A Love that Endures 2

by Forrest, Bella

  Cradling the phone to her cheek, she sat on her bed in her spacious, sunlit room and felt slightly guilty for what she had just said. She had so much here in Lorria, and she didn’t want to sound ungrateful for it. But it just didn’t have the same appeal without David.

  Not much did anymore.

  “What if I could fly out to Lorria, Katy? Could you see me then, if even for just a short time?”

  The excitement and hope brought by the idea of David visiting her was immediately dampened by the thought of what her parents and the PR team would say: that this would be the worst thing for her current scandal. David flying into a public airport, obviously coming to see her.

  But that logic just didn’t feel right to her. Why wouldn’t that help her case, for the public to know that David wasn’t just some torrid fling? She loved him. She wanted to be with him. And he felt the same way. Wouldn’t proving to her country that she was in a serious, committed relationship—not some kind of “sexy romp”—be better than trying to pretend that nothing had ever happened?

  She’d knew she’d been quiet for too long, thinking, when she heard David sigh, seeming to take her pause as an answer. “I don’t want to push you into anything, Katy. I know this is a lot for you. I’m just getting nervous over here without you. I can’t shake this scary feeling that I’ll never see you again.”

  This time her reply didn’t need to be thought about. “David, I won’t let that happen,” Katy replied, her voice coming out surprisingly strong, even to herself. “I swear to you. I love you, and I want to be with you.”

  But how could she prove that to him? How could she comfort him when she wasn’t sure herself how to proceed?

  David’s voice still seemed low. “Just . . . just keep me updated, okay? Let me know how you’re doing. I don’t want to lose you, Katy.”

  “You won’t,” Katy replied.

  “I love you,” David said to end their call. “Talk soon.”

  At that final, worried click, Katy replaced her phone in her pocket and lay back on her bed. It was another bright morning in Lorria, though for David it must’ve been late in the day. But even in the light of sunrise, her mind was already heavy and overwrought.

  Around her, things were moving very fast and very slowly all at once. A network of decisions about her whole life was being made rapidly. And yet, since she was being kept out of the planning and was expected to just hide out for a year or so, it almost felt like time was standing still.

  And for what? To keep Katy away from the boy she cared about so much? To show the people of Lorria that if you made a mistake in love, heartbreak and embarrassment would follow?

  Was Katy just being used as a moral lesson? And, if so, was this the kind of lesson she wanted to teach her own people?

  She sat up again but continued to ponder her situation. Would the king and queen have been so strict about Alexei? Would they have manufactured a separation like this? No, that doesn’t seem right. They would definitely want to prove how devoted we were then—they’d probably be pushing for a marriage to dampen the scandal!

  But if that was true, then what was the reason that they were keeping Katy shut away currently? Just because David wasn’t a royal?

  Angry tears stung Katy’s eyes, but this time they didn’t fall. Maybe this had never been about traditional values to her parents.

  How could she have been so blind? She’d allowed her guilt and embarrassment to keep her in line while the king and queen planned her future around her and had listened to them when they told her that straying even slightly from their plan would deepen their pain and shame. She had let herself get swept along in their plans without advocating for what she knew was best.

  But if this was just about who David was and not what Katy had done, then she wouldn’t stand for it.

  Katy pushed off her bed, swiping at her eyes, her determination drying up her tears, and walked briskly to her closet to get dressed for the day. She needed to talk to her parents, and she wanted to do it now.

  * * *

  When Katy pushed open her father’s study door without announcing herself, she expected to see the king and queen looking surprised and somewhat appalled at her lack of decorum.

  What she didn’t expect to see was Cassie.

  “Katy,” Cassie said, looking a bit abashed. Her cousin looked over at the king and queen and then back to Katy, but then her face smoothed a little into an embarrassed, concerned smile. “We were just discussing some things that might lift your mood, since everything is still so raw right now. I was telling your parents about some of our favorite things to bake when we’re upset. I was thinking they could have the servants go out and fetch ingredients.”

  The queen nodded behind Cassie. “Yes, well, thank you for your suggestions, Cassandra. It is obvious that you care for our daughter very much. But it looks like she requires some of our time now.”

  Cassie bowed slightly in the queen’s direction. “Yes, My Queen.” Then she walked away from the king’s desk and past Katy as she left the room, offering her cousin a friendly half-smile on her way out.

  Katy closed the door behind her as she walked up to her parents. It was nerve-wracking to confront them about anything. Her upbringing had been strict and focused on rigid protocol. She could still hear her first nanny’s words in her head.

  “Yes, they’re your parents. But they’re also the king and queen of Lorria. You do not doubt their judgment or ask them to explain themselves. You just obey.”

  But as Katy got older, that advice started to ring more and more hollow. And now . . .

  “If you’ve come to ask about the volunteering opportunities, then I’m glad,” the queen started, busying herself with a stack of papers from her spot beside the king’s desk. The king was seated, looking at Katy as she walked in; he said nothing, letting the queen continue. “We just got confirmation from the crisis team that we can probably schedule the first photo opportunity for six months from now, as opposed to a full year. We were thinking the end-of-season beach cleanup . . .”

