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Tatyana shook her head in exasperation. “I never understood, back in high school, why everything had to be a joke. Everything had to be entertainment for you.”
“It’s not that way anymore.”
“I hope that’s true. Because if you don’t get serious about Amy, you’re going to lose her.”
He was taken aback. “How do you know I’m not serious about her?”
“Where is she right now?”
Artur was silent.
“That’s what I thought.” Amy clapped her hands. “Let’s get started, then. There’s not much time to lose.”
17
It didn’t matter that Amy was determined to finish the job on her own—Petra flew in anyway. And she’d never been so glad to see her friend. The moment she dragged her suitcase into Amy’s room, she flew into her arms and gave her a long, tight hug.
“Wow,” said Petra after Amy finally let go. “It’s been a trip, hasn’t it?”
“More than. I feel like I’ve been all the way to the top of Mount Everest and back. Twice.” She threw herself into a chair. “Are you staying here with me?”
Petra laughed, shaking her head. “The palace set me up in a room down the hall. I haven’t seen it yet. I came straight to you.” She sat down on the sofa and looked at Amy. “You look tired. Are you sure you want to stay for this?”
Amy put her hands over her belly and sighed. She was tired. She was exhausted. It was one thing to travel all over the country of Stolvenia, attending events all day and every evening. It was another to be heartbroken, and that’s how she felt.
Things had not improved with Artur. She’d sat in on a couple of meetings since she’d talked to Petra, but it had been too hard to concentrate when he was in the room, avoiding eye contact. The conversation had swirled around her, and then they’d swoop in and wait very intensely for her opinion about something. She’d answer. The cycle would begin again. So that was how things were behind closed doors in the royal family.
“I need to finish this,” Amy said, though it was very tempting to go back to New York. “I need to figure this out before I head home. Once I get on a plane, everything changes again. It’ll be harder to come back, if...if I do.”
“What are your options, then? Let’s talk it out.”
“Okay.” Amy sat up straight. “Option one is I stay here, in the palace. I know they’d accommodate me, because of the baby, but I don’t think I could be under the same roof as Artur while we’re not speaking. And I also don’t know—” She shook her head. “No. List of options. My next option is to settle somewhere in Europe to head up your branch, which I now have more than enough experience to do. The third option is New York City, to keep doing my job there up until I go on maternity leave.”
Petra looked at her, a neutral expression on her face. “Which one do you want to choose?”
“I don’t know. I go back and forth fifty times a day. It would be simplest to stay in the palace, just based on the logistics. If I decide to live elsewhere, the security arrangements get infinitely more complicated.”
“Security arrangements?”
“Because of the baby.” Amy’s heart beat faster at the mention. “She’ll be part of the royal family. Even if I’m not—” This made her throat tighten again, but she was not going to cry. “Even if I’m not with Artur, she becomes part of the line of succession. There are all kinds of laws and protocols that will have to be followed. I’ll still be in the spotlight, all the time.”
Petra pursed her lips. “Can I ask you something?”
“That’s why you’re here, right?” Amy gave her a shaky smile.
“Have you considered a face transplant? Can it be that expensive?”
Amy laughed. “I’ve considered running to the ends of the earth. But I’m not very nimble on my feet right now.”
“In all seriousness, Amy, I’m not sure why you’re running from this.” There was genu
ine confusion in Petra’s eyes. “Anyone can see that you’re in love with Artur.”
“I am not,” Amy said automatically.
“You are. The way you look at him—I saw that press conference. The world saw that press conference. It was written all over you.”
The hurt in her chest intensified. “He doesn’t love me the same way. He told me so, weeks ago.”
