Hopeful (My Sequel to Heartless) Unfinished

Chapter 23 - Strange Encounters

Bruises in the shapes of fingers wrapped around her arm from where he dragged her out of the ballroom. They now sat in a parlor hidden away in many of the secret halls throughout the palace in case of an attack.

and this had most certainly had been an attack.

at least, that's what they thought.

Chrystal had been furiously pacing the room with a bottle of strong alcohol that had a blue tint to it. Callum sat with an elbow propped on his knee as he stared off into a world Cath couldn't see. It was obvious he was distressed too, but he wore it well.

Meanwhile, Cath couldn't stop looking at the blood that coated her arms and dress. How many times had she been the cause of bleeding?

Too many times.

It was an odd thing, sitting in a room with her enemies/allies and thinking about all the things she had been wrong about.

Chrystal had finally worked herself into a drunken stupor as she turned to face Cath and her son. "I am going to fall asleep on that couch, I fully expect everyone to keep quiet and let me wallow in my anger." With that, she turned and collapsed on the couch, asleep before her head hit the cushion. 

Callum stared at his mother with a look Cath couldn't place. It was a mixture of sadness, love, hate, and indifference. It was beyond confusing.

She finally got the nerve to say something to her betrothed and cleared her throat to draw his attention. "When do you think it will be safe to leave?" She asked, her fingers hidden and clutching the folds of her dress. She had never actually had a conversation with Callum before, and she was fully prepared for a cold and awkward encounter.

And that was exactly what she got.

He turned to look at her with a glare, "When the guards tell us it's safe."

Cath glared right back, it was a natural instinct, "I don't know why you're so mad at me princeling, marrying you isn't exactly a picnic for me either."

He let out an incredulous laugh while rolling his eyes and looked at her with disbelief, "Oh yeah, not only are you receiving another domain to rule, you also get to live an extra 10 years and get the fortune I was supposed to inherit, I'm sorry if it's so taxing on you, my queen." He spat out bitterly.

Cath was taken aback. She didn't really think about it before. She was getting the things he had been training for since birth. She was stealing his birthright, and it wasn't even her fault. 

She scrunched her nose and turned her head away. She wouldn't apologize. She hadn't done anything wrong and was too stubborn to think any other way.

She heard him take a few calming breaths before standing abruptly. He didn't look at her as he spoke. "I don't care if there's a bloodthirsty beast out there, I'm not spending another moment in this parlor. I'll see you tomorrow." He said dismissively.

Cath raised her chin, still not looking in his direction until he heard his footsteps leave the room. 

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Jest would never have guessed that these kids were Cath's. They seemed so detached and cold, but then again, he had never seen Cath as a mother. The thought made him pity the children.

They were only about 7 or 8, and they were almost a spitting image of Cath with their dark hair and pale skin. He felt immediately drawn to them.

But, as it would turn out, they felt the opposite.

The twins shuffled back on their bed and looked at Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie waiting for an explanation.

Hatta cleared his throat awkwardly as he glanced at Jest and the offspring of his girlfriend. He felt bad for Jest, he hoped he was okay.

After a few more awkward glances between the girls, Lacie stepped forward, a key in her hand. "I'm sorry that you had to meet in such a circumstance, and we promised ourselves we wouldn't intervene anymore, but Mariah stole something we all need, and we're here to assure you get it back before time runs out."

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Nobody knew his name, it was always 'Your Majesty' or 'My King', not even his wife knew his name.

The memory of her made him sob even harder. 

Oh Cath, the love of his life was missing, and he didn't know where, or why he couldn't get out of bed anymore. He didn't feel like he did only a few days ago.

He had begged and pleaded to see his children, his babies that he loved so much. His only link to the wife he missed so much. He felt so useless as he lied on his bed while his guards searched for his queen. 

What he wouldn't do to find her and hold her at that moment.

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Yeah, nothing really happens in this chapter, I'm going through this writer's block which is basically me trying to decide how I should transition into the more eventful parts of the story. I'm really sorry guys, I've had a lot on my mind lately, so bear with me. I'm especially sorry to all the people who are only on Wattpad solely for the purpose of reading this book, it's just gonna be a bit longer than I thought. 

-GMTS

Ps, this chapter is mostly unedited, but I'm going through this book over the weekend and fixing all the mistakes in all the chapters (because heaven knows there are many 😅)