“It doesn’t seem like this exhaustion is directly related to her illness,” the doctor told me. We stood a
few feet away from the bed where Elva rested, watching her. “She likely got so excited for tonight that she
simply wore herself out.”
“So she’ll be alright?” I asked.
The doctor nodded. “She just needs a good night’s rest. Let her sleep. In the morning, I’ll return and
check on her.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
The doctor saw herself out. When she’d gone, Mark approached me.
“I can watch her,” he said. “I’ll stay inside the room. No one will get past me.”
I was worried about what Jane might have been getting up to at the gala in my absence.
Mark checked his phone. He frowned.
“Something wrong?” I asked. My heart began to race.
“Still no reply from Prince Nicholas,” Mark said. “I’m wondering if he received my messages.”
“Maybe he hasn’t checked,” I said. “When I last saw him, he was busy talking with the benefactors. It
to check his phone
seem convinced. “I tried to warn him about
able to tell the difference
there,” Mark
time, and brushed some hair
chest steadily rising
princess,” I
Then I stepped away.
ballroom, I felt the weight of many pairs of eyes
changed again. Who does she think she is? None of the rest
they were talking about. I hadn’t changed. This was
Veronica were casting me dark looks. Only Susie waved when our eyes locked,
first for Jane, and then for Nicholas.
walking toward me.
he stopped at my side, he asked at once. “What was today’s
I answered
exhaled, but relaxed only marginally. His whole body seemed wired with tension. A muscle ticked
corner of his
is everyone looking at me like
“She pretended to be you. She…
stomach blossomed now, spreading throughout the
“What did she do?”
many of the benefactors
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