Ch. 18th Birthday 60 18th Birthday 60

Chapter 60 

(Lily’s POV) 

“After I read my mother’s diary,” Aria sniffed, her voice hoarse, “I decided to do my own digging… to find the boy who visited her,” 

I stared at her, heart tightening. 

“It took a while, but eventually I found him,” she continued. “That boy… my friend from the hospital… was Lucien.” 

The air in the room suddenly felt heavy. 

Aria wiped her eyes, breathing slowly as if the truth was still too sharp to touch. 

“He recognized me too,” she whispered. “From a picture frame in our house when he came to avenge his dad. But when I told him about my mother’s death… that she’d taken her own life after taking a harmful substance. He was happy and said she deserved it.” 

Her voice cracked. 

I couldn’t take it anymore. I leaned back against the wall, sliding down until I was on the floor. My legs couldn’t hold the weight of what she just said. 

Lucien was the boy. 

He was the last person her mom saw before she died, and now they were mates? 

No wonder he’d said they could never be together. No wonder Aria was so bitter. She didn’t hate him, but hated the pain. 

The fact that fate dared to tie her to the one person whose presence pushed her mother to kill herself. 

There were no words to say… no comfort deep enough. I reached out and held her while she cried. We sat on the cold floor, our backs to the wall, eyes brimming with things too heavy to speak. 

I didn’t sleep much after that. My thoughts were tangled like vines; Lucien, Aria, the war, the palace… Zion. 

By morning, the world felt a little more still. 

The scent of something warm and buttery drifted into my room. I stretched, pulling on a hoodie, and walked to the sitting 

room. 

Everyone was already there; Dev, Tobe, Aria, Aunt Lamia, and Zion. 

The boys were quieter, less edgy. I noticed how Tobe passed the butter without a grunt or how Dev didn’t roll his eyes when Zion asked for more eggs. 

I suspected they’d talked things through during the night. Maybe not completely, but enough to act civil around each other. 

I sat between Aria and Zion. The quiet hum of the morning felt like a fragile kind of peace. 

Until we heard it. 

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12:58 Wed, Jul 30 D 

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Chapter 60 

Engines. 

Several of them. 

We all paused, heads turning toward the sound outside. 

Aunt Lamia stood first, wiping her hands on her apron. “Stay here,” she said, but we were already following her out of the door. 

They were three Royal guards, dressed in black and silver. They just stood with unreadable expressions. The cars behind them were sleek and ominous. 

“Prince Zion,” one of them spoke formally, “The King has requested your return to the palace. We are here to escort you back.” 

Silence. 

No one moved. 

Zion’s jaw was tight. “What if I refuse to go with you? I would return to the palace when I want to. I’m fine here.” 

But their faces turned grim, jaws clenched “Then we’ll have to use force. We have been commanded by the King to do whatever it takes to bring you to the palace.” one of them said “I’m sure you wouldn’t want any of your friends hurt, or this house in ruins.” 

Zion gulped, and dropped his head in dejection. 

He turned to Aunt Lamia and bowed slightly before coming to me. 

His arms wrapped around me like a whisper I didn’t want to forget. 

“Please be fine, Lily. We’ll be seeing soon.” he said quietly against my hair. 

I nodded, but it felt like my heart had dropped. 

He pulled away and shook hands with Dev and Tobe. They nodded at him with respect, at least for now. 

Then he followed the guards to the car. 

I watched him until the wheels rolled out of sight, my hands clutched to my chest. 

I didn’t want to cry. But I did. 

These past hours… These strange, chaotic hours with him were the best I’d felt in a while, and now he was gone. 

He had gone back to his world, to his throne… To everything I was sure I didn’t belong in. 

School was also tomorrow, and I was terrified of the unknown. 

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