Now he had a splitting headache, and his problems still remained.
"I'm just happy you are okay," Filippo said, clearing his throat.
Leo detected a hint of emotion in his voice and he understood it. Not only was Filippo his bodyguard, but also his best friend. If something ever happened to Filippo, he would have a hard time dealing with it as well.
Before he could think further, a screech pulled his attention to the door. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. Whenever he heard it, his stomach twisted and squeezed. Gisella.
The woman he'd been intended to marry since he was a little boy. Since the DeLuca's discovered that in order to keep the crown, the prince must marry by the time he turned thirty. And for Leo, that birthday was rapidly approaching.
"Where is he?" Gisella screamed.
Leo winced as he anticipated her arrival. He didn't want to marry her, but no matter what he said, his mother always brushed him off, stating he'd grow to love her. The crown was more important than his happiness.
The door slammed open and Gisella rushed in. "Leonardo," she exclaimed, rushing to his side of the bed and wrapping her arms around him—suffocating him like she did with every aspect of their relationship.
He tried to move, but decided against it. He didn't want to get into a round of how this accident hurt her more than it did him. If he were honest with himself, he just wanted her to go away. Unlike his parents, he didn’t care that her father was one of the wealthiest men in Caro.
None of this trip was for him. He was supposed to take her to a fancy dinner and propose to her in front of cameras so that the world could see that Caro was a beautiful place. And hopefully with a royal wedding planned, tourism would pick up.
No one seemed to care that he felt stifled. It was his duty.
When Gisella pulled back, she met his gaze. Her perfectly formed eyebrows drew together as she studied him. Then she cocked her head to the side. "Filippo, what is wrong with Leo? Why does he not remember me?"
There she went. Making his accident about herself. Leo half expected cameras to come barging in here, where she would tell her sob story about how she was now the soon-to-be fiancée of the prince with amnesia.
Then he started to think. What if he faked amnesia? His parents wouldn't force him to marry a woman that he couldn't remember. Right?
It was worth a shot.
So he turned to Filippo and forced the most confused expression he could muster. "Who is this woman?" he commanded.
Filippo raised his eyebrows and studied him. As if he were trying to figure out what Leo was playing at. Truth was, if anyone could figure out he was lying, it was his bodyguard.
"Sir, this is Gisella. Your bride-to-be," Filippo said.
Leo forced his hands out of her grasp and shifted away. "I don't know who you are or what you are doing here. I need you to leave."
Gisella sat there with her mouth hanging open and her lips fluttering like a fish out of water. Her eyes were wide as she swept her gaze from Filippo and then back to Leo. "I—um…Leo," she whispered.
Filippo approached the bed. He met Leo's gaze. "Do you really not remember?'
Leo shook his head, taking note of the worry that flashed through Filippo's gaze. Good, he believed that Leo was telling the truth. This meant he might have a chance.
"I'm going to find a doctor," Filippo said and then stepped from the room.
Suddenly, Leo realized just how alone he and Gisella were. This was the last thing that he wanted. She went from looking as if she were about to cry to annoyed. Of course, she was so fickle. How his parents didn't see it boggled his mind.
"Enough," she said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue from her purse.
He stared at her. He needed to keep this lie up, so he forced an uncertain expression. "What—"
She held up her finger as she grabbed a compact out of her purse. "You're lying, and it's pathetic."
Well, she wasn't stupid. "I'm not sure. . ." He wished that he really couldn't remember how awful she was. That he would forget her and she'd leave him alone. But his parents were convinced that she was the best for the country and forced him to go along with it.
"Leo, I was there. I heard the conversation between you and Filippo." She parted her lips and leaned in. She made a flourishing movement with her hand as if she were indicating that he could finish the conversation.
Heat raced across his skin, but he forced himself to calm down. He'd suspected that she had heard about his plan to rent a car and drive away from this place. Find some small town along the coast and live there. Being a king was the last thing he wanted. And being married to a woman he didn't love? Torture. He'd rather be alone than forced into an awful marriage. She was cruel and spoiled and nothing like him.
"I don't know what you are talking about," he lied.
The click of her compact filled the silence. "So, you don't remember what you were planning?" Her creased forehead softened and a smile hinted on her lips.
Of course she was happy that he didn't remember. It meant she still had the opportunity to dig her claws into him. But he needed to keep up the act. "What was I planning?"
She stuffed her compact back into her purse. "An engagement party for me, silly." She smiled and grasped his hand. "This is just terrible that this happened to you. But I will not leave you. I will be here with you, every step of the way until you get better and remember just how in love we really are." She stood, brushing her lips against his cheek. "You can count on that," she whispered.
As much as he didn't want to believe her, he did. What had he gotten himself into?
Leo stared at the doctors and family members that now crowded his room. They were talking in hushed tones—as if he'd died or something. He swept his gaze from his blubbering mom hugging his dad, over to Dr. Wilson, who was flipping through his chart while talking to another doctor with sandy blond hair.
Wow. All of this because they thought that he couldn't remember Gisella. His decision to fake amnesia was rapidly spiraling out of control. Did he parents want him to marry her this bad? Why?
