America's POV:
"Ughhh!" I groaned into pillow, punching the mattress with all my might, which was not much at the moment.
I had been staring at the wall for almost an hour since Maxon had walked me to my room.
One second, I was perfectly fine, the next second I found myself rethinking as my thoughts swayed back and forth in an ocean of restlessness where the shore of common sense seemed unreachable. I was simply too confused to process everything.
Kriss claimed that Nic had been lying to me the whole time. Knowing the conniving, viscous little liar she was, I shouldn't give a flying rat about her pathetic self. I didn't want to believe her but here I am, thinking of the tiny, but still there, possibility of it all. My heart hurt to even think of the fact that what she said was true.
It could be why Mary, Nicholas's mom, didn't think twice about my departure.
Had everything about our relationship been a lie?
Was his love a lie?
Was us a lie?
A hopeless sigh met the suffocated air of my room as the only person who could answer me was dead.
I felt my shoulders shag down, my body laying lifeless against the headboard of my bed. Closing my eyes proved futile as my mind paced mercilessly, slowly drowning in never ending theories (all of them made up of my imagination).
What was the point of this anyways?
Would thinking over the time I spent with Nic and regretting the smallest things bring him back or answer my questions? Would suspecting my own deceased husband do any good? I should be ashamed of myself for even thinking this in the first place.
Taking a deep breath, I let all these clouds of unnecessary, time wasting and mind boggling thoughts wither away.
Unconsciously a smile tugged my lips, as I drift to something that has my heart squealing.
Or rather someone.
What happened between Maxon and I - that moment everything felt so right, so normal, I couldn't have another care in the world.
It wasn't about feelings rising from the dead, cause they didn't - I had always felt this way about Maxon.
Marrying someone else and going to another continent couldn't change that.
Nothing can.
I never stopped loving him, and when our lips collided and moved against each other, all the feelings I had kept buried inside, came gushing out into that kiss.
The frustration, the anger, the agony, the anguish, the helplessness and hopelessness.
But there was also longing, that fleeting moment of finality, the joy and the feeling of belonging, being where I'm supposed to be.
I felt so alive with him.
Dwelling on the past of Nicholas and regretting everything I had with him, can't change what has already happened.
I would rather focus on my future, and just let go of the past.
Move on.
Move on from it all.
But was it really that easy?
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"America, Americaaa... America," whisperings and shuffling entered through the haze of my sleep, but I refused to listen.
Clutching tighter to both my eyes and blanket, I tried to go back to the world of dreams
"Oh come on America, I bought food," the tantalizing aroma of food lingered as through the squint of my eyes I caught sight of a tray filled with variety of dishes just begging to be devoured.
"No," I grumbled, surprising both Maxon and myself.
One just does not say no to food.
I guess I was really exhausted.
"Well, you leave me no choice..." I heard Maxon say, the naughty tone rang clear in his voice. But I was too sleepy to catch on.
"Oompf! Maxon, what are you- oompf!"
"I'm not that heavy, alright," his chuckles came from above before light ripped into my eyes, my blanked snatched away from me. The cold rushed in faster than I could've complained 'hey'.
How he managed to simultaneously keep his weight off me and take care of the blanket, I had no idea.
I frowned, rubbing my eyes and wiggling away from his grasp.
He didn't move a budge.
"Come on, Maxon-" My breath got stuck in my throat, catching the golden flecks in his eyes that could only be seen up close.
"You should probably stop doing that..." He whispered breathlessly.
"What?" I questioned, in a similar state to him, my chest grazing his with every rapid breath.
"You wiggling... it only presses you further to me, making me feel every inch of your delectable skin and feminine curves molding perfectly with my rock hard muscles-
"Okay, okay, I get it," I gulp down the redness covering my cheeks, now shifting to my ears and neck. His intense eyes follow the movement of my blush before it settles on my lips.
"America."
"Yes," my eyes close in on themselves, ready for the sparkles. My nerves reach their highest point as my impatience and longing aches another notch up.
"Would you like some croissants?"
And that's what I see when I reopen my eyes, Maxon standing besides the food, a good few kilometers away, grinning so hard you would think all his deepest heart's desires and wishes came true.
Not only sleep deprived, but also deprived of my kiss, I grumbled and cursed Maxon as I get off the bed, making sure to keep my eyes away from his direction.
