Rolling over in bed, I reached out to the spot next to me. For a brief moment, I felt something solid and warm. My eyes sprang open, and Sophia gazed back at me. Her lips curled into a smile, and she was still her breathtakingly beautiful self.

I reached out to touch her but came up with nothing but air.

I blinked again, and she disappeared, leaving two large white pillows in her place.

It wasn’t the first time I had woken up thinking she was still with me. It was my fault she was gone, and for some reason, my subconscious couldn’t accept it.

I shoved the pillows to the floor. There was no need to take out my frustration on them, but it was all I could do.

Every day without Sophia seemed to get worse instead of better.

Glancing at the clock, I remembered that it was Friday. I wasn’t scheduled to meet with the council today, but I did have breakfast with my family.

Meeting for at least one meal a week was something that Mother requested soon after Father’s funeral. Since both her sons were at home for good, she wanted to have scheduled time in the week for us to catch up with the goings on in our lives.

I wouldn’t have minded spending time with my family—I loved Mother and Abir—but the conversation always leaned toward me being single. Sure, I was the first king in some time that wasn’t already married before taking the crown, but the circumstances were different with me. I had thrown myself into making our family’s company a success.

Father’s death had been sudden and had given me no time to prepare.

Matchmaking was all Mother could talk about, so I dreaded any time I spent alone with her. Thankfully Abir was a buffer between us. He was a mama’s boy, and she doted on him enough that it was a little easier to avoid her speaking to me when he was around.

I shambled through the bathroom to my walk-in closet. As I chose my clothes for the day, I never felt more alone.

Sophia had affected me more than I had ever hoped any woman would. I heard her voice in my thoughts and dreamed about her every single night.

I had forced her to leave but regretted every second of it. What made it worse was knowing that I’d had to do it. It was for the best. Just not the best for me.

Sifting through my clothes, I didn’t bother with the traditional robes I had worn every day for a month since taking the throne. I wasn’t leaving the palace, and I had work to do in my office. I wanted to be comfortable and feel like myself for a day. It wasn’t so much to ask, but I still felt strange putting on a suit again. Keeping the top buttons open and my tie loose, I strode out of my bedroom toward what was sure to be an interesting breakfast with my family.

---

Abir and Mother were seated in the small breakfast nook at the west end of the palace. It was more intimate, and Mother and I both thought sitting at the formal table for our meals was a little too much, too soon. It was nice to see that I wasn’t the only person still feeling the effects of Father’s death. While I wanted her to carry on with her life, sometimes I felt like everyone had moved on too quickly.

Or maybe it was just me. Getting thrust into wearing the crown hadn’t given me much time to grieve. Losing Father and Sophia in the same week wasn’t intentional, but it had been necessary for me to take the throne.

Even though I missed them both terribly, one of them was still alive and easily accessible, if only I could pick up the damn phone and call her.

I would never do that. It was confusing enough when Sophia left me the first time. If I called her, she might not know what to think about my word. And at that moment, my word was law. I had to stick to my guns. I refused to drag Sophia into my life if she wasn’t one hundred percent sure she wanted to be there.

“Good morning, Luke,” Mother said with a smile.

In the past two months, I had never seen Mother smile more than she did now. I hated to think that was because Sophia was out of my life. Since Mother didn’t hide her emotions well, I knew that it was the case, but I would never confront her about it. It would only make me think of Sophia more than I already did.

“Good morning, Mother, Abir,” I said, taking my seat by the window.

I caught Mother looking at me from the corner of her eye, but I didn’t engage her. I lifted my piping cup of tea and sipped it.

“Where were we?” Mother asked Abir.

Abir smirked. “I wanted to ask if I could miss dinner tonight.”

Mother’s eyebrows shot up.

I smiled. His excuse better be good for missing family time.

“I’m going out with Alda for the day,” he said, throwing a look my way.

This was about a girl?

I glanced at Mother. Her response would depend on the girl’s status. This was the first I’d heard of Alda, but I’d only been back at the palace for a month. My previous visits revolved around convincing Mother that I wasn’t single and Father’s death, and I’d never asked Abir about his life in the palace. Now was my chance to make an effort.

“Who’s Alda?” I asked.

I hadn’t seen Abir grin like that since Sophia was around. I was convinced he had a crush on her, and she was just as doting, but all mine.

“She’s Kaamil Badour’s daughter,” Mother said, practically floating on air.

Kaamil was a close friend of the family. Abir didn’t need to find a match for status, so I was surprised he’d found one anyway.

Sliding a look at Mother, I wondered if she had arranged their meeting behind the scenes. Either way, Abir seemed positively smitten with the girl.

My chest ached.

