Worst Nightmare

Chapter 14

Authors Pov

Yoko sat in her dressing room, staring blankly at the script in her hands, though the words blurred together. Her mind wasn't in the present; it was with Prince Fay. Every day since his sudden departure for Thailand felt heavier as if a part of her was missing.

She had spent so much time with him recently—so many shared moments, from the light teasing to the deeper, unspoken connection that seemed to hang between them. But now, he was gone. No texts, no calls, nothing. The silence gnawed at her, an emptiness she didn't fully understand.

She had always believed they were close. After all, they had spent almost every waking hour together. From royal functions to quiet moments away from the public eye, Prince Fay had become a constant in her life, someone she had come to trust—someone she thought trusted her, too.

But now, the distance between them felt unbearable, and the questions Yoko had been pushing aside were becoming impossible to ignore. Why had the prince left so abruptly? And why had he stopped reaching out to her altogether?

Her heart ached at the thought, and she felt foolish for caring so much. He was a prince, and she was a princess, and their relationship—if she could even call it that—was bound by duty more than anything else. But still, there was something between them, wasn't there? Something more than just royal obligations? Yoko couldn't shake the feeling that she had lost something precious, though she wasn't sure what it was.

Becky, her younger sister, entered the room and immediately noticed Yoko's somber expression. She had been watching her sister with growing concern, noting how Yoko had changed over the past few days—quieter, more serious, her usual brightness dimmed.

"Yoko," Becky called softly, sitting beside her. "What's going on with you? You've been in a daze for days."

Yoko blinked and looked at her sister, her mind still heavy with thoughts of Prince Fay. "It's nothing, Becky. Just... work stress, I guess."

Becky wasn't buying it. She crossed her arms, leaning closer. "This isn't about work, and we both know it. It's about Prince Fay, isn't it?"

Yoko hesitated, her heart skipping a beat at the mention of his name. She had been avoiding the truth, even to herself. "It's just... weird," she finally admitted, her voice soft. "He left so suddenly. We were spending so much time together, and then... nothing. No calls, no messages. It's like he disappeared."

Becky raised an eyebrow, sensing the weight of Yoko's words. "You miss him."

Yoko bit her lip, looking down at her hands. "Yeah, I do," she confessed, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't understand why he's being so distant. It's like he's hiding something."

Becky studied her sister carefully, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Yoko, do you think there's more to it than just the royal stuff? Like, maybe he's hiding something personal?"

Yoko frowned, thinking back to all the moments she had shared with the prince. There had always been a certain mystery about him, something just out of reach. But she had never pushed, never asked too many questions. She had assumed it was part of the prince's demeanor—after all, royalty was always shrouded in a certain level of secrecy.

But now, with the sudden silence and distance, she couldn't help but wonder if Becky was right. Was there something more he hadn't told her? Something personal that he was afraid to reveal?

"I don't know," Yoko replied, her voice full of uncertainty. "There's always been something... off. Like he's carrying some burden I don't know about. But he never talks about it."

Becky was quiet for a moment, then asked softly, "Yoko, are you... in love with him?"

The question took Yoko by surprise, and her heart skipped a beat. In love? She had never let herself think about it that way. She had always seen Prince Fay as someone important—someone she admired and cared about. But love? That was something she hadn't allowed herself to consider.