Veronica had been surprised by the hope in Drake’s face and voice when she told him she might be carrying his child instead of the next heir to Cordonia. His question had taken her by surprise, ‘what does this mean for us?’, what really caught her off guard was her response ‘I don’t know.’ Was it really all that shocking? Hadn’t she been worried about telling him for that exact reason? Hadn’t she been questioning her feelings before she even went to him?
She worried how Liam would react when he found out that Drake held out hope that they could be something. Drake’s hope would only deepen the betrayal, cut Liam deeper. She hoped she could keep her conflicted feelings from her husband, but she knew she needed to finally start being completely honest with him, even if it meant driving the spike further into his heart. She needed to be truthful with him about her feelings, about everything—for once in her relationship with him. Her lies had hurt him enough, she needed to take a chance with the truth. But she knew that with their broken trust, the still crumbling walls that once held up their life, their love, would make him doubt anything she said.
Veronica feared she could never make things right again, get back to where they were. Did she even want to? How could she do something that could condemn their future with such little care or thought? Did she really think anyone would come out of this unscathed? Did she really think that Liam would never find out about Drake? Why did she have to lie? Why couldn’t she just be the committed suitor, mistress, and fiancé he deserved.
Mistress—that word still felt like a someone was slicing her abdomen with a broadsword and her guts were spilling to the floor. No other word ever cut her deeper than the one that labeled her as his whore. Maybe if she had been his in every aspect, the one draped on his arm, things would never had happened with Drake. That wasn’t fair—putting her infidelity on him, if she had loved him—truly loved him shouldn’t she have been able to happy with even just a piece of him? No! She needed him all, needed to be able to shout their love from the rooftops, start a family with him.
Veronica’s hand came to rest on her stomach, here she was supposed to be getting everything she, they, had ever wanted and she’d gone and ruined it. She wanted nothing more than to have a family with him, and now she made the love and joy slip away faster than a balloon shooting across the room as it released its air. She dashed his hopes and dreams in an instant, made him wander the halls of their broken dreams in the dark mourning what could have been.
She wanted nothing more than to be with Liam the way they had been before she blew up their life. Is he what I want? Doubts kept creeping in her mind, never leaving her alone for even a second. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of battered dreams. Would she ever be able to pull her head above the turbulent water? Could she ever get to a place where she was happy again? What would her future even look like? Would it be stuck in a palace with shattered remnants of a promised future littering the floor? Could their marriage, their love make it through? Did she want it to? How did she tell her husband that the demise of their relationship left his best friend feeling hopeful?
Living with Liam became walking along the walls to avoid the shards of broken glass of what could have been. Hurt looks and furtive stares had become normal. Their relationship was but a hollow shell and they were ghosts stuck wandering the world of what could have been.
A puffy red face streaked by tears had become her new normal. Liam became more stoic and threw himself into ruling his country, living parallel lives instead of one life together. Her words had left him battered and bruised, unrecognizable even to himself. She understood she had caused him the worst pain imaginable, but they couldn’t go on ignoring each other forever, they need to talk—to try to move on, either together or apart.
Veronica sat up in their bed, waiting for Liam to return. She knew he was still sleeping in their shared bed because his side would always be wrinkled in the morning when she’d get up. Even if he was avoiding seeing her she took a small comfort in the fact that they still shared a bed, even if it wasn’t like before—before she cut his heart out with a butter knife.
Liam walked in, loosening his tie, he looked generally surprised to see her still awake, he had hoped that he had wasted enough time that she would be asleep.
Liam, we need to talk.” She stated calmly, even though her body trembled with raw emotion and fear.
“What more could there possibly be to say?” Liam asked, he looked exhausted, dark circles under his now dull blue eyes.
“I spoke to Drake.” She replied, picking at invisible fibers on the sheet.
“Oh? I guess I should congratulate him on his possible impending fatherhood with MY wife.” Liam responded, his cold hard voice dripping with disdain.
