My chest tightened, my heart aching at his words. “You’re not close to your mother.”
He shook his head. “Not at all; she wasn’t mother material. My father raised me. I’m not particularly close to him, but we get along.”
Killian was silent for a moment, before he rolled over until we were both lying on our sides. Chest to chest, hips to hips, face to face.
Our bodies were aligned and his fingers curled around my hip. “I want my marriage to be full of love and laughter, Grace. I don’t want something fake or a ruse to fool the public. I want something real.”
My heart squeezed and I bit my tongue until the taste of the copper tang of blood filled my mouth. It was almost like Killian knew. But he couldn’t. If he was still calling me Grace, he didn’t know my truth.
And that was the moment I could have undone my lies.
I wanted to scream that I was Julianna, but I only bit on my tongue harder, until it bled more. It wasn’t fair to him, not when he was practically begging me for something real.
The back of my eyes burned and I blinked the tears away. God, the pain. It hurt. The pressure on my chest grew heavier, more intense. It felt like thorny vines had wrapped themselves around my heart, crushing me. My skin crawled with the bitterness of my lies. My body recoiled with how ugly my secrets were.
“I know we’re basically already betrothed. Our fathers have finalized this arranged marriage, but I want to make it official with you.” Killian spoke, his voice strong and confident.
He brought my left hand to his lips and my eyes widened at the sight of the ring. When did he – Oh God.
“When you were looking at the shooting stars,” he answered my silent question.
I stared at the ring, a cushion-cut halo diamond ring. It wasn’t too big or too fancy; it was perfect. Killian had chosen a ring that suited me and my preferences.
“Marry me, Gracelynn,” he rasped.
“Are you… asking me or telling me?” I stuttered.
He grinned. “I don’t want to ask because I fear you’ll say no and I’m the mad bastard who doesn’t want to give you that choice, but fuck it, I’ll do it the proper way. The proposal you deserve, Princess.”
Killian nipped the tip of my finger, almost teasingly. Before he licked the sting away, his tongue laving over the burn. The tension between my legs was back again, intense and aching. His dark gaze glinted with mischief, as if he knew the effect he had on my body.
“Will you marry me?” he asked. “Spend the rest of your life with me? I don’t want something fake. I want a real marriage. Love and obsession. Laughter and tears. I want all the ugly and the beautiful that comes with a marriage. Can you give me that, Grace?”
I nodded my head, voicelessly.
Killian’s eyes flared with adoration.
His lips touched mine.
And my heart withered.
I was a deceitful woman.
CHAPTER TWENTY
THE PAST
Julianna
“You gotta stop staring at your ring,” Gracelynn teased. “Did you even hear anything I said?”
My head snapped up while I rubbed my thumb over the ring. “Huh? Sorry, what did you say?”
Was it possible to grow attached to a ring? It wasn’t because of materialistic reasons. But more because it represented Killian’s love for me. I’ve always dreamed of a fairy-tale romance, and I guessed… I got it.
It wasn’t perfect.
But it was my fairy tale, nonetheless. Riddled with more imperfections than what the naked eyes could see, more flaws than the love story I had dreamed – but it was mine.
My sister placed her hands on her hips, giving me a haughty look, but she was grinning. “Oh, wipe that smile off your face. You’re so in love it’s almost cheesy.”
I spun my ring around my finger, feeling the weight of it. “Please, I have to endure you and Simon giving each other heart eyes all the time. Now, that’s cheesy.”
“To be in love,” Gracelyn sighed. “Is such a wonderful feeling. How did we get into such an impossible situation?”
I half-shrugged, the pressure on my chest was back again. Weighing me down. “Did you tell Simon yet?”
“I haven’t but I think he knows. I woke up last night to his head on my stomach.” Her brows furrowed and I hated the look of despair on her face. I knew she was probably thinking about her… plans.
My lips parted and I was ready to tell her to forget her plans and that we would figure something else out. But the knock of my door interrupted us.
“Gracelynn?”
We both flinched at our father’s voice. I bounced off my bed and practically tore my engagement ring off my finger, giving it to my sister.
“Come in,” Gracelynn squeaked, hastily dragging the ring onto her finger. It was slightly too small for her and I could see how tight it was around her finger.