The morning came too swiftly for me. I had waited up for Luke to come to bed, but I must have fallen asleep. I’d heard the bath running, so I assumed he needed more time to himself. I supposed telling someone you love them and having them not say it back was cause enough to stay away from that person. I still didn’t know what possessed me to keep quiet about my feelings. He had just lost his father for Christ’s sake. The least I could have done was told him I loved him. It wouldn’t have been a lie.

Luke was still fast asleep next to me, and I wondered if he even bothered to wake me when he came into the bedroom after his bath. His hair was mussed, and it took much of my strength not to reach out and touch it. Had I ruined our chances completely?

I had the urge to shake him awake and tell him how I felt, no matter what the cost. I still wasn’t up to the idea of becoming a queen, but he should know how I felt.

I stared up at the ceiling for some time, willing Luke to wake up. But after the day and night that he had, he deserved to get some uninterrupted sleep.

The more I thought about having a conversation about last night, the more nervous I became.

Unable to fall asleep again, I quietly got out of bed and shoved my arms into Luke’s robe. There wasn’t anywhere in the room I could go without appearing as if I was waiting for him to wake up, so I left and went into the hallway. Closing the door as silently as I could, I turned to the empty hall. Tightening the robe around my waist, I walked toward the end of the hallway where there was an open the door to a balcony. Maybe after I cleared my head a little, I would return to face Luke.

I was halfway there when a familiar face rounded the corner.

“Oh, hello,” I said, nearly bumping into Abir.

He was already dressed for the day and eyed me as if I were naked instead of covered in a robe. I supposed I could have put socks on, but Luke would have woken up if I started to dig through my suitcase.

“Hi,” Abir said, averting his eyes.

I checked to make sure I wasn’t hanging out of my robe, but everything was covered. Abir seriously needed to get a girlfriend. “How did you sleep?”

“Fine,” he said. “Where is Luke?”

“Still sleeping,” I said. “I didn’t want to disturb him. I suppose the both of you have a big day today.”

Abir nodded and shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “What do you think about all of this?”

“What am I supposed to think?” I asked. I wondered if Abir was going to ask me about becoming Luke’s queen. Although after the talk with Gia and the awkward discussion with Luke last night, I started to warm up to the idea. The very thought of losing Luke and Abir from my life was like a knife to the gut. Would that wound ever go away if I let him go? Would I regret it all if I left? “I know that Luke will make the right decision for everyone.”

Abir cracked a smile. “He’s fortunate to have you.”

“He could do this on his own, too,” I said. Just as I wanted to make my own way in life as a reporter, I knew that Luke didn’t need someone else to make him a good king. He already had all he needed to fulfill the position. He just needed to take that last step and accept the position to save his brother from that fate. I also knew it had meant a lot to Erol.

“I think it’s easier for him to accept it when he has you by his side,” Abir said. “He sees a future with you. I think that was his problem before. He never looked too far into the future, and now that he has, I think he will take the role and be happy with it. As long as he has you.”

Was that how Luke truly felt? Did he think he could fulfill his father’s promise because of me?

“I’m heading down to breakfast. I’ll see you later.” Abir left me alone in the hallway with my jumbled thoughts.

My legs moved forward on their own as I made my way toward the balcony. Coming outside, the morning breeze was cool against my cheeks. Inhaling, I was able to draw in a full breath to fully clear my mind.

Luke was a smart man. Even if he hadn’t told me, last night should have alerted me to what he was going to do. He wanted me to tell him that I loved him and that I would be the queen he needed at his side.

Stupidly, I rejected him on the eve of the most important day of his life. He’d already had a pretty shitty day with the funeral, and I had turned him down.

I leaned against the stone railing, peering down at the palace grounds. While I doubted Qatar ever had a Western queen, Luke had trusted me enough to offer the position. He pushed past tradition and went for what he wanted. That was me.

I blew out a breath. He chose me. He trusted me. And I went and broke his heart because I couldn’t utter the words that were deep in my own heart.

Whirling around, I started down the hallway again. I knew what I had to do. There wasn’t anything in Dallas other than a job with a boss who didn’t appreciate me. I could bring Matt to the palace as much as I wanted, but other than that, I wasn’t losing much.

Luke’s admission made me realize that if I let go of my fears, I could have a chance at an amazing life, full of adventure with the kindest and sexiest man I’d ever known.

A sour taste filled my mouth. How could I have ever thought that I couldn’t do this? With Luke by my side, he would never let me fall. And it wasn’t as if he could leave me if I made a mistake. Marriage to these people was forever. I would be with Luke forever. It was everything I wanted and more. Luke was willing to turn his back against tradition for me; I could change for him. I would do it in a heartbeat as long as I got to fall asleep and wake up with that man for the rest of my life.

I loved him, dammit. And I would scream it from the roof of the palace if he wanted me to.

With an apology on the tip of my tongue, I pushed open the door to Luke’s chambers.

The moment I stepped through the door, the lump on the mattress stirred.

I closed the door, unable to hide the big grin on my face. Walking over to the bed, I crawled on top of it as Luke’s head peeked out from under the covers.

Before I could touch him, he jumped out of bed and turned to face me.

I sat on my knees, propping myself up for what I was about to do. The ties of my robe came undone and exposed my bra and panties underneath. I imagined me telling him I loved him and then us making love to mark this special day.

“I need to tell you something,” I said.

Luke’s jaw clenched. “Me first.” He cracked his knuckles, something I’d never seen him do before. His mouth was set in a hard line, and his shoulders nearly reached his ears. His chin lifted as if he were about to speak a royal decree.

I couldn’t wait. I needed to tell him. “About last night—”

“Sophia, please,” he interrupted.

I licked my lips and tilted my head to the side. What was wrong with him? Was he still upset about last night? I wanted to push him, to ask him what was going on, but the coldness in his eyes made me keep my mouth shut.

“Things are changing for the both of us,” he said. “I don’t want to be the one to change your life so dramatically. From the beginning, we were doomed. I don’t even know why I bothered to keep this ruse going.”

“Ruse?” I asked. “You said you loved me.”

“I did say that,” he said, staring at the floor. “I made a mistake. I got caught up with all of this. And I was emotional last night. The reality is that we had fun together, and I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for my family and me, but it’s time for you to go home.”

“Go home?” I repeated.

“Yes,” he said, finally meeting my eyes. Any emotion inside of his body had disappeared, replaced by a hardened man.

I shook my head. “No. You don’t mean any of that. I hurt you—”

He sneered. “You didn’t hurt me.”

I tried to swallow, but my throat was so tight that I could barely breathe. “Luke, do you honestly feel this way?” He wanted us both to be honest with each other. If he was hurt, I could fix that in a minute.

He didn’t hesitate for a second before he said, “Yes.”

The word had enough strength to sock me in the gut. I got a glimpse of the man that I’d first met: cold and distant. Now, in addition to that, he was heartless. Whatever he’d put in his bathtub had transformed him into a person that I barely recognized.

“You can go back to the States with this story,” he said.

I shook my head. “What story?”

“Sophia, you’re more astute than that.”

I wasn’t going to allow him to put me down after breaking my heart. As if he sensed that, he said, “I’ll have the jet ready to take you back to England. Then you are on your own. Safe travels and good luck.”

He pulled on a pair of pants—the ones he’d worn all day yesterday—and left the room.

The sound of the door closing was a final sound, mimicking the cracks in my heart widening as Luke distanced himself from me.

I was such an asshole. I should have told him how I felt when he opened up to me. Now, we were finished. I had lost my chance, and I had never felt so awful in my entire life.