Page 116 of Royal Bargain

She shakes her head, gaze distant. “But this isn’t that kind of world, is it?”

I look at her for a long moment. “You were raised in a world full of monsters. It’s not stupid that you want to believe some people might be better. It makes you human.”

Her eyes flick up to mine, soft and vulnerable.

I take a breath. “And I haven’t exactly been leading the charge on communication either.”

She arches a brow.

“I got in over my head with Burns,” I admit. “At first, it felt like a way to do something real. Clean things up from the inside. But the deeper I get, the more I realize it’s not just politics.”

Ana’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

“I think there’s more going on. Backdoor deals. Power plays. Connections that don’t make sense unless someone else is pulling strings behind the scenes. And he’s too careful. Too polished. He says the right things, but something’s off.”

I shake my head. “I wanted to believe in the guy. But now I’m not sure if I’m working for a reformer or just another villain in a nicer suit.”

Ana leans her head against my shoulder. “So we’ve both been played.”

“Yeah,” I murmur, resting my cheek against the top of her head. “But at least now we know.”

Her fingers thread through mine again, tighter this time. “No more lies?”

“No more lies,” I promise. “From here on out, we do this together.”

We sit there in the hush of the room, her head still on my shoulder, my fingers curled around hers.

Then, softly, she says, “I didn’t think you took us seriously. Back then.”

I freeze—not because I’m surprised, but because… yeah. I get it.

She keeps going, her voice small but steady. “I thought you liked me. Maybe you even loved me. But you were always late. Always distracted. Always somewhere else. And when I needed you the most…”

“I wasn’t there,” I finish for her, guilt twisting in my chest.

She lifts her head to look at me. “I thought it meant I didn’t matter to you.”

I shake my head, throat tightening. “It wasn’t that. It was never that.”

She nods slowly. “I know that now. I didn’t before. But I see it clearer tonight. With everything you’ve had on your shoulders—your family, your duties, your ADHD—it must’ve been overwhelming. And I never gave you enough credit for how hard you were trying, in your own way.”

I let out a breath, that kind of breath that feels like it’s been trapped in my lungs for months.

“I could’ve done better,” I admit. “I should have done better. I let the chaos run my life instead of carving out space for what actually mattered. For you. For us.”

My voice cracks just a little, and I don’t bother hiding it. “Tonight scared the shit out of me. I thought I lost you. And that’s when it hit me—how much I’d been taking for granted.”

She stares at me, wide-eyed.

I cup her face gently. “You matter to me. You always did. And I’m sorry it took this long for me to show it the right way. I want to be better. I will be better.”

We break apart slowly from the kiss, her forehead resting against mine, our breath mingling in the quiet.

Then I ask the question that’s been haunting me since the moment I saw Lily’s eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Ana stiffens a little, but she doesn’t pull away.