“Liam—” she started.
“What Veronica? I don’t have a right to be upset? He took the only woman I’ve ever loved and tore her from my arms! He ruined my happiness! I’ve been trying to figure a way out of this mess the two of you created!” He shouted, his voice reverberating against the walls.
“A—a way out? How?” She asked her voice cracking from emotion. Her body stiffened as she waited to hear him say he was working on a way to annul their marriage—divorce her.
“I don’t even know.” He replied, his voice strained and tired and he rubbed his hand down his face. He slumped on the bed, his shoulders hunched forward, her husband was broken and she was the one who broke him.
Unshed tears stung at her eyes, unsure of what to say or do, terrified she’d only make it worse.
“Did you ever love me?” He asked, his voice breaking with emotion.
She felt her heart shatter into a million pieces, “Liam, of course I loved you, I still love you.” She replied tears streaming down her face.
“Then why? Why did you do it?” He asked, choking out the words as tears pooled in his once vibrant blue eyes.
She didn’t know how to answer, the truth was she didn’t know why she slept with Drake, why she let him into her heart, why she had to have one more passion filled fling with him. She had been happy with Liam, hadn’t she? So why wasn’t he enough? Why did she make such reckless choices that left her relationship in a pile of rubble next to a mountain of charred memories?
Her silence told him everything he needed to know, he pulled himself to his feet, walking towards the door with large strides and renewed purpose.
“Where are you going?” She asked, throwing back the covers, jumping out of bed chasing him.
He spun on his heel, a burning rage alight in his blue eyes, “where do you think?!” He shouted, the anger in his voice making Veronica jump in shock.
Her eyes wide with fear of what Liam might do once he found Drake, “Liam you can’t!” She exclaimed grabbing his arm, trying to keep him from leaving.
“Why the hell can’t I? He didn’t think about me and my feelings when he went after the woman I love!” Liam shouted, wrenching his arm away from her grasp.
He yanked open the door and started towards Drake’s room at a furious pace, Veronica had to run to keep up with his long strides.
Arriving at Drake’s room, Liam pounded on the door, the second Drake wrenched open the door, Liam drew his fist back, striking Drake hard in the jaw.
Drake stumbled back in surprise, hand coming up to rub his jaw, “what the hell Liam?” He roared.
“I could say the same to you.” Liam replied, his voice full of a furious rage as he shook out his hand.
Veronica stopped, having just showed up, she glanced between both men, Drake clutching his jaw, Liam shaking out his hand. She grabbed Liam’s hand, looking at it, “are you okay?” She asked looking up him, eyes full of love and concern as she met his gaze.
Liam’s eyes softened when he saw the love and concern on his wife’s face directed at him.
“Hey, what about me? I’m the one who got hit!” Drake asked.
“You deserved it!” Liam replied, not tearing his eyes off of his wife who was carefully inspecting his hand.
“We should get some ice on this.” Veronica said to Liam leading him back towards their suite.
Drake slammed the door shut at their retreating figures, his heart clenching in pain from her display of love and affection towards Liam. He’s her husband, of course he’s the one she’s worried about!
Back in their suite, Liam sat on the edge of the bed while Veronica made herself busy getting ice for his hand. She held his hand loosely, gently pressing the ice on the back of his hand, Liam hissed at the contact.
He watched as his wife tended to his hand with such a tender loving touch, “you were worried about me.” He said.
She looked up at him in surprise, “of course I was, I love you.” She replied, the truth behind her words easily read in her eyes.
She does still love me! But why-? “But then—” he started.
“I made a mistake Liam. A lot of them really, I don’t know what’s going to happen with us, I know I lost your trust, but I do know I have always loved you, and always will.” She said cutting him off.
Having seen Liam so upset, so worked up over her that he’d punched his own friend she finally saw things clearly, she made a mistake. She always knew that, but she knew for sure that no matter what she was going to fight for her husband, her marriage, and try her best to forget about Drake.
