Love Me Never

22| Broken

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

Broken

┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛

Chapter 22: Broken (Rhys' POV)

I don't know what I was thinking, what went through my head, or why I acted on impulse and actually kissed her. I wanted to but I hadn't intended to. But now that I did, I didn't want to stop. She remained frozen under me for several seconds before she looped her arms around my neck and pulled me in closer, kissing me back. This is wrong. I shouldn't be doing this to her, she doesn't deserve this, she deserves the truth. But the truth can hurt her. And what she doesn't know can't. 

That's why I'm refraining from telling her. If he finds out that she knows... Liam wasn't always obsessed with being prince. Of course, growing up around and in royalty, most little boys and girls look forward to their crowning to become a prince or princess. 

He thought he would be the prince. But he only became obsessive after his parents told him he'd never get that chance, that it would be me instead. And it's painfully obvious that they wanted him to hate me. It's because of them that the whole idea of becoming prince became his priority and only purpose in life. It's all he thinks about. Replacing me and being the prince. 

He thinks that because he's the only other son of the family, even if it's not my blood, that somehow makes him second in line to the throne. But that's not true. If I don't become king, my dad would rule until I have a child who would have to take over. So whether I become future king or not, my child would. If not my child, my wife would be the queen. Not Liam. 

We both stopped at the same time, realizing what we were doing. She took in a sharp breath, pulling her hands to herself, one covering her mouth. "What is wrong with you?" She scolded, giving my arm a hard hit. 

"I don't know," I mumbled. 

She rolled her eyes, giving me a push and trying to walk past me and into the bathroom but I put my hands on the vanity, keeping her there. She blinked, staring up at me. She was nervous and angry and probably confused. 

"I'll tell you." 

What? I will?

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. 

"I'll tell you everything." 

No. No, I won't. 

"Right now?" she asked. 

I sighed, staring at her eyes for a while. 

"If you're not going to—" 

"Right now. I'll tell you right now." 

She stared at me quietly before nodding slowly. "Fine. Let me change." 

"Hmm." I stepped back. 

She grabbed a fresh nightgown and robe, this one a dark purple, before going into the bathroom. 

As she shut the door and I walked to the closet to grab my own clothes, I let out a frustrated breath. "Shit," I mumbled, undoing the sleeves of my shirt and then unbuttoning it all the way. I shrugged it off and then traded my pants for sweatpants. 

When she came out of the bathroom, her makeup was all off, she was in the nightgown, and her hair was pulled back into a bun with a claw clip. She put her dress away from dry-cleaning with my suit from tonight before sitting on the bed while I leaned on my desk, watching her. "Rhys," she sighed, sitting up against the headboard. "Don't tell me if you don't want to. But then don't expect me to be okay with that and give you another chance. I'm not walking into battle blind again."