Royally Kidnapped by the Prince

50

KENNEDY

“You destroyed me. Bitch.”

I had not been able to process what just happened. Why Thayer had gone insane, cursing the living

shit out of me?

Serenity and Siena barged into my room. I looked at them through my blurry vision—they were wearing

the same expression on their faces—pain and sorrow.

In silence, Siena picked the remote control and turned the tv on. My picture flashed on the screen.

***

It hurt when people judged you something you didn’t even do, but no one could ever imagine what I’d

been going through for the last couple of hours, knowing the man I loved had hated me for ruining his

life—their lives.

I cried into my pillow.

My life was ruined. My career was over because of something I had nothing to do with. My name,

family, and even my friends were all tangled with the mess I didn’t even do. That was now people could

easily judge me.

I didn’t know how did I get back home safe and alive. I didn’t know how did I fall asleep in bed, knowing

I had nothing to live for—I had no purpose, no Thayer to get back to Capria. It was all gone for false

allegations.

“Honey, you need to eat something.” I felt a soft squeeze on my shoulder. Thank God I wasn’t so

numb.

“I’m not hungry.”

“This is just a storm, honey. It will pass. You have to be strong. And honey, Alessia called up, asking

about you.”

“I don’t wanna talk to anyone. Please, tell everyone, even Serenity and Siena. Tell them that I went

somewhere.”

“You can’t just shut your friends out. At this time, you need them.”

I rose from my bed. “Not this time, Mom. I need to be alone.” I looked at her. My eyes stung again. “I

ruined everyone I got close to. You and Dad, too. You, my friends, and the kingdom just got their King

back. I did this to them.”

“That’s not true. Alessia mentioned some investigations. She told me to tell you that you should hang

on. They’re doing everything they can to clean your name, and whoever did this wouldn’t go

unpunished. Her words, not mine.”

“Then what? Still, you couldn’t convince anyone to believe in me anymore.”

“Honey, if I learned something in life, people will always judge you no matter what good or bad you do.

You just have to be grateful if there are people who believe you. Those you should treasure. The real

friends, the rare people who stayed. Then you have to learn how to live the life you want to. Give them

your middle finger and say fuck you.”

I smiled sadly, wiping off the tears rolling down my face. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.” Before I

walked into the bathroom, I paused. “Maybe you should pack your things and go back to your old

home. There are no more reasons for you and Dad to stay here.”

I looked at myself in the mirror. I was a mess. Swollen face, eyes, my nose red, my hair tangled. I

grabbed my brush, brushing through tangled, ignoring the pain of tearing off knots. I sat down when I

couldn’t bear the pain in my chest. I sobbed again.

It hurt so much. It might be less if I did it—if I was guilty—if I was in those pictures. According to the

news, I was in Hollywood when I was in Vegas at that time. How did that happen? Who did those

horrible things to destroy me?

I went to the shower. The hot water should have given me some comfort, but I felt like I was drowning.

When I finished my shower, I put some comfy clothes on. Just the right timing, my stomach grumbled.

I walked down, and I found my father in the kitchen watching the news. As I expected, it was about

Prince Thayer of Capria, but this time, it wasn’t my picture on the screen.

“Honey.” Dad was surprised by me or the fact that I caught him watching the news. “I’ll turn it off.”

“Keep it.” I bit back the tears about to roll down.

“Despite the recent reports of Prince Thayer’s fiancee’s involvement of the viral images all over the

internet, the prince continues his appearance and social engagements. The Royal Prince of Capria is

currently in Sweden. If we remember, last year, he was well involved in saving the protected animal

sanctuary. The prince is known to have a huge heart with animals. Since the recent incident of his

fiancee, both parties haven’t released any comments about the issue, but rumors broke out, the

engagement is called off. Is the prince looking for his new princess? It also has been rumored since

last year that he has an eye on the Princess of Sweden. One of the reasons for his visit.”

“I think I’m not hungry anymore.” I went back to my room. I cried into my pillow until my nose clogged,

my energy drained.

I fell asleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night, feeling empty.

I rose from the bed. The image of Thayer and that princess crept into my mind. And the words of his

father about the terms stabbed me in the chest. I realized that he didn’t need me anymore. He didn’t

need a bride to save his birthright. The King woke up from his coma. And that was how easily he gave

up on me—on us.

He used me.

When he didn’t need me anymore, he moved on—he moved on to the princess. Maybe this issue was

his way to get rid of me.

I couldn’t hide from the truth. It was now coming all together like pieces of the puzzle. I was nothing but

a tool. While my truth was, I loved him.

I loved Thayer.

I let out a sigh before I picked up my luggage. I pulled out my clothes from the drawer and picked up

something I could wear that nobody would recognize me anymore. I put them all in one suitcase.

I went to the bathroom, inspecting my hair. The brunette would be a good disguise.

Two hours later, I placed a note and the velvet box on top of my nightstand.

***

Three days later…

I inhaled.

I looked at Talal one more time, my skydiving instructor. Dark, deep-seated eyes, staring at me. “Are

you sure I’m not gonna die if I jump with you?”

“Kenny.” He called me Kenny because he loved Kenny Rogers. “If we won’t jump now, we will miss our

landing site. We would end up in Sahara. We’ll die in—”

“Fine! Fine! We still die no matter what.”

“We’re in fourteen-thousand feet now, Kenny.” He rechecked my gear. “Anyway, we’re tandem—the

safest for a first-timer. Well, it’s our second. You should get used to this already.” The first time we did, I

thought I passed out.

Carell finally gave us his signal that we were ready to go.

“It’s now or never.”

“One, two, jump!”

My heart pounded.

Air held in my lungs.

Talal held my arms to extend.

I felt like flying. I finally had the guts to open my eyes and let go of the breathing I held. This was the

best feeling, definitely better than the last one.

“Whoooo!” I laughed like crazy.

Freefall. It was scary, terrifying, but at the same time, it was blissful, exciting—no, it was thrilling.

The most incredible feeling was when you were up there floating—the most incredible sixty seconds of

my life.

Talal deployed the parachute. We pulled up before the canopy had expanded completely. Clouds

scattered, but that was not the breathtaking part. It was the beautiful sight of Palm Jumeirah. It was

magnificent—Dubai’s symbols of creativity and ambition and the mind-blowing view of the Persian Gulf.

It was all I needed. To clear my mind and block Thayer out of my head. For the first time, I thought of

myself—my happiness was my priority. Conquering my fear was my first way of moving on.

Our landing was smooth. Despite that my whole body was shaking, I felt I had no bones in my body. It

was fulfilling, though, and even if it was a life-threatening experience, I only lived once, and it was worth

the risk.

At the restaurant, Talal met me. “When’s your next—what was that you said before, fear-conquering

quest?”

“I don’t know yet. I might stay here for a couple of days.” I shoved a spoonful of Ghuzi into my mouth.

Allspice and the juicy lamb exploded in my taste bud.

“When you’re done with your adventure, feel free to contact me. I’d love to do it again. Next time, no

more tandem.”

I smiled. “Thanks for being patient.”

“Trust me, Kenny. You are not the worse student I have encountered.” He raised his Pomegranate

cocktail. “And if you decide to marry the prince, don’t forget to send me an invitation. I’ll bring the whole Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

camel roast.”

My mouth hung opened. Crap. “How did you know?”

“At first, you looked so familiar. Then I remembered when I saw your picture on Instagram. So mind for

a selfie?” He waggled his dark, thick brows.

“I’m supposed to be lying low.” I rolled my eyes, but I gave in anyway. I raised my Sultan cocktail or

Turkish Cosmo and smiled.