Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18-Chapter 257: Difficult Parting

“Let go,” I repeated once again.

“I don’t want to...” he replied.

I narrowed my eyes at him when we ended up entering into a staring competition as if to see which of us was the more stubborn one. His blue eyes looked as clear as the sky and also so bright. If there were any hints of fatigue or overwork, they were all gone now and I found myself feeling very relieved to see that he was feeling better. At the end, it was me who ended up breaking eye contact first. Bradon ended up laughing at my reaction, but he did loosen his arms from around my body to let me go.

Just when I wondered what I should say to him to excuse myself out of this room, my phone started ringing quite loudly. I would have ignored the call, had it not been a call from Desmond.

Why is the prince calling, and so early in the morning?

I grabbed my phone instinctively and clutched it in my hand as I hesitated to take the call. I paused and stopped myself from answering the call right away when I realized that Bradon was staring at me.

“I have to take this,” I told him.

“Who is calling?” he asked.

I started making my way off the bed but he grabbed my wrist to stop me from getting away.

“Why can’t you take your call here?” he asked suspiciously.

I had no idea what the Prince wanted to talk about, but I didn’t feel at all comfortable taking the prince’s call right here in Bradon’s presence and on his bed.

“The prince is calling,” I replied in short.

“All the more reason for you to take your call here.” he replied as his grip tightened around my wrist.

Seeing that it felt impossible to shake off Bradon’s grip or make him change his mind, I decided to answer the prince’s call before he would lose his patience.

“Hello...” I answered the call monotonously.

“I just got out from a meeting with my father’s personal doctor and it seems like he’s about to pass away soon,” the prince announced emotionlessly.

The king is about to pass away soon?

“How soon is ‘soon’?” I ask why keeping my excitement under control.

“I’m not sure, and the doctors wouldn’t dare say. My father isn’t even conscious anymore. So the time could come much sooner than we expected,” the prince quite coldly.

Although I didn’t want to be someone that would rejoice at someone else’s passing, I couldn’t help but feel like it was about time that this would happen.

“I need you to come see me right away,” the prince demanded.

“Yes, of course. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I quickly replied.

“How soon is ‘soon’?”he asked while using the same word that I had used to ask him.

“Soon...” I replied.

I hung up the phone and turned to face Bradon before my eyes fell to where his hand was still clutching at my wrist.

“I have to go meet the prince right now. This is urgent,” I declared.

“More urgent than taking care of your sick husband?” he asked sarcastically and I could tell that he wasn’t impressed.

“Oh, so at times like these, you’re ‘my husband’?” I asked with a raised brow.

“What are you talking about? I’m always your husband,” he muttered begrudgingly.

“I have to go. Please...” I pleaded softly.

Time was ticking by and I knew that this wasn’t the time to be playing games with Bradon or arguing with him. Bradon stared into my eyes in silence for a moment before the hold he had on my wrist relaxed.

“I’ll drive you,” he murmured so softly that I thought that I had misheard him at first.

“But you’re supposed to be sick. So, why don’t you just stay in bed?” I suggested as I patted the bed with a smile.

Bradon stared at me and for a moment I thought that he looked genuinely hurt. I looked away from his face as I tried to ignore the slight stingy pain in my chest. I told myself that I had nothing to feel guilty about and that it wasn’t like I was leaving a sick man to his own devices. Despite all that, I found myself rooted to the spot.

“I might have a little surprise for you when you get back,” Bradon spoke up brightly to my utter surprise.

“A surprise?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

“You’ll see when the time comes. Please be a good girl and behave...and stay safe. Get Zain to drive you...” he replied before showing me a very charming smile.

I wondered what that was about, but I decided to save it for later. It felt like I had much more pressing matters on my hand and I couldn’t delay it any further. I needed to see the prince and that meant I needed to head to the palace right away.

...

Given how much I had looked forward to arriving at the palace, because that would mean that my plan was progressing forward. I found myself feeling very nervous now that I have actually arrived. After leaving the country, I never thought that I would return, much less set foot in the palace ever again. I probably couldn’t say that I had always been a welcomed guest at the palace because the only person who truly ever welcomed me was probably Desmond and no one else.

Stepping foot into the palace grounds, I could already sense the change that had happened there. Although the king had not yet passed away, the atmosphere had changed from the vibrant and lively one to a more conservative and solemn one. What still remained the completely unchanging was the cold look in the palace staffs’ eyes as they laid eyes on me. Despite what the next king might think about me, it was clear that there was no one on my side to support me and that I may never gain their approval in this lifetime. That wasn’t problematic for me because even back then, I never wanted their approval in the very first place.

–To be continued...

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