My Husband Chose Her Over Me Novel – Chapter 16
I kept tossing in bed until the clock struck 11 pm, the steady ticking mocking my restlessness. Sleep refused to come, my mind racing with the day’s revelations about Elara. The sheets tangled around my legs felt like chains, keeping me prisoner to my own thoughts.
“Damn it all,” I muttered, punching my pillow into submission for the fifteenth time.
I had asked for Elara as soon as I got back home, desperate to speak with her after learning the truth about her identity. The servant’s response still echoed in my ears.
“The Princess has been out all day, Your Highness. She left with Captain Marcus before noon.”
Princess. The word had a different weight now. Not just any noblewoman, but the crown princess of Verdana. And she was gone.
I flung the covers off and paced the room, my bare feet silent against the cold marble floor. Where had she gone? Had she left me forever? Was she already putting her divorce plans into motion? The questions circled like vultures, picking at my conscience.
“Stop it,” I told myself aloud. “This isn’t helping.”
I threw on a dressing gown and stepped into the hallway, needing air, space, anything to clear my head. The palace corridors were eerily quiet at this hour, with only the occasional guard standing at attention. They bowed as I passed, but I barely noticed.
A movement at the far end of the hall caught my eye—my father, moving slowly toward the grand staircase. Without really deciding to, I found myself following him.
His private chambers were in the west wing, a place I rarely ventured unless summoned. Tonight, though, I needed answers that only he might have. I knocked once before entering.
Father looked up from his desk, not particularly surprised to see me. “Can’t sleep either?” he asked, his voice gruff with fatigue.
“How could I?” I approached, taking the seat across from him without invitation. “My wife is the heir to Verdana’s throne, and apparently you knew but I didn’t.”
He was silent as he, poured amber liquid into two crystal glasses. He slid one toward me.
I accepted the drink but didn’t touch it. “Why would King Dorian keep her identity a secret from us? What possible purpose could that serve?”
Father’s eyes narrowed. “You have no right to question a king’s motives, Caden. Even as my son.”
“I have every right to question why my marriage was built on lies!” The words exploded from me, louder than I intended. “Was I just a pawn to both of you?”
“Lower your voice,” Father commanded, but there was no real heat behind it. He looked tired—more tired than I’d seen him in years. “Politics between kingdoms is complex. You know this.”
I leaned forward, hands flat on his desk. “Then explain it to me. If Elara is truly the Verdanan heir, why did you push me toward Islode? Why arrange another political match when I was already married to the most valuable alliance possible?”
Father sighed heavily, taking a long drink before answering. “That was your mother’s doing. I didn’t support it.”
“But you didn’t stop it either,” I countered.
He shrugged, the gesture dismissive and infuriating in its simplicity.
Anger flared hot in my chest, burning away the last of my restraint. “Do you have any idea what this has done? Elara wants a divorce. She’s been humiliated by our family for months while mother parades Islode around like she’s already my wife. And now we discover she’s not just any noblewoman but the crown princess of Verdana?”
“What’s done is done,” Father said flatly. “The question is how we move forward from here.”
“Move forward?” I laughed bitterly. “I don’t even know if she’s coming back! She’s been gone all day, and no one knows where she went.”
Father’s gaze sharpened. “She went to Verdana to see her Father. I have her the permission to go.
“What?!” I shot to my feet. Father finished his drink and set the glass down with deliberate care.
“If you’ve never listened to any advice I’ve given you, listen now: do not let her go.”
The intensity in his voice caught me off guard. There was something he wasn’t telling me—something beyond politics. Before I could press him further, he stood up, signaling that our conversation was over.
“It’s late. We both need rest.”
I rose reluctantly, frustration churning in my gut. As always, I was left with more questions than answers. “Good night, Father.”
I slipped out of his chambers, mind racing. The hallway seemed darker now, the shadows deeper. As I turned toward my wing of the palace, a movement startled me.
Kaela was pacing outside my chambers, her nightdress swishing around her ankles. She jumped when she saw me.
“Gods, Caden! You scared me half to death!”
“What are you doing here?” I asked, exhaustion making my voice sharper than intended.
She twisted her hands together nervously—a gesture so unlike my usually composed sister that it gave me pause.
“I’m waiting for Elara to return,” she admitted, not quite meeting my eyes. “I need to apologize to her.”
I stared at her, momentarily speechless. “You? Apologize?”
Color rushed to her cheeks. “Don’t look so shocked. I can admit when I’ve made a mistake.”
“Since when?”
“Since I discovered I’ve been tormenting the crown princess of our most important ally!” she snapped. “Mother explained everything. I need to make this right before she decides to cut ties with our family completely.”
I studied my sister’s face, trying to determine if her remorse was genuine or merely calculated.
“Go to bed, Kaela,” I sighed finally. “It’s too late for Elara to return tonight. Whatever amends you need to make can wait until morning.”
“But what if she doesn’t come back?” The question was small, voicing the fear I’d been fighting all evening. “Did she leave you? Oh my God, Caden—”
“Enough!” I gripped her shoulders firmly. “To bed. Now.”
She nodded reluctantly, turning toward her chambers. “You should sleep too. You look terrible.”
“Thank you for that assessment,” I replied dryly, guiding her down the hall.
By the time I’d escorted Kaela to her room and ensured she would stay there, exhaustion had settled into my bones like lead. The night had yielded no answers, only more complications and the gnawing fear that I might have lost Elara before I truly had the chance to know her.
I trudged back to my chambers, pushing the door open with a weary hand. The lamps were still lit from earlier, casting a warm glow over the room—and illuminating a figure I hadn’t expected to see.
Elara stood by the window, stifling a yawn behind her hand. She wore riding clothes, dusty from the road, and her hair had come partly loose from its braid. She looked tired but resolute.
Our eyes met across the room. Something electric passed between us, surprise, uncertainty, and something else I couldn’t name. Without conscious thought, I stalked forward towards her.