85. Distress and Anxiety.

[Luke]
"Congratulations, Annemarie." I smiled at her and pecked her on the cheeks after the ceremony was over.
It was a beautiful wedding and it even made me teary eyed.
"Thank you, Luke, I'm glad you could make it." She smiled back at me.
"You two make a wonderful couple." I shook hands with her newly wedded husband and congratulated the couple.
I stayed for some pictures and the reception because I couldn't skip it. Her parents, my aunt and uncle kept hounding me with questions and I felt so miserable sitting at the same table with them.
Annemarie's mother was my father's sister, making her my aunt, since she was his elder sister she'd married before I was born and she was no longer living in the palace as I grew up.
I eventually saw less of her when her family relocated to the United States and so I wasn't very close to this side of the family, they were pretty much just acquaintances to me.
Annemarie's mother was my father's sister, making her my aunt, since she was his elder sister she'd married before I was born and she was no longer living in the palace as I grew up.
I eventually saw less of her when her family relocated to the United States and so I wasn't very close to this side of the family, they were pretty much just acquaintances to me.
But I didn't want to be rude so I had to pretend like I really enjoyed their company and I had to force myself not to break my jaw so I couldn't answer any more of their questions.
They questioned me about everything they'd heard from the press and it was frustrating to clear up so many rumors but I didn't really blame them, they knew me as much as everybody else did so it was hard not to believe everything they read in the papers.
Finally the wedding was over and after seeing the couple off to the airport for their honeymoon, I finally figured I had to return back to my hotel room.
I had two bodyguards and my assistant with me, my assistant said his goodbyes as the elevator door opened.
The bodyguards followed me to my room and they stood outside as I walked in.
I sighed as I shredded my suit on the chair when I entered the room and I poured myself a glass of whiskey.
I didn't like smoking but right now I felt like I needed one or two long drags, I needed my lungs to feel the heat and for my head to lighten.
The cause of my troubles, who else but the love of my life, Claire.
A few hours before the wedding, I received an email from my tech guy and it contained lots of pictures of Claire smiling sweetly at another man, in one picture they were holding hands and having lunch together while in another they were embracing tightly in front of her house.
I knew I had no right to be but I was mad and jealous.
I tightened my grip on the glass as I imagined it to be the man's neck I was gripping tightly.
I let go of the glass before I broke it and I gulped the drink in one go.
I really needed to unwind, I got into the showers, it was cold outside but I still took a cold shower, I wanted it to numb me somehow so I wouldn't feel anything and I would fall asleep immediately.
The cold water helped a bit but soon I was tossing and turning in bed as my dreams were plagued with images of Claire and that man in more intimate positions than I'd seen in the pictures.
I loved Claire and though I'd hurt her a lot, I knew that it would be hard for her to forget me so soon, especially since she was carrying my child and if she hadn't gotten rid of the child, it must mean I still had a shot at her forgiveness.
***
"Claire." I yelled as I woke up abruptly and I groaned when my head hit the headboard.
The bodyguards came rushing into my room immediately but I sent them off after assuring them that everything was okay.
The last dream I had about Claire had been horrible and I didn't even want to think about it now.
My school's reunion was in a few weeks and I'd promised myself to keep it together till after then though the pictures I'd seen and the nightmares I was having were making me regret ever making that promise to myself.
.
.
[Claire]
"The King of Denmark suffers great heart illness causing him to enter a coma."
"Prince Luke Christensen takes over the administrative control of the palace affairs."
"Is the Prince ready to take over from the King?
"Rest of laziness as the Prince asks for more weeks to rest in America after his cousin's wedding."
I read the headlines from the blogs in Denmark I was following online and I froze when I read the last one.
"Jean was in America!"
I began to hyperventilate and I tried to calm myself by taking deep breaths because I didn't want to stress my baby.
"America is a very large place, it doesn't say he's coming to Boston and besides, he doesn't know where I stay right?" I asked myself and I groaned when I realized that I'd told him all about myself, it was only him who had kept secrets and lies.
"Prince Luke attends cousin's wedding in Boston, United States." I squealed when I read this headline.
I read the headlines from the blogs in Denmark I was following online and I froze when I read the last one.
"Jean was in America!"
I began to hyperventilate and I tried to calm myself by taking deep breaths because I didn't want to stress my baby.
"America is a very large place, it doesn't say he's coming to Boston and besides, he doesn't know where I stay right?" I asked myself and I groaned when I realized that I'd told him all about myself, it was only him who had kept secrets and lies.
"Prince Luke attends cousin's wedding in Boston, United States." I squealed when I read this headline.
"Claire, what's wrong?" My mother asked, rushing into my room. "Why are you crying?"
"Um, it's nothing." I sniffed and tried to clean my eyes immediately.
"It's definitely not nothing if you look so pale and sad." She said sadly. "I know that our relationship as mother and daughter has been so strange but you used to confide in me as a Nana."
I would've rolled my eyes if I wasn't terribly distressed.
"Let me guess, it has something to do with that extraordinarily handsome man's photos you're looking at." She said pointing to my laptop screen.
"Yes." I nodded and slammed the laptop closed. "He's the father of my child." I said.
"I guessed." She shrugged. "You know you never did tell us the full story."
"I know, it's just so hard for me to think and talk about him." I said.
"Certainly isn't hard for you to look him up on the internet and cry over his pictures." She said and I frowned.
"Are you really my mother?"
"You know what I mean." She smiled and I nodded.
"I just found out that he's here in Boston." I told her and she raised a brow.
"You're rich enough so I'm guessing you don't want him to know about the child."
"Yes, mother, you went through something similar, what should I do?" I asked impatiently.
"Oh, I cannot tell you what to do, Claire, that's something you have to figure out on your own."
"He's going to take my child away from me, mom." I cried.
"No, he possibly can't, you know that your father would never allow that."
"I know, but I'm afraid father will be able to do nothing against him."
"Why?" She asked.
"I thought you read the papers." I complained and she frowned.
"I do not, I know that they spew nothing but lies." She said and I did roll my eyes.
"He's royalty, he's the Prince of Denmark."
"Oh my God!" She exclaimed.
"I know it's shocking but I'm—"
"No, the papers never carried that, they only said you had an entanglement with a man in Denmark."
"I thought you said you didn't read the papers." I stared at her incredulously.
"That is besides the point, I have no idea how your father would react with this one."
"Please, if he doesn't know, let's just keep it a secret okay."
"What if he goes to the office?" She asked.
Damn!
I didn't think about that, if he decided to go to the office then it would be over for me.
Just then, a maid walked into my room and the announcement she made literally sucked the life out of me.
"Ma'am, there's a man outside waiting to see you."