LI

(A/N: I dedicate this chapter to all readers, both active and silent, for giving this story thousands of reads and votes, and hundred of comments. Without you, I don't think I could finish this story. But, because I can feel your love toward our characters, I'm going to give you the best story I can. For now, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Don't kill me after, I'm begging you.)

LI

I was like a statue on the floor where I stood and watched the fight between the Britons: Prince Alexander and Ben. Both were important to the princess, who screamed since we entered the apartment.

Ben, Victoria's boyfriend was on the ground with blood escaping the skin of his face. His eyes shut, but I knew he was still breathing because of his shoulder going up and down.

"Alexander! Stop it," Victoria cried while fixing the strap of her dress. She kneeled down on Ben's side and looked at her brother, "Please. Stop. If you want to punch him, hurt me instead!"

"Victoria," His Highness was scary calm when he talked to his youngest sibling, "I told you to stop your relationship with that boy! He's not good to you. He only wants you on the bed and your money."

"How dare you?" The princess stood and went to Alexander. She hit the latter's chest with close fists. "Ben is not like that! He loves me. Ben loves me!" She yelled while her brother allowed her to release her fury.

"Victoria, you're a princess," the prince's voice was low, almost inaudible at my distance, "You don't deserve someone like that boatman."

Before Victoria could respond, there was a groan heard nearby. I realized it was Ben when he moved slowly. His lover went to him immediately while she was keeping on saying his name.

Ben was finally sitting on the floor when he met the eyes of the princess. I could see the sadness and regret on his face. She held his cheek, but the boy, who had a beautiful tan skin, flinched and avoided her touch.

"I'm sorry, Tory," his heartbreaking words made all of us to gape to him. "I think, I'm not made for you. His Highness is right. You're a princess and I'm...nothing. I'm an embarrassment to your royalty. I apologize, your Royal Highness."

His words were like a sword thrust in Victoria's chest. She froze the moment Ben stood and walked away. He did not look at anyone until he made his way to the elevator. He left just like that and Victoria burst into tears.

She shouted his name, but I was sure he could not hear her. I felt guilty because it was my entire fault. If only I could manage to prevent my husband from going here, this scenario would not happen. The always cheerful and friendly Victoria would not cry. I was the culprit of killing their relationship.

I saw how her green eyes turned into extremely infuriated stares when she saw me standing a few meters away. She was not the Victoria I knew a couple of hours ago. Fear mixed with my guilt and repentance.

She cursed and walked to my direction but two muscular arms stopped her. Alexander whispered something, but his sister repelled and cursed again.

"I thought you're trustworthy! I thought Alex has already found a girl who is not a dog!" She had loud voice that cut me into pieces, "You're like them. You're like her. All you want is for yourself to be the princess! All of you are selfish!"

"Victoria, shut it," Alexander shouted back and turned his head on my way, "Shirley has nothing to do with this." He looked at her again, "I'm the one who bring her here."

"Do you think I'm going to listen to you?" She strongly pushed her brother that caused her escape, "You didn't listen to me. You just damage my life, Alex. Ben has a big part on my life, but you shooed him away! And you still believe that I'm going to listen to your explanation."

"Victoria," Alexander's tone was threatening.

"Shirley Woodman," she snapped her head, which resulted the meeting of our orbs, "Why don't you tell my brother about your little secret?"

I knew what she was talking about and I was not ready to tell him everything with this kind of situation. Victoria might be very angry that she did not know what she was saying.

Two pair of green eyes watched me. The first one with confusion, and the other with vengeance. I unintentionally shook my head.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, if you don't want to tell about it, I'm honored to lend Alex what I know."

"Victoria," my voice came out at last since we entered the royal siblings' penthouse.

"First name basis? Have you forgotten that I'm a princess here?" She asked as if we were strangers and I was her enemy.

"Your...Highness," I stuttered, sounded apologetic.

"My dear brother, do you know how our father find out about the AMFA?" the princess slowly spoke that I did not comprehend at first until I realized what it was.

