As Leo finished up helping Bernardo he had to keep himself from running into the house to find Marianna. The memory of her pressed against him pounded in his skull, making any task seem unbearable. All he wanted to do was find her, wrap her up in his arms, and never let her go.

She was everything he ever wanted. She was the person he wanted to be with. He'd give up the crown if it meant he could be with her.

Bernardo said he had things to finish up, so he sent Leo on his way. Leo strode across the lawn and up the back steps. Once inside, he called out her name and then hesitated. When she didn't respond, he headed upstairs.

Their bedroom door was shut, so he opened it. She was standing next to the window with her arms crossed and a contemplative expression on her face.

Not waiting, he crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her back against his chest. He dipped down and brushed a kiss against her cheek.

"I missed you," he said when his lips found her ear.

She tightened, but then relaxed. He wondered for a moment what that had been about, but then pushed it off. He must have startled her, that was all.

When she didn't respond, he glanced down at her. "Are you okay?" he asked, taking in her red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Had she been crying?

He turned her around so he could see her face. Why was she sad? He reached up and cradled her cheek in his hand. "Marianna?" he whispered, fighting his urge to confront whatever was making her upset so he could see her smile again.

"Leo," she whispered. There was a tone to her voice. One that told him he didn't want to hear what she was about to say. He knew what she was doing, and he couldn't bear the thought of it.

He stepped back, bracing himself for the inevitable. She was still leaving. Nothing had changed between them. The kiss. His feelings. His, almost, declaration of love. None of it mattered. She was still going back to America, leaving him here, alone.

"Don't, Mari," he said, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t go through with it.

But when her tear-filled gaze met his, his heart plummeted. It was too late. She'd made up her mind. She knew what she wanted, and it didn't include him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He scrubbed his face with his hand. What had he done wrong? "Why?" He needed to know why she was walking away. Was it something he'd said?

She shook her head. "I care about you, Leo."

That gave him hope. Maybe there was a chance that he could change her mind. "I care about you, too." He wanted to say “love,” but he didn't want to expose his heart if she was going to leave him.

"That's why you need to go back, and I have to go home." A soft sob escaped her lips as she turned away from him and stared out the window.

His ears were ringing. He hadn't heard her right. But she just said she cared about him. Well, from the kiss they'd shared earlier, she did a lot more than care about him.

"Why?" he asked again.

She was silent for a moment before she turned back around. "Because you have a duty to your country. You are the rightful king, and you will be amazing." She softened her gaze and gave him a weak smile. "And I will not stand in your way."

His heart felt as if it had been pulled from his chest. She was leaving. She wanted him to go back to the castle, marry Gisella, and live his life as if they had never met. Like the kiss they’d shared hadn't meant anything to either of them. As if she hadn't changed his life in an irreversible way.

"No. I'm not going to do that." He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and turned away.

Her hand appeared on his arm, and she pushed him around to face her. "Leo, we both know that you aren't going to turn your back on your country. That's not who you are. You love the people, and you aren't going to just sit back and let the country be dictated by Gisella and her father. We both know she wants in. And if not from you, she'll manipulate someone else to get it."

His eyes widened. It was true. Gisella was going to get what she wanted, whether from him or someone else. Ermes was a shy guy. She'd have her hooks in him so fast, and he couldn't let that happen.

A vise felt as if it were squeezing his chest. "But, I don't want to lose you," he said, his voice dropping low.

Marianna smiled up at him. He could see the pain in her gaze. It was so strong that he wanted to wrap her up in his arms and take it all away.

"You won't. We will always have this trip." She let out a sigh. "I'm going back home a changed woman." She reached out and ran her hand on his arm. "You changed me. Caro changed me. I'm stronger than I used to be. I'm no longer going to let men like Samson run my life." She puffed out her chest. "I'm confident now."

Remembering how she’d forced him behind the barn and demanded he kiss her, he smiled. It was true. She wasn't this shy nurse, allowing a jerk to walk all over her. She was the woman he knew she could be. And he was proud of her.

He sat down on the bed and blew out his breath. "So, what are you going to do?"

She joined him. He could feel her warmth as she sat down next to him. She was so close that he could reach out and touch her.

She shrugged. "I'm going to go back and quit. Then I might move home while I look for another job. I hear awesome things about Savannah General." She sighed. "I'm kind of up for an adventure. Being with you has made me realize that I wasn't happy. And I want to be happy."

