Chapter 878: Breakfast
Arabelle woke up with a jerk, her breath catching as she tried to orient herself. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Then, the sound of light snoring brought it all back. She was in the hospital.
And in the same room with her was a certain future king.
She shook her head, correcting herself silently—not with her, just in the same room.
Carefully, she sat up in the bed, trying not to make too much noise. Turning her head, she glanced toward the source of the snoring. Sure enough, it was him. For a moment, she just stared, surprised at how different he seemed. In the interviews she’d watched, he’d always appeared so sharp and intimidating. Now, though, he looked... almost peaceful.
Her lips twitched in a faint smile. It was strange to think that the man who could command a room with his presence could also seem so unguarded in his sleep. But her smile faded quickly as his snoring stopped. She froze, wondering if he was about to wake up.
When the sound started again, she let out a silent sigh of relief and quickly tiptoed toward the washroom. Her heart thudded in her chest, and she couldn’t tell if it was from the near miss or the strange way her thoughts lingered on him.
It took her a little while to return, and when she did, she was relieved to see him still asleep. She crept back into bed as quietly as possible, settling under the covers.
As she stared at the ceiling, her mind drifted back to the decisions she’d been mulling over all night. The sleep had helped clear some of her confusion, and now everything felt more certain.
She knew what she wanted to do. Keeping this child might not be the most practical choice, but it was the one she would make. She wouldn’t abort it.
As for Rafe... she sighed softly. She would let him meet the child if he wanted, but she couldn’t imagine having a relationship with him. That wasn’t something she could allow—not after everything.
But deciding that brought another realization. If she was going to do this, she would have to tell him everything.
How did someone even begin to explain something like that? How could she tell him about the kind of man her father was? Or the mistakes she had made when she was younger?