My eyes got bigger when realization hit me. That was the reason why the King gave me compensation for that folder. It was not an ordinary document, but it was the file of Alexander's relation to the AMFA.

"Shirley sold you to our father for money," she whispered the last words as if it was a poison, which could kill my husband.

"That's not true," I murmured.

"What do you mean?" Alexander spoke louder. I flinched when his sight transferred from his sister to me.

Princess Victoria chuckled and raised her eyebrow to me, "I caught her rummaging your drawer when you were still in NYC."

I did not notice there were already hot liquid going down from my eyes. I wanted to speak and defend myself, but I also lost my tongue.

"The drawer," she continued without anyone stopping her, "where your pictures with Emily were kept. But those pictures were not important anymore, because Shirley got a folder from that drawer. And, guess what? I did not know about the folder until Clarissa told me the other day that someone got your contract with AMFA in that same location."

I, too, did not know about the contract until now. I wanted to tell them, but no voice formed in my throat. Even my body betrayed me. No one was on my side, even the princess I thought my only alliance besides Alexander.

I destroyed her. I was the only one making my grave here. If only I could do things right, none of these would have happened.

"Is that true, Shirley?" His voice was neither hard nor furious. It was emotionless, which was scarier.

Before I could say his name, Princess Victoria interrupted me, "I think I'm already done my part here." She walked toward my direction and stopped in front of me. "How does it feel when someone betrayed you?" She smiled evilly and looked back at her brother, "She's not good to you, Alex. Bye."

The princess bumped my shoulder with hers when she made her way to the elevator. I knew she was already gone when I heard the elevator opened and closed.

Alexander did not waste time. He held my arm as if he wanted to break my bones and piercingly asked, "Is that true, Shirley? Answer me!"

The tightness of his hold on my arm was not that painful compare to how his gaze and words struck my heart. The hurt was just all right because I deserved it. I betrayed him anyway.

I nodded and wept, "Yes, Your Highness, that's true. I gave that document to your father. He ordered me to look for it and I, accidentally, found out about you and Emily."

"So when you discovered about us, you didn't have second thought to give my father the prima facie of my relation to AMFA because you're annoyed by my relationship with her," he concluded with daggers stares on my face.

"That's not what I meant..." I trailed off when he shouted his frustrations.

"Don't lie to me, Woman!" He held my both shoulders with force, "Why? Shirley, I love you, but you're just like her," he bawled, "She chose power over me."

I raised my hand to brush his tears but he jerked away and removed his hold on me. He stepped backward as if I was harmful. It wounded even more when I saw how his heart and soul broke into pieces.

"I think, it is better if I fought my one-sided love to Emily than to hope that I have already found my own love," I thought it was the most aching I could have from him, but his last line was a real stinging, "You look like her, that's why I thought I could start a new life with you. However, I was wrong. You also like her, hurting me in the end." He turned his back to me.

"Alexander, please listen to me," I said with courage, but I felt weak.

He looked over his shoulder and told me, "I think you should go. Goodbye, Shirley."

With that, he was gone to the stairs and I had no idea if I could see him again.

-----

I was numb when I rode the cab to go back to the palace. I did not know if I could still return there and face all of them. I had been stabbed on the back and, at the same time, I was a traitor who destroyed relationships including mine.

Alexander should consider my defense. However, who would listen to someone like me? I gave the King his deepest secret. Surely, he would never trust my word again.

I lost everyone.

I lost everything.

England was not a place for me anymore. If I left now, Alexander, Victoria and others would return to normal. I did not mind if I would leave heartbroken as long as they would be fine. The only solution was for me to go away.

My mobile phone rang and saw Lola's name. I texted her when I had decided to leave Alexander's pad after an hour or two of our last conversation.

When I answered it, she bombarded me questions, "Hey Shirley Woodman, what happened? You okay? Where are you? What did the prince do to you? Do you..."

She stopped when I spoke, "Lola."

"Yes, Shirley?" She was full of worries.

"Please help me," I sobbed, "I will go back to Chicago."