LOGINHeatherI opened my eyes, and the first thing I felt was a sharp, biting pain in my head. The morning light was shining through the gap in my curtains, but I hated it. I didn't want the sun to be up, I didn't want a new day to start. My head throbbed, I had been crying. I cried until my throat was sore, until my tears dried up, and my eyes were completely swollen.I pulled the blanket up to my chin, I felt dirty. The memory of Keith's hands on my body, his lips on my skin, his whispers in my ear in the shower and on his bed all made my stomach turn right now.How could I have been so stupid? How could I have let my guard down so easily?I rolled over in bed and hugged my pillow tightly. I should have known better. I should have guarded my heart. I gave myself to him completely, thinking that the walls between us were finally gone. I thought he really cared about me but the truth was right there, I was just a replacement until Nyles finally came back to the palace.He didn't care abou
Prince Keith’s POV The jarring screech of my wheelchair's wheels against the polished marble floor echoed in the suffocating silence of the corridor. I knew I had messed up terribly. Heather's face, etched with a pain I had inflicted, burned behind my eyelids. Her quiet anger, far more potent than any shouted word weighs in my chest. She never raised her voice, not at me, not ever and I, the supposed Prince, the man who claimed to care for her, had unleashed my frustration and misdirected rage at her.Just overwhelmed was my pathetic excuse. Overwhelmed by the sudden shift in the palace Nyles's sudden return. I should have known this was how she would act. Nyles always had a way of asserting her claim, of disrupting any semblance of peace, and Heather, my gentle, steady Heather, was caught in the crossfire.My chair whirred, carrying me away from the guilt-ridden silence of her room and back towards my own chambers. I didn't need to look behind me to know Nyles was there, her footste
Heather The floorboards of my room creaked beneath my bare feet as I paced from left to right, right to left. Each step was supposed to be a stride towards clarity, but instead, it only churned the murky waters of my mind, making them murkier still. My breath hitched in my chest with a tight knot of dread. How had I been so utterly, irrevocably stupid?Nyles? The name itself was a bitter taste on my tongue. For a while now she has been gone and I had totally forgotten her, I'd almost forgotten she existed, almost convinced myself she was nothing more than a memory and in that blissful, ignorant void, I had given myself to Keith. Completely without reservation.My heart ached with a sudden pang, thinking about Keith's kindness, his unwavering attentiveness, his gentle touch. Every single moment replayed in my mind, each tender gesture now tainted with a sickening suspicion. Was it all an act? A facade, constructed solely because Nyles was absent? Had he merely been filling a void, bid
Prince Keith "I'm sorry to interrupt, your highness, "but... Nyles is back. She asked me to let you know about it." The moment those words left the guards ' mouths my breath hitched, and a soft gasp got caught in my throat. Nyles!I had almost forgotten that someone like that existed, I was so lost in Heather, lost in my feelings, and everything about her that I had forgotten I had another woman to deal with, I was rooted to the ground, unable to move. "Keith?" Heather's voice came softly. I let out a deep, shuddering breath and glanced at her."Heather," I managed, my voice rougher than I intended."I... I think I will return to my chambers," Heather said, her voice barely a whisper, before I could even form a coherent protest, before I could beg her to stay she turned and walked away. I watched her back lump forming on my throat. Every instinct screamed at me to reach for her, to pull her back, but my hands remained gripping the armrests of my wheelchair and then I saw Nyles was
HeatherThe morning air was crisp and cool against my skin, quite different from the warmth that bloomed in my chest. I practically vibrated with anticipation. Sleeping had been a restless affair, and my mind replayed our late-night conversations, the way Keith's eyes had softened, and the walk he had talked about in the letter. I was up before the first hint of rose touched the sky, dressing in my favorite forest-green gown, practical enough for a stroll but still elegant. My fingers trembled slightly as I fastened the last button.Taking a deep breath, I slipped out of my room and made my way to Keith's door. I tapped lightly, not wanting to disturb anyone else in the still-sleeping palace. A moment later, the door opened, and Keith's face appeared. He offered a small, genuine smile as he rolled his wheelchair out."Good morning, Heather," he murmured, his voice a low rumble that sent a shiver down my spine. "Ready for our adventure?""As I will ever be," I replied, my own smile wi
Prince Keith The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Heather. Her face, softened by sleep, was turned towards me, her dark hair scattered against the pillow. Sunlight, filtered through the curtains, cast a warm glow on her skin, making her look like a painting. My heart swelled with happiness and contentment.I couldn’t fathom how I had lived before her, gently, so as not to disturb her peaceful sleep, I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her hair, inhaling the faint, sweet scent of her. She stirred slightly, a soft sigh escaping her lips, but remained asleep. I pulled back walking towards the window, pulling back the curtain to let more light stream into my chamber. Thirty minutes later, I heard a gentle knock that was enough to stir Heather. I quickly sat down in my wheelchair and turned it towards the door, I opened the door and it was one of the maids who came in with my breakfast. “Good morning, Your Highness,” she greeted.“Morning,” I replied, my gaze briefly flick
Prince Keith I still couldn't believe that I had poured out all my frustration on Heather and somehow I felt embarrassed and stupid, I left the garden after and went back to my room trying to find something I could do to ease my mind out of the worry that had overwhelmed me, my eyes were on my des
HeatherI was sad not going to lie about the way Prince Keith had spoken to me, I had walked away in a rush, hoping to find the sanctuary of my room, a welcome barrier against the storm that was Prince Keith. I picked up the book I had dropped earlier, "A Treatise on Royal Etiquette," the irony not
Prince KeithThe memory of Heather's reaction to my teasing still lingered in my mind, it was strange that warmth was blooming in my chest. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in years. It was ridiculous, of course. I, Prince Keith, the crippled prince, finding... what? Amusement? Pleasure? In the disco
HeatherI watched Prince Keith with bewildered eyes, does he really think he is all that, that I would lock myself outside just to sleep in his room? "Do you really think so little of me, prince Keith?" I burst out, the laughter is brittle and sharp. "That I would stoop so low? That I would...sleep