When her voice trailed off, he glanced over at her. She was studying him. Her eyes drifted down to his lips for a moment before they came back up.

How was he ever going to let her walk out of his life? And for what—to live with Gisella? He parted his lips to ask her if she was sure, but she shook her head before he could speak.

"It's the right thing, Leo," she said as if reading his mind.

"But—"

"I'll be okay. I'll always have our time together." She stood and walked over to her suitcase, grabbing the handle. "But we should leave soon, before I lose all my new-found confidence." She shot him a pleading look. He wanted to fight her on this, but he also wanted to respect her and her decisions. He wasn't going to stand in her way if this was what she wanted.

Even if it broke his heart.

So he bit back his feelings, shoved his things into his suitcase, and followed her out of the room. After Marianna explained to Bernardo what they needed, Bernardo agreed to take them back to the castle. They piled into his truck and drove the hour and a half back to Leo's home.

Or what was supposed to be his home. To him, it would be the place where he was forced to marry someone he didn't love just to save a country that he did. It would also be the place where he pushed out the one woman he'd grown to care for.

The castle's large front doors opened, and Leo stepped inside. Marianna trailed after him, her suitcase’s wheels echoing against the thirty-foot ceilings.

Gisella was the first to appear at the top of the stairs. She had a disgruntled expression on her face. When he saw her, he wanted to turn back around and leave, but he couldn't do that. So he forced a surprised expression.

"Gisella?" he asked, hoping he sounded relieved.

She eyed him as if she were trying to size him up.

"Oh, Gisella," he said. He opened his arms and met her halfway up the stairs. She seemed to realize what he was implying and wrapped her arms around him.

"Leo?" she asked, burying her face into his shoulder. "Have you come back?"

He nodded, pulling back to study her. He forced a look of recognition on his face. "Marianna helped me. We left to visit the places that you and I went. We when stopped at that little bakery on the beach, I…remembered." He reached down and ran his thumb over her cheek. "Gisella."

She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him close. After she laid a wet, slobbery kiss on him, she pulled back. "I'm happy you're back."

He fought the urge to push her from him. This was all part of the plan. First, he needed to convince his parents that he was of sound mind again. That meant cozying up to Gisella. Then, he would reveal Mr. Marasco's plans by going to the people. Leo would tell them that he would not be corrupted by anyone and that if they wanted him to be king, they would appeal the stipulation that he was to be married.

And even though all of this made him excited, his heart still ached. He wanted to take Marianna on this ride with him. He wanted her by his side. But she'd made it very clear that she didn't want that. She was ready to move on with her life, and her future didn't include him.

So he forced a happy smile in her direction even though it was killing him inside. She nodded and made her way up the stairs, disappearing at the top.

Gisella wrapped her fingers around his chin and pulled his lips to hers again. "I'm happy you came to your senses," she said. She had a way of making it sound like she was happy, but he could hear the threatening tone behind it.

He nodded, anything to keep her believing that he was back under her control. Though all he wanted to do was tell her that her family was never going to influence the crown like they seemed to think they would. He wasn't going to stand for it. Not now. Not ever. If he couldn't have Marianna, then he would settle for his country. And that meant kicking the Marasco's out of the castle.

"Leo!" his mother exclaimed as she appeared at the top of the stairs. She rushed down and Leo pushed Gisella away so he could wrap his mom up in a hug.

"Mom," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

She peered up at him. "We were so worried. What did that awful nurse do to you?" she asked.

He bit back the urge to tell his mother how he truly felt. How he was disappointed with the way she behaved. But he needed to be smart about how he approached this all. If he was going to make a difference, how he felt needed to be kept secret for now.

But he still wasn't going to let his mother treat Marianna that way. "Mother, do not talk about her like that. She helped me remember. I will always be in her debt." And he would be. She'd done more for him than his own family had. More than anyone had ever done for him in his whole life. And she had done it selflessly.

Most people who befriended him wanted to get something from him. Marianna didn't.

His heart squeezed at the thought of her leaving. He wanted her to stay. Oh, how he needed her to stay. But he couldn't ask her to sacrifice more for him than she already had. So he forced a smile, walking down the stairs and into the dining room, where his mother was instructing the chef to make him some food.

He could do this. He could pretend. After all, he'd gotten pretty good at it.