“I know that it’s going to make things a little more complicated for us but I’m sure that I can manage it. I’ll limit the time that I spend with him so that it doesn’t affect my role as Diana,” I said with the hope to dissolve his concern. He must have been worried that I wouldn’t be able to perform my role as Diana properly as per the deal that our families had made. Even I had to admit that it was going to be difficult; however, I was certain that I could make it all work out somehow. The easiest way was to limit the number of times that the prince could call on me to act as his girlfriend. Desmond isn’t going to be pleased about it but I wouldn’t give him any other choice but to accept my terms. “This is precisely why I didn’t want you to meet him…” Bradon muttered darkly. “I’m sorry, but there’s no other way. Desmond is going to be king very soon…” I replied softly. “Desmond?” Bradon said as he stared and then frowned at me. Bradon’s reaction made me realize all too late that

“I see…” I murmured as I wondered what it was that I was really seeing. I guessed that Bradon no longer considered me his responsibility. The times when I head out to meet the prince as Dahlia, I would no longer be his contract bride and it probably made sense that he didn’t need to be responsible for keeping me out of harm’s way. Although I knew that this was how things were supposed to be, I couldn’t help the sinking feeling in my chest. “Of course, if you would like a driver or an escort, I would be happy to escort you,” Zain offered with a kind smile. “No, thank you. I am not going out today…” I replied before turning on my heels and walking back into the mansion.Little did I know back then that my decision to stay in the mansion on that day would lead to an unexpected encounter. It was early in the evening and there were no signs of Bradon returning home. I had gotten used to waiting for him to come home late into the night although I knew that I shouldn’t be waiting for him

Her words sounded very familiar to my ears although I was sure that I haven’t met her before. Brenda went on with her complaints as I wondered when she would simply shut up. It was frankly quite amazing how much she had to say against her own son. “I don’t understand why he doesn’t understand that everything he does wrong ends up being my fault. I’m the one who gets blamed for all his faults and shortcomings. They all say that it's all because of me…” she said as she ground her teeth together in anger. I stared at her as my smile faded from my lips. After having just met her for the first time, I quickly figured that there was nothing decent about this woman except for her extremely blunt and straightforward way of speaking. With each word, I could feel intensely dark emotions rising up inside of me as if she had the talent to flip all of my switches in all the wrong ways. ‘Why can’t you be perfect like Diana? If you don’t do this right, do you understand that your father is going

Even if I thought that it was the right thing to do and say, there was no way that Bradon or anyone in passing would think that way. After all, I had just yelled at his mother and it must have seemed like I was the one who had crossed the line. It did occur to me then that I may have been too harsh on her. I was not completely ignorant of her circumstances and what she must have gone through at the hands of the Vulkans. Since she was just a mistress, they clearly did not consider her part of the Vulkan family. Her pleading words as she begged for her husband even though he wasn’t even present came back to me and I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt. Her past must have haunted her so badly for her to go mad. It was clear that Alfred had promised her that he would somehow move her to the main Vulkan estate as if something like that was even possible given that he had a legally married wife and a reputation to maintain. Before I could stop myself, I began wondering what it was like

It was all because I didn’t want to hurt her or see her abused anymore. She was just another victim because she couldn’t let go of the man that she loves although he probably never loved her back in return. When I was younger, there were times when I wondered why my mother couldn’t see my father for who and what he was. The period where I was also blinded by my mother’s hopeful words that that man would one day accept us truly as a part of his family was very short-lived. Unlike me, my mother never lost faith in the man that she loves. Sooner or later, I came to realize that there was no way that she could go on living if she ever accepted the truth that she had been used by him all along. I remember watching over her as she cried and grew weaker and weaker in both spirit and body. I remember thinking that I wouldn’t be surprised if she were to snap one day and then pass away if reality really hit her. Perhaps it was from my fear of losing my mother that I somehow became an active co