“His Royal Highness, Sheikh Rayyan Al-Atassi, has come to speak with you.”

Cecile fought hard to keep her face blank at the principal’s words. “I have a class in ten minutes---”

“Don’t be silly.” Impatience flickered in the older woman’s gaze. “I’ve already spoken with Ms. Campbell, and she’s already said yes to taking over your class. The sheikh is in the conference room, so I suggest you get there immediately. It is impolite to keep a member of the royal family waiting.”

“Of course.” She bowed before leaving and managed to keep her sedate expression intact until she had closed the door behind her. And then she started to run.

She had no idea where things would go from here, and she honestly couldn’t care less. It wasn't like she and Jacob had kids to worry about. The only reason she had stayed married to him all these years was the knowledge that she was doing the right thing.

But then she had almost lost Rayyan, and everything had changed.

His near brush with death had forced Cecile to acknowledge the truth of her feelings, and once the blinds were off, there was just no going back.

She loved him, she had never stopped, and now –

Cecile practically flung the conference room door open in her excitement, and a smile curved over her lips as she watched the sheikh visibly start in his seat, taken aback by her unnaturally dramatic entrance.

“Sorry.” Giddiness made her breathless and unable to stop smiling even as she made her apology and turned to close the door. “But it’s your fault. I think it’s very bold of you to come here---” Spinning back to face him, she saw the sheikh on his feet, and her words came to a clumsy stop when she saw the clipped expression on his beloved face and the rigid outline of his tall, powerful body.

“I thought it was better to speak to you in person about this.” He watched her features stiffen even as she slowly sank down into the closest chair, and even though she was a woman of thirty now, every time he looked at her, all he could see was the seventeen-year-old girl he had fallen in love with.

“Hyacinth and I have gotten back together.”

Ruby red lips tightened even as pain flashed in her eyes.

“I would appreciate if you do not speak to her---”

“You think she’ll be grossed out by the fact that you once wanted to fuck your cousin---”

He stiffened.

“Or that no matter how hard you tried to forget the past, you still couldn’t make yourself stop loving me all these years?” Her chin jutted up. “Because it’s the truth and we both know it. The way you’re looking at me now, it’s always been the way---”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter!” The words, coming out in a shrill, sharp cry, stunned both of them, and shame engulfed her in the next moment. She had never let herself go that way. Not even when she had first realized the shattering truth about their love, and she had felt like killing herself – she had always managed to hold on to her self-control.

Always.

It had been her source of strength growing up, knowing that everywhere she went, people always spoke of her mother’s mysterious past and the even more mysterious source of her wealth and how she was able to keep a lavish lifestyle without working a single day.

Only Rayyan had been able to break past her reservations, only Rayyan had been able to make her trust another person– and yet in the end, fate had taken him away in the most cruel way possible.

But this time, she thought fiercely, things would be different.

She was done letting society, her mother’s past, fate – she was done letting everything and everyone have a say about how she was supposed to live her life. It was her life, dammit, and she was sick and tired of constantly depriving herself because she didn’t want people to think she was her mother’s daughter.

Looking up at the only man she had loved her entire life, she said quietly, “I’m not letting you go just like that.”

Anger flashed in the sheikh’s blue eyes. “What right do you have to say that?” he demanded coldly. “You were the one who turned me down. You were the one who married another man---”

“I know.” Bitter regret underscored Cecile’s voice. “I think of it every night. I cry about it inside here---” She pounded her chest with her fist. “---every damn night.”

“I don’t give a damn.”

“But you do---” She forced her shaking knees to work as she rose from the chair. “And we both know it.” Her voice grew urgent. “And I’m telling you now – I’ve been telling you all this time – I want a second chance with you.”

“It’s too late---”

“I love you---”

“And so does she,” he said harshly. “I’ve pushed her away more times than I can bear to remember, but she’s never stopped loving me. She knows I love someone else, and it hasn’t made her turn her back on me.” He watched Cecile’s exquisite face grow increasingly pale with every word he uttered, and he had to force himself to do nothing.

“R-Rayyan.”

But the way the sheikh was staring at her made it seem like he was a stranger, and she had lost all right to think of him as hers.

“You promised.” Vines of fear wrapped around her heart at seeing him turn his back on her. “You p-promised, damn you. You promised.” Her voice broke. “You said you’d love me forever.” But not once did he look back, and fear turned into cowardice as she closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight of him walking away from her – this time for good.

Aisha was already waiting in the hallway when the sheikh stepped out of the conference room. “You’ve taken care of it?” he asked abruptly.

“Nem, alshaykh.” CCTV footage of whatever had taken place the past thirty minutes inside the conference room had been edited, with no one the wiser.

Giving the agent a curt nod of thanks, he then instructed her to stand guard and make the appropriate excuses to keep anyone from entering the conference room until Cecile had properly recovered.

And after that, despite still hearing the faintest sound of Cecile weeping inside the room, despite having the sight of her in pain burning in his mind – he forced himself to walk away.

It was what he owed Hyacinth.

It was the least he could do.

And he hoped to God that the day would never come he’d end up hating her for all these things he was forcing himself to do – and all because he felt guilty about not being able to love her back.