♔Afterwards: Falling For Aspen♔✔️

Chapter 13: The Garden

💔America's POV💔

Today is the seventh day out of the month that I'll be at the palace. Right now, it's 1:00 am in the morning on Wednesday. It's been a few hours since we all gathered up and had that conversation. I just can't get that familiar voice out of my head. It's at the tip of my tongue, but I don't know who's voice that is. It aggravates me so much!

I'm just lying on my back in my pajamas staring at the ceiling with my hands folded over my stomach. I just can't seem to close my eyes and sleep. I get up and decided to head to the palace garden. I don't care about wearing slippers or a robe. It's dark, so no one will see me. Besides, the clothes aren't that thin but they're thin.

I reached the garden doors by using the dim moonlight that came through the windows in the hallways. As normal, there were two guards guarding the doors. I read the two tags. The first one is Officer Avery and the second one said Officer Woodwork.

"Lady America." Officer Avery said then bowed and so did Officer Woodwork.

"Can you kind gentlemen please let me pass through? I don't think I'll be out there for long." I explained. They nodded their heads and opened the door. I don't know why, but the first place I went to was the bench where Max and I always used to sit.

The concret felt cool against my bare feet and legs along with the cold winter breeze grazing my cheeks. I gazed at the stars and thought about what I heard Kriss and her spy say.

"Now, we need to do something that will force America to leave the palace. She's not really in the way right now, but I know her enough that she'll pull a little stunt the day of my wedding." Kriss explained in a hush tone.

"Do we need to do something drastic?" the man asked.

"Yes." Kriss started to reply. " I was thinking we could do an attack on the wedding day. Whatever you do on the wedding day, make sure that one of you guys try to capture me. Maxon will save me and realize how important I am. As for the attack to force America to leave, I suggest you can do it any time., but make sure to consent to me first. I do not want anything to go wrong."

"Can we go now?" the man asked.

"Fine! Prepare the attack!" Kriss demanded.

"Yes leader." the man said.

I sighed a shaky breath. I felt a single warm tear flow down my left cheek. Then more decided o flood down. I cried on the bench in the cold outdoors feeling angered, sadness, and most of all, confusion. I just don't know when anything bad will happen anymore. 

When will the palace attack happen to make me leave the palace? Who is Kriss' spy? What will happen to me? To my family and friends? Most of all, what will happen to the two whom I love the most? Aspen and Maxon. I thought. My thoughts were soon interrupted by a warm hand on my shoulder.

It cause me to stand up and yell angrily, "Don't touch me!" I slapped the person's hand away.

"Mer, it's me." a familiar voice whispered.

"Aspen?" I asked. I looked closely and could make out the figure, barely.

"What's wrong?" Aspen asked then pulled me in for  hug. I shouldn't be hugging with Aspen. I'm afraid I may fall in love with him again and get betrayed. Then again, I betrayed him too. I vowed to never fall in love again and decided to move on.

It's just with all that's been going on in the past few days is just too much for me. I got a threatening letter from Kriss, have to stay here for one long torturous month, get threatened again, and now the palace could be attack and second now.