He hoped it was because his parents wanted him to be happy. But he was beginning to think that was not the case.
His mom pulled away from his dad and made her way over to him. "I want you to know that we will figure this out," she said as she leaned down and kissed both of his cheeks. "This wedding will happen. You will remember Gisella, and she will become your wife."
His eyes widened. "But I don't remember her." Was his mom really going to make him marry a woman that he didn't remember?
She waved away his comment. "Don't be silly. You will propose and this wedding will happen."
He leaned back on his pillows and studied his parents. He'd always suspected it, but didn't believe it fully until just now. His parents didn't care if he loved Gisella. She was going to marry him. End of story.
All he wanted to do was climb into a car and get as far away from here as possible. But, with the media storm that seemed to have blown up around his accident, he doubted he'd get far without being recognized. And Filippo looked as if he were going to microchip him. There was no way he was going to be able to live his own life, and his only excuse was rapidly escaping his grasp.
So he forced a smile and nodded. Playing along with his mother seemed like the only logical move. "If you think that's the right thing," he said. Ugh, just saying those words made his stomach churn.
"That's right, sweetheart," she said, patting his head. "You'll be just fine."
Horace, his mom's PR specialist, walked up and rested his hand on her shoulder. "The press is ready for your statement," he said in a hushed tone.
Leo raised his eyebrows, but his mom just gave him a confident smile. "The press just wants to know that you are okay and that everything will proceed as planned," she said and then stood to join his father. Both of them followed Horace out of the room, taking Leo's hope of getting out of this marriage with them.
Just as Leo moved his gaze fro
m the door, something caught his eye. Two women were standing in the hall, staring in. When his gaze met the gaze of a woman with wavy black hair and bright blue eyes, he stopped. It was the same nurse that had helped him earlier. He wished he could remember her name.
"I know you," he said, sitting up straighter and pointing to her.
Dr. Wilson walked into his line of sight. "You remember something?"
Leo studied him and nodded. This seemed like good news to the doctor. So he decided to play along with it. "Yes. I recognize her."
Dr. Wilson turned. "Marianna?" he asked. "You know this man?"
She nodded and stepped into the room.
"What are you doing down here, Mari?" the second doctor, who had been conversing with Dr. Wilson asked.
For a moment, Leo thought he detected a hint of anger flash across her face. "I helped this man get in here. I actually worry about those people in my care. I wanted to make sure he was doing well."
The red-haired woman who was standing next to her, smiled. "And we wanted to meet the prince."
Marianna shushed her and then looked apologetically over at Leo. "Don't mind, Donna. She wanted to tag along." Then her expression turned serious. "How are you? Are you feeling okay?"
He smiled at her and nodded. She was sweet. Something that was seriously lacking in the women in his life right now. "I am. Thanks for your help earlier."
She nodded. "Of course. Anything I can do to help a prince."
"This is interesting," Dr. Wilson said, clicking his pen and scribbling a few things on the chart in front of him.
Marianna turned to him. "Interesting. What are you talking about?"
"Leo has selective amnesia, yet he can remember you. Isn't that strange?" he asked, glancing at her from over his readers.
"Selective amnesia? Who can't he remember?"
Gisella sobbed from the corner. She covered her mouth with her hand when everyone turned to look at her. "Me," she wailed, wiping the (most likely) forced tears from her cheeks. "The woman he loves."
Marianna's eyes widened as she turned her attention to Leo. "That's too bad."
He studied her, enjoying how he felt in her presence. She seemed practical and calm. Perhaps just what he needed to get him out of the jam that he was in. "Where do you work?" he asked.
She furrowed her brow. "Here?" She paused. "Do you know where you are?"
Great. Now everyone was going to question everything he said, like he was slowly slipping into insanity. He nodded. "I'm at New York General. It's just that you seemed to know your way around the ER. Did you used to work here?"
She coughed, her skin turning red. Her gaze flicked over to the younger doctor and then back. "I needed a change of pace. I work up in oncology right not."
Huh. Not ideal, but he could make that work. "I want you to be my nurse."
"I"—she cleared her throat—"your what?"
"I want you to be my nurse. You are better than the one they assigned me."
A satisfied look passed over her face, but then she shook her head. "I don't think that is really a good idea. I don't work here anymore."
He shook his head. "No. I insist." He glanced over at Filippo, who nodded. He walked over to Dr. Wilson and pulled him aside. They started talking in hushed tones.
Marianna's cheeks flushed as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "You must have hit your head really hard. I'm not your nurse. I shouldn't have even been down here."
He wanted to protest, to state that only someone who was selfless would do what she did for him earlier today. But before he could say anything, Dr. Wilson stepped up to Marianna and whispered something under his breath. Her gaze flicked over to him and she nodded.
"We'll be right back," Dr. Wilson said, escorting Marianna from the room.
When the door shut behind them, Gisella whipped her gaze over to him. "What are you trying to pull?" she asked. She pointed her finger in his direction.
Leo took in her menacing stare. A tactic she'd used against him one too many times in the past. All it did was make him angry. She wasn't going to manipulate him anymore.
