Rebecca woke up in a cold sweat, her body erupting in goosebumps as the chilled air met the wet skin. She clutched her chest, sapphire eyes wide with panic. They should have stopped. Why won’t they stop?! They know you’re gone, be at rest damnit! She reached towards Liam’s side, her hand hitting cool undisturbed sheets. Of course, why would he be at home with his pregnant queen when he can be with his heifer?!
She shot forward, hands clutching her abdomen as a pain ripped through her. It’s not real. It’s not real. The pain kept coming. No I’m fine! She threw back the bedcovers, standing on shaky legs, eyes going wide as she saw the spot of red staying her satin sheets. No! I’m fine he made it up! “Help!” She crumpled to the floor, eyes closing as the guard burst into her room.
*
Rebecca flicked her eyes from the television, agitation written across her features as the door to her hospital room cracked open. “It’s about damn time Liam! Where the fuck were you? Were you off fucking your fat whore?!” Her blood pressure was steadily rising, but she didn’t care, he didn’t get to treat her like someone he could just throw away. How dare he treat me like this?
A soft chuckle floated through the room making her blood go cold. “So Liam got our little gift did he?”
No no no! It can’t be real, he’s dead. Wake up wake up.
Shaggy chestnut colored locks poked around the door, smirk upon his lips.
Her face paled, she heard the beeps on the monitor steadily become more rapid. “You’re not real.” She reached over harshly pinching her forearm. Wake up! You need to wake up from this nightmare!
His lips drew back into a full smile. “Oh Rebecca, I’m very real.” He crossed the room with long strides. He moved to the heart rate monitor clicking it off.
“No! They found your bodies!”
“No, they found bodies, but not ours. When you came to see me and told me we were over I realized who you really were, I just needed to show Liam.”
“Why’d —why’d—”
“Why’d we fake our deaths?” She nodded, face pale, eyes wide in fear. “I had to watch you fall Rebecca. It wasn’t enough to know you did, I needed to see it. I needed to watch Liam realize his mistake and drop you.” He waved his hand around the room. “I wasn’t expecting all of this. When we heard, well I knew I needed to come and pay you a visit.”
Her heart pounded in her ears. What’s he going to do?“What—what do you want?” She stammered her eyes wide with fear. Is he going to hurt me? Hurt my baby?
“I want you to know what I felt.” He clicked off the fetal heart rate monitor. “I want you to feel desperate and alone.” He smiled as he stepped back. “I want you to know what it’s like to know you’ve lost everything you love and there isn’t a damn thing you can do to stop it.”
He’s going to kill me isn’t he? Her eyes flicked to the monitor, her heart rate spiking. He didn’t shut it off he just silenced the alarm.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I always thought when I saw you like this it would be happy and it would be our child. But you destroyed that.”
“No.” She shook her head. “That was Liam.”
“Liam may have been behind it, but you played right into his hand.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I need to know, did you ever love me?”
She stared at him, unmoving.
His eyes flicked to the silenced monitors, then to the red starting to spread across the stark white sheets. “Tic toc Rebecca, it’s a simple question. Just answer it and then you will be free.”
Fine if that’s what you want! “No. Not really.” Her face flat, her voice full of panic. “Now get me help.”
“That’s what I thought.” He turned back towards the door. “Goodbye Rebecca.” He slipped out, closing the door behind him.
She reached for the call button, accidentally pushing it off the bed. She looked up at the monitor, her blood pressure and heart rate dangerously high. She felt her eyes grow heavy. Is this the end?
*
Drake dropped the smile from his lips as he closed the door behind him. He pulled on a baseball cap as his gaze fell on the nurses desk, her head down, completely oblivious to the state the queen was in. He glanced up at the monitors. “I think you need to check on the queen.”
Her head popped up eyes going wide as she looked at the monitors. His smile returned as he heard shouts for a code, and the staff rushing to save her life.
He may have hated her, but he wasn’t monster enough to actually kill her. But then again, didn’t she do all of this to herself?
*
Doctor Ramirez wiped her brow as she removed her dirty scrub gown, guilt grabbing hold of her heart. You did everything you could, everything he asked, he can’t blame you. She’s the one who didn’t listen to doctors orders. She let out a sigh as she dried off her freshly scrubbed hands. Now she had to give the king news that could bring the entire country to its knees, the queen and the heir, both lost to complications.
*
Liam clenched his jaw, eyes narrowed as he stared at the person across from him. His initial reaction had been shock, denial, but now he felt pure rage pulsing through his veins. He had won, he had gotten everything he’d wanted, he’d taken care of all obstacles, yet he sat in his own interrogation room, handcuffed. What went wrong?
How had he missed so much? First, the woman he loved wasn’t who he thought, he’d had what he wanted in his grasp but he watched as it burst into flames.
How had he been so blind? How had he missed the signs that not one but two women had been concealing the truth from him?
He’d been more than a little shocked when Alessandra identified herself as Interpol, and placed him under arrest. The true shock had come when the ghosts of those he’d thought he had gotten rid of strolled through the door.
Liam’s phone rang, vibrating loudly against the metal table. Drake raised his brow, his finger sliding across the bottom of the screen accepting the call. He nodded to Liam to answer. Were they able to save her or did he truly lose everything?
“Hello?”
“Hello Your Majesty. It’s Dr Ramirez. There is a matter for which I was hoping you could come to the hospital to discuss.”
Liam’s jaw twitched as Drake shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m unavailable today, can this wait?”
“I’m afraid not sir.” Uncomfortable silence filled the room. “The Queen was rushed in this morning, I’m afraid that both she and the princess took a turn for the worse. She had a total abruption… neither one made it…”
Drake leaned forward, clicking end call. “Well, looks like you have nothing to show for any of your efforts. I hope you’re happy.” He stood, the metal chair scraping along the stone floor.
Liam clenched his fist. “What will become of Cordonia?”
Loud clicking of stiletto heels echoed through stone halls. “Don’t worry about that dear Liam. You shall go down as Cordonia’s last king…”
