Chapter 767: Arrested
Anna sat there on the small bench, shivering. Her father had almost died believing that she’d left this world. And all because she had been worried that he would not listen to her and let her choose a life of her own.
She had been so consumed by fear that he would never truly understand her desires, that he would dismiss her dreams without a second thought, that she had made a cowardly decision to run away instead of confronting him. In her desperation, she had turned to Kael, begging him to help her escape the confines of a life that felt stifling. If only she had been stronger, more resolute in her beliefs, none of this would have spiraled out of control.
What a fool had she been! All this while, she’d been cursing herself for not knowing whom to love. But in the end, she’d almost ended up losing the one person who loved her dearly and unconditionally.
Thankfully, nothing happened to him today and she’d already been in the country to come to him without wasting time.
Before Anna could take a relieved breath though, the door creaked open, and two officers walked in, followed closely by Crown Prince Rafael who closed the door with a finality.
Standing up, she quickly curtsied to him and even as she felt herself tremble with fear, she straightened and stammered with false bravado," What is going on?"
The officers exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable, but Rafe’s steely gaze sent chills down her spine. "The officers are here to arrest you," Rafe said, his tone devoid of warmth. "For faking your own death."
The words hit Anna like a punch to the gut. Her mind raced, searching for an explanation, a way to defend herself, but her voice caught in her throat. "What? This is a mistake! No no. I was away for further studies."
After she’d returned, she’d been scared of this, but Kael had assured her that he’d never had anyone prepare a death certificate and her father had never held her funeral to avoid any speculation about the reason for her suicide. He’d convinced her father to lie to everyone that she’d gone abroad...
"Are you sure? Because if you were, why does your father believe you to be dead? And he even tried to exact revenge from Kael because he believed that he was responsible for your death. So, Miss Anna, you are to be arrested for this. It is in your best interest that you come away right now."
"Rafe! My father is here. I need to see him. Please don’t do this. I can explain everything."
"Miss Anna. I didn’t realize we were this close that you could address me by my name. Now, I do believe that you should leave her quickly before Lord Rupert is brought back. Since he already believes his daughter is dead, why scratch old wounds. Do you want him to feel even more worst when he comes in to recuperate? That his daughter would rather choose to not be with him and prefer to fake her own death?"