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My stomach lurches, threatening to expunge everything I ate for dinner.

Middlebrooks makes her way over to the throne. My mom whispers something to Dad. He doesn’t respond. His attention is on my dean. And he’s looking at her the way he used to look at my mom.

A lump forms in my throat. Hot angry tears threaten. My stomach lurches again.

Mrs. Middlebrooks makes her way to my dad like she owns the place. Passes my mom and completely ignores her. Then she puts her palms on my dad’s face and presses her lips on his.

The room spins around me. I struggle to breathe.

Bash pulls me close and keeps me upright.

My dad places his hands on Middlebrooks’s waist and clearly returns the kiss.

The world seems to stand still. Whispers weave their way through the room. I want to run, but can’t move.

My mom jumps up from her seat. “Drake, stop!”

He continues kissing her for what feels like an eternity before finally pulling away. Then he places a ring on Mrs. Middlebrooks’s finger and holds her hand up high. “I hereby announce my engagement to Daphne Middlebrooks and invoke my right to a second wife.”

Gasps and more whispers sound around the room.

I’m going to pass out. I’m seriously going to faint.

My mom pushes between them. “I won’t allow it!”

He gives her a sad smile. “You can’t prevent it. It’s a time-honored tradition given to kings throughout the ages.”

“But nobody’s used it for centuries!”

“Times change, my love.”

Her expression tightens. “I’m not your love if you go through with this!”

“You can’t divorce me. I’m the king.”

“Maybe not, but you can’t stop me from leaving. I’ll move back to the surface!”

Did I just hear her correctly?

Dad tilts his head. “If you do that, you abandon your right to be my queen. You can’t ever come back from that. You might want to think before you make a rash decision.”

“If you carry on with this so-called engagement, you leave me no other choice. You’re humiliating me in front of our kingdom!”

He shakes his head. “I’m doing no such thing. You’re still the queen.”

She doesn’t say anything for a moment. “So, you’re going through with this?”

Dad threads his fingers through Mrs. Middlebrooks’s. “I am.”

“Then I’m moving back to the surface.”

“I’ll miss you terribly. But if you leave, you can’t ever return. You’ll be choosing a permanent banishment. You might want to think about this before deciding.”

Mom glares at him. Without a word, she storms off the platform. She’s barely two inches off before Mrs. Middlebrooks sits on Mom’s seat.

I’m going to lose my dinner.

Mom comes over to me. “Are you coming with me, or staying with that cheater?”