  Katy stopped at the head of the desk and stared at her father. She interrupted her mother, her tone firm. “Is this because David isn’t a royal?”

  The queen looked up for the first time since she’d walked in.

  Long, tense seconds ticked by in the echoing silence of the great study. The king spoke first.

  “This is because you’ve brought shame to the crown, Katerina.”

  Even though she had expected them, the king’s words still cut deeply. Katy hadn’t forgotten what he’d told her by the beach. But she also knew her own values, and she wasn’t going to be thwarted.

  “Then why not choose the obvious route? Why not announce an engagement? Why wasn’t that option even considered? If David and I are both willing—”

  It was the queen’s turn to interrupt.

  “You really don’t get it, do you, my darling?” she said, her eyes wide and her voice trembling slightly. “You still think we’re in this to hurt you instead of trying, against your best efforts, to help you?”

  Katy blinked. She knew where the conversation was going, but she needed to hear it to make it real.

  “That boy doesn’t love you, Katerina,” the king said from his seat. He sounded exasperated. “We admit that we were fooled, too. We thought he was crazy about you, just like you did. And that’s why we ended up supporting your decision to return to Harvard with him. We might not have thought he was the best suitor for you, but we put that aside because we. . .we just wanted you to be happy. And we would have continued to support you. But it’s clear now that he was playing you. He used you as a pawn. He’s not who you think he is, my love.”

  “David didn’t sell those photos,” Katy repeated. She was sick of saying it. It should be common knowledge by now!

  “He is the only person who could’ve done it, Katy. And he had everything to gain,” the queen said. “The photographer himself said that your boyfriend probably took the photo card.
When will you start to see reason?”

  “When ‘reason’ starts to make sense!” Katy replied hotly. If she had ever been sure of anything, it was that David would never have sold those photos to the press. Anyone who thought so didn’t know him well enough. Why was no one willing to admit that?

  “Besides,” the king went on. “You will need to announce an engagement. Everyone will be expecting it now. If any of the suitors we called down over the winter are still interested, then we would like you to be engaged and married within two years. It’s the only way to save this family’s name, our and your legacy.”

  “But what if I can prove that David didn’t do this? Will you be so opposed to our relationship then, when you realize that he was a victim in this just as much as I was?” Katy asked.

  The king gave a sigh, running a tired hand down his face. “No. Of course not, Katy,” he replied after a beat. “If you can prove that your boyfriend is innocent, and you decide you want to commit to each other long term, I’ll officiate the ceremony myself. It would go a ways to fixing this mess.”

  A burst of hope and relief blossomed in Katy’s chest, and she immediately turned on her heel and left the room. Nothing was going to stop her from fixing this. From clearing David’s name. She needed to speak to someone. And she knew exactly who could help.

  The family lawyer was a man named Rourke. He had been a long-time counsel to the crown, and Katy knew him well. He had grandchildren her age that she’d played with as a child. He even came to formal gatherings at the palaces.

  And now she had some questions for him.

  But after Katy had found him drafting documents in a smaller study, Rourke didn’t have much good news for her. “I’m sorry, Princess,” he replied dejectedly, “but I’ve gotten as much information as I think I can. Our records request for the name of the seller was denied. It’s protected information. All they could tell us was that Marty Elgin didn’t breach his copyright transfer. So it couldn’t have been him.”

  Katy sighed, realizing that this question was going to get her nowhere. She needed to start thinking about other avenues to prove David’s innocence. “What if David would agree to give you temporary access to his finances and phone records? Would you be able to prove that he didn’t sell the photos?”

  The lawyer shrugged. “Yes, I suppose so. But do you really think . . .”

  Katy didn’t wait around to hear the rest of his sentence. She had to call David now. She hated asking him something like this, especially since she knew he was innocent—and she knew how much privacy mattered to him—but if the lawyer could be convinced that Katy’s belief in David was founded, then maybe he’d be able to help her convince her parents.

  Katy walked out to the veranda of the house, fumbling with her phone. She felt a rush of anticipation and anxiety. Yes, it would be hard to ask David how he felt about her plan, but what if that meant they could be reunited soon?

  What if she could clear his name? If she could choose her own path, take the initiative, and be the one to tell him that if he was ready to commit, then so was she?

  What if they could end this scandal in the purest way: with an engagement to each other? Her heart fluttered in her chest at the thought.

  She found David’s name in her contacts and excitedly pressed the call button. It was time to get his feelings on the matter. It was time to assert herself. She worked up her courage, gathering her thoughts as the phone rang.

  And rang.

  And rang.

  34

  David

  “Come on, come on. Pick up,” David said to himself under his breath. But it was fruitless. Katy wasn’t answering. After the twentieth or so ring, he finally hung up again.

  Where was she?