He narrowed his eyes. He was a royal. Gisella had no right to speak to him like that. "Are you contradicting your prince?" he asked, summoning his commanding voice. One reserved only for when he was going to reprimand a servant or leader.
Gisella's mouth opened, but Leo just held her gaze, challenging her to defy him again. As if she suddenly realized that she wasn't going to win, she closed her lips and shook her head. "No."
He nodded, straightening the covers over his lap. "Good."
At least this was a start.
Chapter Three
Marianna couldn't comprehend what Dr. Wilson was saying. She scoffed and folded her arms, shaking her head, trying to get the ringing in her ears to dissipate. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked again. She glanced over at Donna, who was nodding as if she understood what was being asked.
"I think it would be best for you to come back to the ER, just to tend to Prince Leo. He seems to have taken a liking to you. It might help him to remember. Besides, in situations like this, it's better to play along with their ideas than try to shock them into remembering."
Marianna studied Dr. Wilson's lips. She knew he was speaking English, but the words were not making any sense. How could he be asking her to come back to the one place she'd sworn she wouldn't return? "But, I changed departments." Dr. Wilson had to understand what he was asking of her. "I can't come back."
Dr. Wilson grew serious. "I was informed that the family would be willing to make a sizable donation to my research if I could help him remember." He leaned closer to Marianna. "This is important to my department. You'll do this for me, right?"
Marianna studied him. Truth was, she liked Dr. Wilson. He was like the grandfather to all the doctors here. She felt bad leaving him in the lurch. "So I have to wait on the prince in the hopes that he might remember his fiancée?" Man, just saying the words out loud made her sound crazy.
"This is amazing," Donna breathed as she moved her gaze from Dr. Wilson to Marianna. "You have to do this," she said.
Dr. Wilson looked so earnest that she sighed and nodded. "Okay. I'll do it."
He smiled. "Perfect. I'll put you on the shift. Go home and take a shower, you're going to be here for a while."
Two hours later, Marianna pulled her duffle bag farther up onto her shoulder and made her way into the locker room just outside of the ER. She wasn't sure how long she was going to be the prince's personal nurse, so she'd gone home, taken a quick nap, eaten, and showered.
Anything to prepare for the night ahead.
After everything was secured in her locker, she adjusted her scrubs and headed toward the ER hallway. She pushed open the large doors that groaned as they moved. A sound she'd heard so many times. One that held too many memories for her.
A sinking feeling settled in her gut, and she swallowed. Why was she doing this? This was crazy. All she had to do was say no. Then she could run upstairs and protect herself from the pain this place held.
She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. She needed to stop letting Samson have this kind of control over her. He was a selfish jerk who had led her on. It was time she started showing him that he couldn't control her like that again. She would never get those three years back, and she needed to stop him from ruining any more.
A hushed giggle made her freeze. Stilling her pounding heart, she peeked around the corner to see Samson pressing Barbie up against the wall. He had his hands resting on either side of her and, she was smiling up at him.
Marianna wanted to throw up. She's seen this before and even though time had passed since she and Samson were anything special, coming face to face with the couple who had broken her heart was too much.
She was a fool to think that she could remain at this hospital with Samson and his new fling.
"Is everything okay?" A deep Italian accent sounded behind her.
Marianna yelped and jumped, turning
to see Leo standing behind her. He had his eyebrows raised and a playful smile on his lips.
"Y-Yes," she stammered and then mentally slapped herself for sounding so stupid.
"It just seems strange that you are standing in the hallway, looking as if you were spying." He inched forward and glanced around the corner.
Marianna wished that the ground would just swallow her whole—right here. She leaned her back against the wall and sighed. How had her life come to this? Was she really that pathetic?
"It's ridiculous doctor," Leo whispered as he peeked back at her. "Why are you hiding around the corner to watch him make out with some nurse."
Marianna tipped her face toward the ceiling and closed her eyes. "He's my ex." She swallowed—the feelings of embarrassment growing in her chest. Did she want to tell this prince just how pathetic she was? What did it matter. He was going to find out anyway. "The girl he’s kissing. She's the one he cheated on me with." Ugh. Those words tasted like acid on her tongue.
When Leo didn't say anything, Marianna glanced over to see him peek around the corner again. "You can do better than that insect," he said.
Marianna laughed. "Yeah. Are you serious?"
Leo looked at her. "What do you mean? You are a beautiful woman, and he is a disgusting pig."
Heat permeated her cheeks. Did he just say beautiful? "Now I really think you hit your head hard." Desperate to change the subject, she glanced around. "Where's your muscle?"
Leo furrowed his brow for a moment, as if trying to interpret what she meant, and then he laughed. "You mean Filippo?"
Marianna nodded. "Yeah. The guy you have hovering around you all the time."
Leo shrugged. "He's getting me some Jell-O from the cafeteria. I thought I'd take the time to walk around the floor." He cringed as he glanced around. "American hospitals are so depressing."
Marianna parted her lips. "Depressing? It is a hospital. Most people come here because they are sick or to die. What are the hospitals like where you are from?"
Leo squinted as he studied her. "You mean the commoner hospital?"
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