Page 72 of Princess and Country

Jeffrey

Two months later

Iexited the gym, a pep in my steps. Since the day I’d learned about the baby and Dahlia agreed to marry me, I hadn’t been able to stop smiling. My entire being was a twenty-four-seven-firework show. My life shone a million times brighter after we came back from Australia—except that day when I learned about Dahlia and Carter’s night together. But I got over it. I had to.

Dahlia and I both had things to be ashamed of. But with love—lots of it—we worked over our differences, leaning on each other to heal our wounds.

I grabbed my phone to call my brother. I missed him.

Carter was a mess at our wedding. A drunken mess. But we both forgave him, hoping he’d come around.

Some day.

Straight to voice mail. My heart plummeted down my chest.

“Hey, Carter, it’s me. Gimme a call when you get this. I love you, little bro.”

I passed in front of the florist and grabbed the biggest white rose arrangement they had. Light rain tickled my skin as I made it to my car.

White Crest was rainier than usual this year. I stared at the sky, raindrops welling in my eyes, and sighed. Everything in my life finally made sense.

I pulled into the driveway, my smile still large and somehow ridiculous. I didn’t care. I was happy, in love, married, and about to be a daddy.

I killed the engine, grabbed the flowers on the passenger seat, and got out of my truck.

The rain had stopped. If I looked closely, I could see the dark clouds gliding at a distance and the first stars peeking out.

My heels dug into the cobblestones in the driveway.

A layer of thick fog blanketed my vision.

I tried to breathe, but my lungs weren’t working.

Cold shivers traveled from my head right down to my toes.

My hands fell at my sides, and the white rose bouquet landed on the ground in a pool of white petals.

My limbs went numb.

Darkness washed over me.

The stars in the sky didn’t shine anymore.

Oxygen didn’t reach my lungs—or my brain.

I tried to move but couldn’t.

My heart struggled to keep beating, its rhythm now off-beat.

A big clamp pressed around my chest.

My head pounded.

Acid filled my mouth.

I tried to blink, but my eyes refused to move.

My body was failing me.