  It was the fourth or fifth time he’d called in the two hours since he’d gotten off his international flight in Boston. He knew that there was a good chance that Katy was busy with her family or her PR team, but since the call wasn’t connecting to voicemail, it made him think that maybe there was something wrong with his connection instead. Or perhaps it was her phone? Maybe calls to the tiny country were a bit erratic in general. But this silence was unnerving to him. He’d never been unable to reach her for an extended time before. When she was at Harvard, even if she couldn’t take a phone call, Katy always replied to his texts.

  He’d made it back to the Wolf Club physically unscathed, with all his possessions intact, no sign of a struggle. But the events that had transpired in Bahia still loomed over him.

  At least, in spite of the unsatisfying outcome, he knew now that his father had been a good man. And he’d loved his mother. He’d probably have loved him, too. That was a silver lining he couldn’t ignore.

  From where he stood in his bedroom, looking out the front window, he glanced back down at his phone. He still had plenty of reasons to move forward, even if his father was out of the picture. Jeanine. Harvard. His friends and cousins.

  But most importantly, Katy.

  He had been hoping to see a text or call from her since he’d gotten home—he’d let her know the approximate timetable of the flight, and Katy always remembered little details like that. But there had been nothing. No sign that she was even thinking about him.

  He looked out the window. Okay, now that’s being a bit ridiculous, mate. After all, they’d managed to speak just before he got on the plane in Brazil. She’d sounded glad to hear from him. She’d sounded hopeful that she’d get a chance to see him again before too long.

  But David couldn’t help the tightness that clutched at his chest. It seemed like Katy was currently surrounded by people who were trying to keep him away from her. He’d always gotten the impression that the king and queen weren’t happy with his presence in her life, but now it felt like even Cassie had turned against him.

  And for what? Because he was just a commoner? Because every last one of them was convinced that he’d been the one to betray her?

  Outside, spring was in full bloom. The previously barren trees were now lit with blossoms and buds. The dormant grass had come back to verdant life. And despite the nip in the air, Harvard students were walking around in sundresses and shorts now, grateful for the thaw.

  The students who were still on campus, anyway. Now that it was spring break, Zeke and most of David’s other housemates were gone. The campus bustle had slowed to a trickle. Everyone was with their families or friends, enjoying their break from the rigors of studying.

  But not David. He was finding things to do, but it was hard to focus when the girl he loved was so far away . . . and when he knew that she was probably going through an emotional wringer. What if Katy needed him? With no word from her, the distance separating them seemed like more than just an ocean.

  David sighed and turned away from the window. He had things to do, of course. He could set up his makeup exams with his professors. He could study. He could call Mia and tell her what had happened. He could do some recreational reading, even—he wasn’t that far behind. And he would start those things soon.

  But right now, all he could think of was Katy. Where was she? What was she doing?

  Was she thinking of him, too?

  David walked to his laptop and fired up his email. Some spam, some messages from professors checking in on him, but nothing from Katy. He created a new message and shot off a quick note.

  “Hey. Couldn’t reach you by phone, so I just wanted to check in here. Call me when you can. I love you.”

  David stared at the inbox for a while, hoping he’d magically get an immediate response, though he knew it was unlikely. When nothing happened, he shut his laptop.

  He imagined Katy in Lorria, in some opulent, grand room in a palace, quietly holding herself and staring out the window, her face determined but tired, yet still graceful. He imagined coming up to the doorway of this grand room, calling out her name—it was foolish, but he could still pretend he could catch a flight to Lorria—and her breathtaking smile as she turned at the sound of hi
s voice. David smiled at the thought of enfolding her warm body in his arms, stroking her hair, gently brushing her lips with his own . . .

  And then he heard it again.

  The beep.

  He strained his ears and turned behind him, trying to home in on the direction of the sound.

  It was some type of device with batteries dying. He was sure of it. He’d heard that noise many times before from electronic devices geared to get your attention for maintenance. But Zeke had told him it was none of his things, and David was confident that it was none of his. Then what was it?

  David stood and walked back to his bed. He pulled the bedframe back away from the wall by a couple of inches. Perhaps Katy had dropped something behind the bed during one of her visits. An MP3 player or a smartwatch or . . . something. But nothing came tumbling to the carpet. He dropped down and looked under his bed. There was the baseball Zeke had been so disinterested in. As well as a single sock that must’ve fallen out of the laundry hamper. A few crumpled sheets of notebook paper. A pen.

  But nothing that would explain the noise.

  David pushed himself back up off the floor. He was starting to feel delusional, like he was being watched or plotted against. After all, so many things had gone wrong in such a short period of time. How could any one person have so much bad luck befall them all at once?

  He walked back over to his desk and sat. He just needed to keep it together now. As long as he could keep moving forward and keep reaching out to Katy, he was confident that they could be reunited. Everything would be okay in the end. It had to be.

  Katy was his soulmate. He knew that the way a thirsty man knows he needs water. How could he lose the woman whose heart knew his so well? The woman he had grown to love so ferociously? He had fate on his side.

  But, torturously, he decided to check his email again. It had only been a matter of minutes since he’d messaged Katy, but he was hoping he’d finally have a brush of luck.