“Don’t be out too late,” Mother said, hardly disguising her stamp of approval.

For the rest of the conversation, I asked Abir about Alda and how they met. It all seemed to have occurred naturally enough, but I kept an eye on Mother’s reaction. I didn’t know why I cared so much, maybe because she had tried to set me up every single time I came to visit the palace. There wasn’t one time before a month ago, when I brought Sophia as my fake girlfriend, that she hadn’t set me up on at least two dates during whatever short time I’d been home. And she wondered why I stayed in England for most of the year.

Abir didn’t want to be late for his date with Alda, so he left soon after shoveling his breakfast in his mouth.

I wanted him to stay, but I knew I would have to face Mother alone sooner or later. After discussing Abir’s love life, I knew what was coming before she said the first word.

“With all this talk of girls and women in my boy’s life, I wanted to tell you that I’ve arranged a date for you,” Mother said, getting right to the point. “Tomorrow night.”

“Did you?” I asked, shaking my head. “I’m guessing I can’t refuse?”

“Now that you’re king, it’s time you solidify other aspects of your life. Namely, securing a wife.”

“Yes, Mother. I am king. A king who can make his own decisions.”

“Not personal ones,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been moping around this place after that girl left. It’s not royal behavior. Now that that toxic woman is out of your life, you need to settle down.”

“I’m settled,” I said. “Her name is Sophia by the way. But when it comes to women, I don’t want you meddling anymore.” I wished there was a royal decree for king’s mothers to stay out of their business. Knowing Mother, she would only try harder.

“It’s not about me meddling anymore,” she said. “You came into the throne under unorthodox circumstances. Your Father’s death was sudden, and the council didn’t have much time to deliberate before you chose your path.”

I snapped my neck her way. “What do you know about the council?”

“I hear things,” she said.

I narrowed my eyes. “What things?”

“You will be much more respected with a woman by your side.”

“Who said I’m not respected?” I asked, standing up. My chair teetered on the edge of falling but righted itself. My breakfast caught in my throat. What did she know about anything to do with the council? Had someone been feeding her information… or lies? What happened in that room was private and confidential.

She dodged the question. “It shows stability, for the council and your people. Isn’t that what you want?”

“Of course,” I said, stalking over to the balcony. “But this is none of your business.”

Her chair moved, and her soft footsteps approached. I could barely breathe. I loosened my tie, but it didn’t help.

“I want you to be happy. Fulfilled.”

“I’ve been on my own for years, and I am fulfilled.”

“I know you think you are, but it’s different when you have someone to share your life with.”

She was right. I had never felt as complete as I had when Sophia was with me. How could anyone but her give me that feeling again?

“You know I’m not privy to what happens in the meeting room,” she said, as if reading my mind. It was a gift of hers and a curse for me. “But I’ve seen the way the council members act toward you and how they acted toward Erol. There’s a disconnect.”

“And you think a woman is going to change that?”

“It wouldn’t hurt. Since you haven’t been around for years, they want to be sure that you are prepared to be settled here for the rest of your life. You need to do something to prove that to them.”

Jaabir was the most traditional member of the council. While he hadn’t said it aloud, I wondered if Mother was right and he wanted to see me put down roots. To him, I looked like someone who came back to the palace out of duty instead of a desire to reign.

I wanted to respect Father’s wishes. Maybe the only way was to follow in his footsteps. All the way.

The thought of being with someone other than Sophia made my stomach churn. With her, it had been so easy. Even though we faked it for a little while, I quickly fell for her, and being with her was as easy as breathing. I knew a love like that would only come around once in a lifetime, but I had needed to let her go. It was the best for everyone.

At the very least, I could go on a date to show I was trying. Maybe Jaabir would see my effort and accept that I was on my way to becoming a shade closer to the king that Father was. It was all I could do at the moment.

“Fine,” I said to Mother. “I will go out with this woman.”

Mother grinned. “Her name is Saanvi, and her father has been a good friend of ours for years. Perhaps you’ve met her father before.”

Mother went on about Saanvi and her bloodline. I briefly recalled speaking with her father at the banquet that I’d attended with Sophia. I was so enamored by my date that I barely recalled the conversation with her father. At the time, it appeared that I was in love with an American woman, so he hadn’t brought up the awkward conversation about his daughter being single. Now, it was fair game for fathers to try and set up their daughters for the chance of being a queen.

I supposed I should have been grateful to Mother for vetting these women before future banquets turned into The Bachelor. I never thought I would be happy with Mother’s meddling, but stranger things had happened in my life.

“I’ve set everything up,” Mother said. “You don’t need to worry about a thing.”

“Great,” I said, dreading my weekend more than I usually did.