It was morning when I found out this place was surrounded by the Sierra Madre. Without the storms, this mountain seems to be silent. I was sitting on the wooden bridge while waiting for the prince because he said he forgot to bring something. Just a moment later, the prince was back, running towards me, holding a big blanket in his hand. I was already wearing his oversized sweater, so I wondered why he was still carrying a blanket. He wrapped it around my head, covering my eyes and rendering me blind. I took it off; the first thing I saw was him standing on the boat, his hand reaching out to me. I gave him my hand to help me hop in. He made me sit down first. “To keep you warm," then took the blanket from me and wrapped it around my body. “My sweater is not enough to protect you from the cold." He took the paddle that was inside the boat and rowed it himself. The sound of the water and the chirping of the birds seemed to be singing to my ears at the same time, gradually calming my t

I carried those cries until I was sent home. It just stopped when I received Blythe’s message. Telling me that we got our old house back and that they are on their way home. And it feels odd because I should be happy. So how come I’m still feeling it—this pain that seems to be killing me little by little? We stopped at our old house, which surprised me because I didn’t tell him to drop me off at my old house. “Here.” Walden handed me a phone. I took the phone without asking. “You know what I regret doing? I never should have asked you to be his personal maid; otherwise, you'll never have the same fate I had with your mother. I apologize, Gemma. You are a big part of why he changed and I am indebted for that,” King Lucien paused. “But I did what I promised. Now you can go back to your normal life, your life before you met each other, like strangers,” Walden pointed out the window after the king hung up the phone. My father, who was waiting for me to get out of the car, was smiling fr

It’s been a couple of weeks since I left the palace. Remembering his face causes me so much pain that I cry and break down, so I try not to think about him for a while so that I can focus on my family and their happiness instead. It’s only been a few weeks, yet it seems much longer.Mishelley tapped me on the shoulder and urged me to leave my lonely room and go out and meet new people. "Get your thoughts down, Gemma. We’re not going anywhere without you.""Maybe we should leave her alone," Abel suggested, sensing that I wasn’t in the mood for conversation. "Mishe, she’s in a vegetative condition."Mishelley scowled at Abel, who had no concept of what a vegetative condition was."What?" Abel held up both hands.Mishelley switched her attention back to me and said, "If this is about him again, you need to move on.""Yes, just move on," Abel stated again and again."His rumored engagement to the duchess’s granddaughter has been widely reported. They mentioned it numerous times throughout

I did my absolute best to complete my performance successfully. After that dramatic performance, I was startled to see a standing ovation from the audience. I'm overcome with emotion, perhaps because this was the first time anyone acknowledged me; this time, they praised only me and no one else. The smile on my face didn’t leave me as well as Lincoln, who was on the side of the stage the whole time smiling ear to ear as he applauded me proudly. But that applause stopped when the prince's arrival was announced. "Ehem!” The host cleared his throat, which was louder than the noise of the crowd. "Let's all welcome the next ruler, Prince Augustus!" The applause that used to be for me is now for the prince walking down the aisle of the theater with the one everyone is waiting for, Felicity. The crowd started to bow their heads, not me, who was looking at him. I was on the stage, which is why our eyes met. But it didn't take long, I can't bear to look at him. I caused him pain, and to this d

"Hey, Gemma!" A voice called out from behind. I turned around to see Ivan waving his hand in the air. "See you in the next sem!" "You, too," I replied with a wave. Now that the first semester is over, I can't believe how quickly time has passed. In just a few short months, I will have completed my second year of college. But regardless of how quickly time passes, there is still no assurance that I will run into him again in the future. It's been two years since the last time we said our goodbyes to each other, and up until this very moment, I'm still holding out hope that fate will grant us happy endings and that he is coming back. Every day, I wait for that hope, and while I lingered in the past, everyone else chose to move forward. All of my loved ones, whom I've been protecting since then, are safe and sound. We used to attend the same school, but now that we're all grown up, Mishelley, Abel, and I make our own decisions about going to different universities. We may have gone in d