Chapter 50 - Heartbroken

Alexander was walking down the corridors of the palace when he saw Francis from afar. Time seemed to stop and everything around him was moving in slow motion. He watched him with longing in his eyes.

Francis took a turn around the corner and went out of sight. Alexander up to his feet and ran after him. He ran as fast as his legs could take him to catch up to Francis.

"Francis waits," he shouted as he got close to him.

Francis stopped but didn't turn around. He remained still until Alexander made it by his side. Alexander pulled Francis into a hug, he held on to him never wishing to let him go.

"I missed you so much," he let out. His eyes were wet from how emotional he had become from seeing him. He let his tears flow from his eyes without bothering to wipe them.

Francis stood still and let Alexander hug him. His hands moved to hug him back but the memory of the day they parted ways replayed in his mind and he brought his hands back down. He looked ahead with a blank face. He heard him say that he missed him and folded his hands into a fist.

"Didn't you miss me?" he inquired from Francis. He didn't get a reply.

"There isn't a day that I didn't miss you and think about you. You were always in my thoughts and my dreams," he stated in between tears.

******

Olivia walked magnetically to pay a visit to Francis and Silvia. She was eager to meet them as it meant that she would have to witness how miserable their lives had been after they left the palace. She took her time with her steps. Though excited she didn't want to show it, she had an image to protect.

She arrived outside the room assigned to the two of them and knocked on the door. She knocked two more times before the door was opened.

"Silvia, what a surprise to see you," she told while looking at her from head to toe. The clothes she was wearing weren't that classy but it wasn't bad either.

"What is the reason that you have taken the trouble to come to my room?" she asked not in the mood to put up with her antics.

"To check on you of course. You are pregnant and who better than me to understand what you are going through when I too am expectant," she explained and pushed her way into the room without waiting to be invited inside.

Silvia sighed and smiled at her and spoke."I am fine, you can leave now."

"It is rude to ask your guest to leave. You can't even offer me a sear. What manners did you learn living your life as a commoner?" she asked her but Silvia knew that there was a hidden meaning to that question.

She sighed again at how typical the woman was. Time might change but Olivia will remain the same. She had come there just to mock her and look down on her for being in a position lower than hers.

"That is a question I will wait for you to answer by yourself in a while," she uttered tired of putting up with the mean woman.

"Meaning?" Olivia questioned not understanding what Silvia meant by that statement.

"A bluebird told me that after you give birth to your child you will leave the palace forever. That includes Arimelari too, so soon you will become nothing but a mare commoner and you too will learn commoner manners," she explained to her.

"You," Olivia said in anger and raised her hand to slap her. Silvia caught her hand, she didn't look pleased by Olivia's attempt to hit her.

"You will lower your voice and your hand when dealing with me. You hold no position nor power in this palace and there is no reason for me not to retaliate against you if you dare hit me. I am not one of your pushovers," she told and dropped Olivia's hand.

Olivia gritted her teeth in anger from not being able to teach Silvia a lesson for talking down to her. She also felt enraged for being so helpless that she isn't feared around the palace anymore. She glared daggers at the girl and she just went about folding her clothes ignoring her.

"Coming from a woman married to a man who doesn't even like women speaks a lot about you," she spatted poking at her where she was most vulnerable.

Silvia's hands froze. She was used to the truth but it still hurt to have someone say it to her. It was true that Francis was in love with another and it wouldn't even matter how much love she showered on him as he would never accept her. He already gave his heart, body, and soul to another and that was a fact she had to live with for the rest of her life.

"You and I are not so different. We both are sailing on the same ship. We are both married to men who don't want anything to do with us," she continued after seeing how affected Silvia was about the topic.

"We are nothing alike, unlike you my husband doesn't despise me, he respects me and honors his duties to me as his wife," she spoke calmly.

"I highly doubt that but it's alright with me if you want to live a lie. The truth is that Francis will never have a place in his heart for you or your child. Because when it comes to you, he loves Alex, and as for your child. He is not Francis's child but a product of his magic so he won't feel connected to the child no matter how hard he tries. You should stop we'veng any dreams that you have about having a perfect family," she spoke mercilessly with bitterness in her voice. Stabbing Silvia in the heart with every word that she spoke.

Silvia got up from her seat and took hold of Olivia by the hand and dragged her out of the room. Olivia tried to pry away her hand from Silvia's hold but she was too strong. Silvia pulled her along with her to the corridor that led away from their room.

"My marital life is a matter between Francis and I. Don't ever comment on my relationship with my husband ever again or else," she threatened.

"So much for your big talks. It seems that you live in an illusion," Olivia commented. She held Silvia by the shoulders and turned her around. She was paralyzed by what she saw.

"What was that about trust and respect you said Francis felt for you?" She asked her. "It seems to me that your husband couldn't wait to get his lips on another man," she added pointing out to Francis and Alexander kissing each other down the corridor.

Silvia was speechless. She couldn't answer back nor defend her husband when he was acting right before their eyes. Her body froze, she wanted to look away to avoid her heart from breaking apart more than it already was but her body wouldn't listen to her.

Watching the man she loved in another man's hands, broke her heart into tiny little pieces. She couldn't stop the tears that threatened to flow down her cheeks.

"My King," Olivia called out bringing the two lovers back to earth. They broke the kiss and stood away from each other. Francis and Alexander both looked in Olivia's direction and both of them stood shocked to see Silvia there. Guilt washed over them like ice-cold water freezing them in place.

"What is going on here?" Olivia asked them. "Back together kiss?"

Alexander and Francis stood at their spot each with their eyes on Silvia. They were so clueless on what to do after what they had just done. Silvia wiped her tears and turned her body around with much difficulty and left.

Francis unfroze and took a step forward but Alexander held him back. "Francis, I am sorry," he said apologetically.

"Don't ever come near me again," he asserted and pushed Alexander away before running away after his wife.

Olivia stood by watching everything with a smile on her face. She went out to hurt one but got to witness the drama unfold right before her eyes. It made her particularly happy that she was able to hurt the man who ruined her perfect life.

"You shouldn't have a forbidden affair in public where everyone can see you," she said to the king but he ignored her and walked away.

He felt ashamed for what he had done and wasn't sure what he was going to do about it. He was feeling emotional on seeing Francis again that he couldn't stop himself from kissing him. But he crossed his limits forgetting that Francis was married to a girl he considered his best friend.

He wasn't sure how he was ever going to be able to face her after what he did.. As a king, he should have controlled himself to avoid the mess that he had just created.