Annalise Stark, orphaned after losing her parents in the military, is desperate to find a way to pay off her sister's medical debts. She finds work at the palace, home to the infamous Prince William. Despite her efforts to ignore him, Annalise soon...
"Seeing someone you once loved is like falling in love for the first time all over again." ~Leah Raeder
Annalise
I listened to Will's voicemail repeatedly, unsure about what shocked me more: the fact that Will said he loved me outright or that Will said he was going to be a father. I think the second admission was an accident.
For the first time, my finger hovered over the callback button as a battle raged inside my mind.
Part of me wanted to talk to him again because I missed him. I missed our conversations and our dynamic and the way we simply were around each other. At the same time, I remembered the last time we'd spoken, of how he'd accused me of the last thing I'd ever do to him. I also told myself the dynamic we had before would never exist again. Too much had happened.
"Anna?" Mia asked hesitantly, standing in my doorway. It was a surprisingly sunny Sunday afternoon, but I'd stayed in my room all day. After hearing Will's voicemail, and watching the news, I didn't have much motivation to do anything. "Are you hungry?"
"No," I said, still staring at my phone.
"You know, you're the one who always told me I needed to eat when I was upset over things. Now, I'm going to do the same to you." My sister crawled into bed with me, glancing down at my phone. "I don't think he was kidding when he said he'd answer for you if you called him during a meeting or press conference."
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"I wouldn't do that to him, even if he does deserve it..."
"You've been hovering over that button for ages. If you've been debating it that long, then I think you should."
"On the contrary, if I've been hesitating this long, maybe it means I shouldn't," I countered.
"Or you're just avoiding it."
"Why would I be avoiding it?"
"Because it means talking to a person who devastated you? I know you hid things from me, but I wasn't blind. I saw how badly he hurt you. I know you cried yourself to sleep the day it happened, and I know you've done more since then."
I twirled my hair around my finger. "I can almost consider forgiving Will for what he did to me. It's how he brought you into this mess that I can't. He knew how much I loved you, how much I do love you, and he used that against me. Will knew exactly where to strike that would hurt me the most."
"James said you gave him the same treatment."
"Yeah..."
"If you don't want to call him, maybe just text him 'congratulations' or something," Mia suggested.
"I've considered that."
"Whatever you choose to do, whether you respond to him or not, I'll be here for you. I'm going to go get dressed, and I suggest you do too, because I've called the gang, and we're taking you out for dinner to get your ass out of this bed."
