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“It was a great day,” I said. “Something I’ll always remember.”
Veronica smiled. “I enjoyed it as much as you did.”
Without another word, I pulled her in for a close hug, and she melted into my embrace. It wasn’t long before our lips were met in a tender kiss.
“Now that there are no interruptions,” I whispered, glancing at the doors of our suites before locking gazes with her again, “maybe this would be a good time to share what I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
“This isn’t going to be about some secret life you’ve been leading, is it?” she asked. “No children in South America I should be aware of?”
I chuckled. “No, I promise you, nothing like that.” I gestured to the chairs by the elevator for us to sit. Taking a deep breath, I gathered my courage, knowing it was the right thing to do. “Okay … here we go. Before Father passed, he summoned me to his bedside for a chat. He was very clear with me. Now that he knew he was dying, my brother was next in line to be king, and he would need a queen. He was adamant that you were perfect because of your education, your strong family ties, and our nation's alliance. He said the only option was for me to break up with you, because stepping aside was the right thing to do for the greater good of our country and yours.”
Veronica’s brows furrowed. “Everyone thought you were a lost soul going away to find yourself and that you ghosted me only because you couldn’t cope with your father’s death.”
I shook my head. “That’s not the truth. I was grieving his death, absolutely, but most of my pain was coming from the thought of leaving you. It broke me in two.”
Veronica stood and paced a few steps, her arms crossed. “You could have told me. We could have faced this together.”
“I made a promise to Father on his deathbed that I would follow his plan and not tell anyone,” I said, also standing and moving toward her. “He convinced me that if I left abruptly, with a clean break and without warning, you and I would both be able to move on more easily, and then Oliver would be there to pick up the pieces. Once I had gone to South America, I knew I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I was devastated. I didn’t have plans to be at your wedding, because I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing my brother marry the love of my life.”
Veronica sighed deeply. “You should’ve given me a say in the matter. Your disappearing like that made it harder, August. Every picture of you, every update on social media … it just reopened old wounds.”
“Not a day passes without me regretting my decision,” I admitted. “Hearing from your mother about your broken engagement was a bittersweet relief.”
Veronica blinked twice. “Wait, my mother called you?”
I nodded. “That was why I suddenly returned home the same week, hoping you would understand my side of the story and why I had to leave like that. But you wouldn’t listen to a word from me.”
“Wow …” Veronica blinked rapidly, deep in thought.
“I don’t want this to come between us,” I said. “We’ve had a wonderful breakthrough this week and what I told you is part of the past. Still, I thought you deserved to know the truth because I didn’t want you to think I just left because I didn’t want to be with you or because I didn’t love you anymore. You are everything to me, Veronica. Everything.”
She hesitated before saying, “I need time to process all of this, August.”
“I understand,” I said quietly. “Take all the time you need. I’m here when you’re ready to talk.”
“Okay, well, good night,” she said with a blank look on her face, turning toward her suite.
“Good night,” I said to the back of her head.
A wave of relief mixed with fear washed over me as I watched her disappear behind her suite door. I had done the right thing by telling her the truth, but at what cost? Would she understand the position I had been in with my father, or was it possible I had just made things a lot worse by confessing?
Chapter Seventeen
Prince August
“Veronica wasn’t lying when she said this event was a big deal,” Caleb said, glancing around in awe at the thousands of attendees as we wandered through the bustling Cairo AG Expo. “Do you think they’re all farmers?”
“They certainly are!” a cheerful man with a thick accent said before I could respond. “Nearly twenty-five million Egyptians work in the farming and fishing industries.” He gestured towards his display of agricultural products with enthusiasm. “Would you like to learn more about our latest irrigation systems designed to save water and increase yield?”
“Unfortunately, we are not farmers,” Caleb answered. “We need to get to the main pavilion now for the morning program. Good luck to you!”
“Thank you!” the man said with a smile. “And to you as well.”
The conversation with Veronica in the hotel corridor from last night lingered in my thoughts as I continued to walk with Caleb. I hadn’t seen her this morning for breakfast in the hotel since she and Daphne had left early to meet with Abena. I glanced at my watch to see how much time we had before Veronica went on stage.
“How many times are you going to check that thing?” Caleb chuckled.
“She has the first program of the day. I want to be there early,” I said, more sharply than I intended.
