Chapter 147

Kieran’s POV:

I stood. Or tried to. My knees nearly gave out. My head swam.

She walked beside me, steady and calm, like nothing was wrong.

But everything was wrong.

By the time we reached the empty sitting room at the end of the corridor, I collapsed onto the couch like the weight of pretending had finally broken me.

My legs folded. My hands covered my face. I could feel myself shaking.

“Your Highness,” she said, kneeling beside me, voice full of calm urgency, “just breathe. You are okay. You are having a panic attack. I have got you. You are safe now.”

“I can’t do this,” I whispered, my chest heaving. “I can’t keep pretending. I can’t keep smiling. I’m going to fall apart.”

“That's alright,” she said gently. “I am right here.”

I felt like I was made of glass. One wrong word and I would shatter.

She helped me sit up, pressed a glass of water into my hands. I stared at it like it was a foreign object. My hands were still trembling. The rim of the glass clinked against my teeth