her face filled with concern. She crouched down and gripped his wrist,

“Talk to me, what’s happened??”

Istvan took a deep breath and lifted his head to look into Viktoria’s blue fear-filled eyes, he clutched her hand in his, his stomach sinking as he started to speak,

“Viktoria, there’s something I need to tell you. I was going to tell you I swear it my love.”

He felt like the room was swimming, his mouth dry,

“The boys took me to Las Vegas to take my mind off, well, everything…”

Vik frowned, she hadn’t heard him mention Las Vegas until now,

“Ok…”

He sucked in a deep breath, heart racing,

“At first I didn’t even want to go Viktoria. But I did. I should have stayed here… We’d been drinking, heavily, all day, then we went to this club…”

Viktoria swallowed uneasily and nodded at him silently, unsure where exactly he was headed with this…

“Viktoria I was a mess,“

he continued,

“I got chatting to this woman, she seemed nice. Jasmine, if that was really her name… She paid me some attention… Listen, I’m not proud of it my love, but I left the club with her.”

Viktoria removed her hand from his, head starting to swirl, burning tears blurring her vision as she stood, recoiling from him. Istvan watched his Viktoria’s face crumble as the words came out of his mouth. She clutched her heart like someone had knifed her; her chest heaved. He squirmed inside as he stood in front of her; there was no backing out now, he had no option but to tell her the ugly truth of what happened in Vegas; he cursed himself, he should have listened to Drake – what happens in the darkness always comes to light…

“I took her back to the suite Vik, but I swear on my life I never slept with her. It never got that far. I realised I was making a terrible mistake, how much I love you, I asked her to leave. But she’s saying it was more. She wants money or she’s going to the press. She’s somehow got photographs… Compromising photographs of us leaving the club together. But Viktoria, what she’s saying, it’s all lies, I promise you that. I’m telling you the truth, I never slept with her.”

Viktoria was trembling, tears glittering in her wide eyes, her hand in front of her mouth; her voice was so small,

“But you kissed her? You picked her up in a club and took her back to the hotel? How could you do that? How could you do that when you say you love me?”

Istvan stepped forward to close the gap between them, Viktoria held up her hands to block him, quietly stating,

“Please. Please don’t touch me.”

Istvan stared at her,

“Vik, please. I do love you! Nothing happened, it was a moment of madness! Those kisses meant nothing. I thought you’d left me for good – I was a mess and-”

Viktoria pointed her shaking finger up into his face, cutting him off, hurt and anger threatening to take over,

“And the first thing you thought of was screwing some tramp? Really Istvan? You are the only thing I’ve thought about for the past three and a half weeks, I couldn’t even have looked at another man… But all you were bothered about was that you weren’t getting your dick wet?? Is that all I am to you?? So easily replaced by some whore in your bed??”

Istvan felt his face colour; she was twisting everything and pushing his patience, she always had to do this, she always had to say her piece, to bite back. She would never just accept what he said; did she have any idea how that riled him? He stepped closer, towering over her,

“Viktoria I know you’re upset, but I won’t have you speak to me like that!! It wasn’t like that at all – you’re everything to me and you damn well know it – but you weren’t here! You didn’t see how bloody devastated you left me!”

Viktoria raised her eyebrows, staring up at him defiant, her voice shaking,

“So you’re saying it’s ‘my fault’ you were photographed with her? It’s ‘my fault’ you got caught groping her?? It’s ‘my fault’ she’s trying to extort you or it’ll be splashed across the damn tabloids?? Take some fucking responsibility for your actions – don’t you dare – dare – blame me that you can’t keep your dick in check!”

Istvan roared as he thumped the wall behind Viktoria, making her flinch, his usual control and composure now completely disintegrated; shame mixed with the hurt and frustration of the past months written all over his face,

“Yes it’s your fault!!! You walked out!!! Viktoria you threw your wedding rings back in my face?! How the fuck was I to know if you were ever coming back?! You ruined everything!! You haven’t answered a call or a message for over three weeks!! I’ve been so fucking numb, I needed, something -anything- just to forget!!”

Viktoria sobbed like her heart was broken as she slid down the wall into a heap on the floor, her head in her hands, his words cutting her deep, because she knew there was an element of truth in his yells: her head ached knowing what part she’d played in it, her heart ached at the idea of the unknown woman in her husband’s arms…

Seeing her on the floor, distraught, Istvan felt winded; suddenly all his anger dissipated, he terribly regretted losing his temper with her. He’d said unkind things he didn’t intend to say… Accusations that weren’t conducive to fixing his marriage, and God knows that was all he really wanted. That’s why he never said any of them last night when they were reunited. He looked regretfully at Viktoria: had he scared her when he hit the wall? He shuddered at that thought. This whole mess was threatening to turn him into someone he wasn’t. Someone he didn’t like…

Istvan crouched down beside Vik, gently, tentatively placing his hand on her knee, whispering,

“Viktoria, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. I didn’t mean to lose my temper.”

She was silent for a while before a sob wracked through her as she spoke, her pale blue eyes red and swollen with tears,

“You did mean it. And as much as I hate it, you were right Istvan. If I hadn’t run away you’d never have been in that club in the first place… But I’m sick to my core at the thought of you with someone else… I can accept some of the blame for it happening…”.

Her voice cracked as she stared into his eyes,

“But how could you take me to bed last night, today, knowing your hands were all over her? Your lips? How could you look in my eyes and hold me, hiding that from me? I’ve always trusted you… You’re my husband Ist…”

Istvan shook his head, his voice cracking as he whispered,

“I knew it would hurt you, and I couldn’t bear to do that… Not when you’d finally come home to me. I couldn’t risk you walking out again Vik. But I should have been upfront. I fear I’ve hurt you more by keeping quiet… I’m so, so sorry.”

He positioned himself side by side with her, back against the wall. He reached across and took her hand in his without another word; her fingers were limp, but she didn’t try to stop him. After a few minutes, her head dropped to lean against his shoulder. Istvan whispered as he pushed her hair back from her face,

“Are we going to be ok Vik?”

Viktoria eventually squeezed his hand, her tears still falling, whispering back,

“We will be sweetheart…”

—

TBC – VP 💖