Page 6 of The Royal in Room 3

“Of course.”

I was so foolish for not having thought of that earlier. Perhaps if the other officer had been more empathetic and allowed me to think, I would have remembered the conversation on my phone. In under an hour, Officer Vale had not only confirmed my story, but he’d also returned to let me know that he’d explained the situation to the restaurant manager and convinced them to not press charges. Officer Vale had even covered the cost of the meals for me.

“Really?” I was so happy that a tear slipped down my cheek.

He nodded with a smile. “You’re free to go.”

“Thank you so much.” I rose to my feet. Feeling the overwhelming urge to hug him, I asked, “Can I hug you?”

His eyebrows rose, and I thought he would refuse, but he nodded. “Sure.”

I hadn’t had a hug from anyone in such a long time. I immediately broke down as his arms came around me in a pat. It reminded me that I hadn’t really cried once since my life descended into this nightmare. Not when I’d found out Felipe had only slept with me to get his hands on an important bilateral agreement between Belvaria and another country. Not when I’d been stripped of my rank. And not when I’d been dumped at the airport with a one-way ticket across the world without any guarantee that I would ever be allowed back.

“Oh my, you are a mess, aren’t you?” Officer Vale held me away from him and handed me a handkerchief. “Is there someone I can call for you?”

The tears came faster even as I tried to stop the flow. “N-n-no. There’s no one. My mother’s dead, and my father is busy raising the next crown prince so he doesn’t become a failure like me.”

A beat of silence and then, “Are you certain you are not on any medication?”

I gave a short laugh. “I wish. Then I could take them again, and this nightmare would be over.”

“My shift just ended,” Officer Vale said. “Well, it did an hour ago, but that’s beside the point. I can give you a ride home.”

I shouldn’t. With the way my luck had been running lately, I really shouldn’t, and I said as much to him.

“Okay, thank you.” I blew my nose in his handkerchief. “But I probably should tell you that, from the way my luck is lately, if you’re not a serial killer disguised as a nice police officer, we’ll probably be run over by a truck.”

Officer Vale threw his head back and laughed. “That’s okay. I’ll risk it.”

2

SOREN

When Officer Vale had told me he would walk me up to my apartment to ensure everything was fine, I’d insisted he didn’t have to. He decided to do it anyway, and as I stood in the middle of my bedroom, hyperventilating, I was relieved he hadn’t left after all.

“No, no, no.”

I stumbled over to the chest of drawers, where the top one stood open. Empty. I pulled open the next. Then the next. My hands were shaking so badly I could hardly grip the handles.

“Soren,” Officer Vale said behind me.

I ignored him and dropped to my knees, reaching into the back of the bottom drawer, where I had tucked the small velvet jewelry box beneath folded shirts two days ago because Daphne had laughed and told me I was too trusting to survive in California.

My fingers scraped bare wood.

The box was gone. Even the shirts were gone.

“She took it,” I said.

Officer Vale stepped closer. “Took what?”

“My jewelry box.” The closet door stood ajar, and I could see that my suitcases were gone too.

“What was in it?”

“My signet ring,” I said. “The first pair of cufflinks my father gave to me when I had my coming-of-age ceremony. My investiture medal. A brooch my grandmother gave me when I turned eighteen. Letters. Photographs. Things that aren’t worth anything to her.”

And the engagement ring Felipe had used to convince me he loved me.