I Choose A New Life Chapter 07
He looked exhausted.
I got up quietly and started working the tension out of his shoulders.
He just sat there, completely silent, while I let my tears fall without a sound, weeping until the wetness soaked right through his shirt.
Startled, he reached back and wiped my face. “Bella, why are you crying?”
“Your Majesty,” I whispered. “I thought you were never coming back.”
William just looked at me, his expression heavy.
I knelt down and burst into tears. “I’ve loved you since we were kids. All I ever wanted was a real marriage and a life together.
“When I realized you cared for Anna, I stepped aside. As long as you’re happy, I can live without your love forever.
“I just don’t know what I did to make you so angry,” I cried softly. “Why do you resent me so much?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught his expression softening.
He pulled me to my feet and wrapped his arms around me, gently rubbing my back. “It’s my fault,” he said.
He let out a remorseful sigh. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. I know exactly who you are.”
Of course he did.
But with the crown on his head, nobody else’s feelings actually mattered.
I rested my head against his shoulder and let my face go completely blank.
William stayed in my room that night.
Anna’s maid knelt outside the doors of Mooncrest Palace until dawn, but she couldn’t drag him away from me.
Later, he asked if I wanted to move back to Eversleigh Palace.
I thought about it for a second, then told him no.
He stroked my hair. “Why not? Are you getting used to living out in the middle of nowhere?”
“I like it here,” I said. “I don’t want to leave.”
I’d won back his favor.
But it wasn’t enough.
Later, out at the royal hunting grounds, William threw a banquet for his officials.
The drinks were flowing heavily when an assassin struck.
The exact same thing had happened in my previous life.
The killer shot three arrows, and the guards blocked all of them.
When another arrow came, I closed my eyes and jumped in front of William.
But this time, for some ungodly reason, the arrow slipped right past the guards and took me square in the shoulder.
The pain was terrible, but I held back my cries.
My body went limp, and I slid down, collapsing into William’s arms.
He kept shouting my name, sheer panic in his voice.
I stared up at him, completely dazed, though my eyes drifted to the edge of my vision—someone had stumbled and knocked over a cup.
My personal physician rushed over to examine the wound.
He pulled his hand back, his face completely unreadable. “Her Majesty’s injury isn’t serious. However…”
“However what?” William demanded, his voice dangerously low.
I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, and everything went black.
When I came to, William was sitting there holding a plate of soup.
The steam rising off it softened his features, making him look unusually gentle. “Bella, we’re having a baby.”
The whole palace celebrated the pregnancy.
William generously bumped up Mooncrest Palace’s budget for the next six months.
He was overjoyed.
He knew nothing about this.
He had no idea that as I looked at him, I already knew he was going to die soon.