Page 52 of Royal Deception

I lean against the railing, barely containing my excitement. “The guy I’ve been seeing? He wants to move in together.”

Ana gasps. “What?! Are you serious?”

I laugh. “Dead serious. He even stood up to Kate for me. It was kind of amazing.”

“Well, damn,” Ana says, impressed. “What happened to the whole “seeing how things go” thing?”

“This is me seeing how things go,” I argue, but even I hear the weak protest in my voice.

“Uh-huh.” I can hear her smirking. “And what about… you know?”

I hesitate, glancing down at my stomach. “I think I’m going to tell him.”

Ana is quiet for a beat. Then, softly, she says, “I only want you to know that I’m here for you. You should be cautious, Clary. Some people are only interested in doing what’s best for them. It might look like he cares, but when the chips are down, what if he abandons you?”

A cold thread of doubt snakes through me. “You think he’ll get bored and throw me away?”

“I think you don’t know for sure until it happens,” Ana says, caution in her voice. “And once you tell him, you can’t take it back.”

I chew my lip, my earlier confidence dimming a little. As Ana’s words sink in, the doubt she’s planted in my mind startsto twist, my chest tightening. Maybe she’s right. Maybe I’m jumping into this too fast, putting all my trust in Rory when I don’t know how it’ll end.

But I shake the thought away. Rory is a man who goes after what he wants and doesn’t take no for an answer. He’d never ask me to move in if he didn’t want me there. Having her doubt me like this rankles at me in a way that surprises me, and it occurs to me that maybe Ana is projecting, so I take a breath, trying to keep my voice calm.

“That’s true,” I say slowly, “but I think things will be alright. The guy I’m seeing… he’s the kind of guy who knows what he wants. And when he wants something, he just goes for it. I don’t think he’s the type to do things halfway.”

There’s a beat of silence on the other end, and I can almost feel Ana’s hesitation. She’s never been one to hold back, but something in her tone is different now.

“You think so?” she asks quietly.

“Yeah, I do,” I say, more sure of it now. “But hey, if you have any doubts, you can talk to me. You know that.”

Another pause, then Ana’s voice cracks, just a little. “Maybe we can talk later this week,” she says, her usual confidence slipping a bit.

My brow furrows, sensing the shift. “Ana, is everything okay?”

She doesn’t answer right away, and when she finally speaks, her voice is softer. “I don’t know, Clary. I guess maybe I’m just scared. Things in my relationship haven’t been so great lately, and well… I didn’t know how to talk about it.”

“You know, you can always talk to me,” I remind her gently, hoping she knows she’s not alone in whatever she’s going through. “But if you need some space, that’s okay too. Just know I’m here when you’re ready.”

There’s a quiet, vulnerable laugh on the other end. “Yeah, I know. Thanks, Clary. I’ll think about it.”

“Anytime, Lady,” I say, my voice lighter now. “We’ll talk soon.”

“I’ll talk to you later,” she says, her voice steadying. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

“You too,” I reply before ending the call.

I set my phone down, a mix of emotions swirling inside me. I’m excited about moving in with Rory, but Ana’s words won’t stop echoing in my mind. But I don’t want the fear to overshadow my happiness, either.

I decide to grab a bite, and then I’ll head back and finish packing my stuff up. There’s nothing that will shake me out of this funk like physically putting things away for the big move.

Just a few days later,I’m standing in the middle of Rory’s apartment, surrounded by boxes and bags of clothes, shoes, and everything else I couldn’t leave behind.

But now it’s different.

I’m moving in with him, starting fresh, away from Kate’s bitterness and control. It feels like I’m finally in charge of my own life.

Everything’s moving so fast, but it all feels so right.