Chapter 81 - The Epitome of a Handsome Prince (1/2)

Once back in our room, Al paced back and forth so much it was making me dizzy. I wanted to ask him to stop but couldn't open my mouth. He might be angry—too angry to talk to me properly—but he had declared that I was the only family he needed less than ten minutes ago.

That was a pretty bold thing to say. Despite forgetting me outside and not listening to me since coming back, I was the only one Al really trusted. It made me feel guilty considering the things I was keeping from him.

”Al,” I prompted gently. ”What do you want to do?”

He stopped pacing and whirled around to look at me helplessly. ”Do? What can I do? My entire life is a lie! Do you have any idea what that is like?”

I had a pretty good idea. Our problems were similar but opposite. He found out that he wasn't who he thought he was. I had been pretending to be someone I wasn't to survive. Both of us had experienced some form of identity crisis.

I couldn't tell him the truth now. He wouldn't believe me and even if he did, it wasn't the right time. We needed to focus on his problem right now without bringing my impossible story into the mix.

Choosing to stay with my husband and try to make this work meant we were a team. Being there for him right now was imperative.

This novel world had spiraled so far out of control, even if you didn't factor in all of the things my arrival messed up. Franz and Mariela's strained relationship in the beginning. Marcy being a spy. The circ.u.mstances surrounding Al's birth.

Did the author plan all of this? Or had her characters and world developed on their own and she merely wrote down what she saw on the surface? None of it made sense.

I didn't know what to say to comfort him, even as his expression seemed to be pleading with me to tell him how to make sense of it all. How was I supposed to do it when he couldn't? The only thing I could think of was visiting Nyla's mother but we couldn't leave the palace twice in one day. It was difficult enough trying to sneak out once a week.

”Not everything is a lie,” I managed to say. ”No matter what else is or isn't true, you can count on the fact that I care about you. Even if everything you thought you knew about your identity is wrong that doesn't change the fact that you're my husband or my best friend.”

I did care about Al. I enjoyed his company and wanted him to be happy. He was the most solid connection I had in this fairy tale world and despite not knowing my secret, he understood me pretty well. Aside from my sister, I had never felt so close to another human being.

I missed her and my old world terribly. But on the extreme off-chance that I was able to go back, I wouldn't want to go unless I could bring Al with me.

The sad thing was that while I knew he loved me for my personality, there was a decent chance he never would have noticed me long enough for that to happen if we had met while I was in my old body. Catherine du Pont was captivating at first glance. Katie Pullman was not.