"America, hey, love, it was just a joke, I'll give you a kiss now if you want," Maxon whined after I had two whole croissants and was now starting on the strawberry tarts.
I smirked on the inside, continuing to pout.
"Not even a thank you- wait, where are you going?" He suddenly exclaimed as I got up, ready to freshen up with a shower.
His hand grabbed my forearm, and before I knew it, I'm screaming.
He turned me around, and my back was against his chest, his arms trapping both of mine.
Putting his chin on my shoulder, he looked sideways at me.
"Still not talking to me, huh?"
I bit my lip as the beginnings of a grin erupted on my lips. Shaking my head as a no, I raised my head high in defiance.
His response sent my spine shivering and eyes widening. Arms clutching tighter and now resting firmly on my chest, he started to leave soft kisses on my neck, making me put my guard down.
Big mistake.
Loud giggles and teary laughter echoes around the room as his hands feebly caressed my ribs.
"Maxon... Max... on... please... st..." Another high pitched squeal finds way out of me as I turned breathless and have tears at the corner of my eyes.
"Oh, so now you want to talk to me, yeah. Now, you want to. But you're too late. My heart is wounded," his antics know no limits as pushes me backwards until my back hits the wall, his body trapping me in.
Still heaving from his attack before, I start laughing comically.
For no apparent reason.
There's no tickling.
Or cheesy joke.
Just his dimpled eyes and crinkled smile.
His craving presence and radiating joy.
His happiness on my accord.
After we've calmed down, he bends down, his arms still beside my head.
"Good morning my darling," he whispered into my ear, his teeth catching my earlobe.
"G-good Morning to you too," I stuttered, my hands clutching onto his now crinkled clothes.
"Now beautiful, go get ready. I want to show you something."
"Beautiful? My hair looks like it's been pulled in opposite directions by an angry bull and- wait, what show me? What are you going to show me? Max-" I'm silenced with a toe curling and earth shattering kiss, which was way over due.
"You have an hour," he kisses my forehead, leaving me a mess full of bundled nerves by the wall.
"Half an hour will do," I mumbled to myself underneath my breath while tying my hair on my way to the shower.
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My feet tap could be heard all the way to Italy; my impatience stark on my face.
"Excuse me, your highness," a maid came over to me, handing me a little note.
'Meet me at the gardens.'
Maxon's handwriting read bold. I started walking though the familiar hallways to reach the large set of glass doors. Smiling in nostalgia, I went towards our bench.
Looking around, I saw him in the distance. Changing my path, I reached what seemed like an Archery range setup.
He spotted me in a heartbeat.
"What are you doing here, my dear?" Maxon's asked cheekily, eyeing down my heels in which it was clear I was struggling to walk them in the grass.
"I had no idea what to wear," I tried defending myself before his shoulders start shaking in attempt of holding in his laughter.
"Look, a talking parrot!" I pointed a finger towards a random direction in the sky, sending Maxon's gaze away from me.
I hastily took off my heels, almost tripping over my own feet but I caught myself on time. Putting them on some low cut grass, I smiled in victory.
"Where, where?"
"Oh, it's probably gone by now," I said with a bit too much of enthusiasm.
The notorious Prince instantly noticed my lack of balance restored and the missing heels, making him lose control and throwing himself into fits of laughter, finally breathing in.
"I'd ask you to try," he looked to the archery set, "but-"
"But what?" I narrowed my eyes. Not waiting for a response and feeling somewhat competitive, I picked up the bow and arrow which was beside him.
Readying my stance, I made sure my feet are held at proper distance, the elbow not too crooked and my shoulders held back tight but not too tightly.
"America, maybe you-"
Concentrating on the big red circle which was my target, I closed an eye and without hesitating, shot it right in the center.
Blinking dumbfounded and at a loss of words, I patted his shoulders.
Now it's my turn to laugh.
"When did you learn archery?" He asked still not over the moment.
"I was taught a lot of things when I was Queen in Italy," I smirked.
"You never fail to impress and amaze, America." His voice filled with awe and pride had me blushing profusely for some reason. I looked down trying to hide that.
"Mommy, mommy," my head shot up immediately at a voice in the distance.
I see Eadlyn running away from Celeste who was chasing her. Not far behind, Marlee was struggling to catch up while carrying Ahren.
Eadlyn ran into my arms and started giggling at Celeste who was sprawled out on the grass trying to catch her breath.
I joined in with the laughter.
"Mommy, tweehouse?" Eadlyn's eyes go wide, ready to make a commotion if I didn't give the answer she wanted.
I shook my head in amusement, "Baby, that's not there anymore."
The next moment she's out of my grip and goes over to Maxon. "What does she want," he mouth lipped, sweeping her hair and rubbing her back.
"Her old treehouse. She'll get over it soon... hopefully."
Maxon nodded in acknowledgment before his eyes widened as if something occurred to him.
I questioned him with my eyes but he just smiled in return.
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Three days... That's when I last saw Maxon. I don't have one clue as to where he could be and I was starting to get worried. Going around to ask people could start a commotion and attract unwanted attention, so I took it into my own hands to find where he is.
I trudged towards his room that was in a different wing of the castle. Nearing it, I saw two guards stationed on both sides of the door.
"Can I go in?" I asked trying my best to be polite.
No response. Their eyes didn't move a centimeter in my direction.
I cleared my throat, gritting my teeth to prevent saying something rude.
"His highness isn't in right now," One of them said simply, after coming to terms that I wouldn't be moving away until I got what I want.
"Then you wouldn't mind me going in," I sassily muttered and walked past them barging into the room. It was empty.
"See, I told you," the guard replied unbothered.
"Well do you know where I can find him then," I exhaled sharply, getting impatient. The guard just shrugged.
I walked towards the only other place I could think of; the garden. Headed towards a place he had once mentioned before, I followed the pathway. As I got closer, I heard a loud thud and then someone grunting.
Curiosity sparked in my veins as I tried to find the source of the sound only to find a shirtless Maxon on the ground rubbing his head and a large piece of wood beside him.
I instantly rushed to his side and checked him for any injuries.
"What are you doing?" I almost yelled at him in worry.
"I tried to build a tree house for the twins," He said while chuckling.
"You didn't need to do that, baby" I placed my hand on his jaw and he leaned into my touch, his eyes closing and smile erupting.
"I wanted to," he simply stated, giving me the sweetest smile and awakening the butterflies in my stomach.
"I'm almost done with it. Do you want to see?" He got up, rubbing his hands on his pants. His scorching skin sparkled with sweat under the blazing sun, his fluid movement causing his muscles to move deliciously dangerous underneath.
Not sure whether I would faint from the heat of the sun or the man holding my heart, I get up too.
At the staircase, he holds his hand out for me.
"Did you do this on your own?" I wondered aloud while slipping my hand into his.
"I had a little bit of help, but the rest was all me." He exclaimed proudly, his aura radiating his confidence.
Everything looked absolutely beautiful. After reaching the end of the stairs, it led to spacious room with shelves filled with toys, games and stuffed animals of all kind. On each opposite side were rooms that still had some painting left to do.
It was simple but that's what I loved about it.
He sat down on the edge of the balcony that was on all four corners of the treehouse and patted down a spot next to him. He pulled me close to him the moment I was down and I couldn't help but smile. Rays of orange, yellow and pink covered us as I rested my head on his shoulders while looking at the sunset.
"America-"
I shushed him, not wanting anything to ruin this perfect moment.
"No America. Not this time, I need to say this." He hands sought the back of his hand as he rubbed it.
Taking a deep breath, he started nervously but his words stood firm.
"I have said this once and I'll say it again; letting go of you was the biggest mistake of my life and I regret it. I meant it when I said that I will always be here with open arms. This might sound silly or of no use now... but I love you America and I will never stop loving you," his eyes scanned my face trying to see my reaction.
"Now why would I think that was silly, Maxon... I love you too. I always have and always will. I just wish that we could've come to terms with it sooner," I smiled tearfully at him, his expression causing me to giggle.
His hand came up to rest on the side of my face, his thumb wiping away my tears.
"Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway," Maxon whispered ever so softly. Cupping my face and leaning in, it felt as if time stopped when his lips met mine. I immediately melted into his touch and wrapped my arms around him, lessening the distance between us as much as possible.
I finally found the missing piece that I have been looking for.
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A/N: So I had major writers block but managed to overcome it somehow, this book has finally come to an end. The next chapter will be the Epilogue and I can always add some bonus chapters if y'all want. Thank you so much for joining us on this long-ass journey and I love you all for making this book a success. We're out for now 💖💖💖(*Drops mic*)
~Authormakinghistory~