Page 1 of Claimed by the Bastard Prince
Prologue
She should stop. She should turn around and leave right now.
But she couldn’t. She had to keep walking.
Had to see the awful truth for herself.
The sound of flesh slapping against flesh increased to a near echo down the hallway. As a numb sense of disbelief swept through Cora, she placed the takeout Chinese food she’d picked up to surprise Greg on the coffee table. She resumed heading for the bedroom, her pulse thudding fast as her palms broke into a sweat and nerves twisted in her stomach.
Giggles joined the wild sex noises, and the tinkling laugh of a woman alongside Greg’s telltale deep chuckle was a knife in Cora’s heart. She crept down the hallway and focused on the sliver of light escaping a cracked door. Tears burned in her eyes but she refused to cry. Not over a cheater. Not over a piece of shit scumbag like Greg.
But you love him, a little voice whispered in the back of her mind. No no no, correction—shehadloved him. Not anymore. Not if she found what she thought she was about to find when she reached the bedroom.
Maybe he’s only watching porn.
She latched onto this fleeting thought like a lifeline, praying the laughter she’d heard was simply from a sexy video and the man’s chuckle had simply sounded like Greg’s.
At last, she reached the door.
She hesitated before opening it and said another prayer under her breath. She’d been with Greg for over two years. Her longest relationship ever. She’d even dreamed about marrying him, having children together, and spending the rest of her life with him. Fucking hell, she’d been planning to move in with him soon. All her plans, all her hopes and dreams, teetered on the edge of oblivion, ready to fall into the dark void of rejection and loneliness and despair.
Please be porn. Please be porn. Please be…
It wasn’t porn.
Her heart crashed to the floor and shattered into thousands of pieces. All her well thought out plans for the future subsequently crumbled to dust.
What happened next was a blur as Cora’s whole world was turned upside down.
The woman—dark-haired and beautiful with massive breasts—shrieked and tried covering herself with the blankets. Greg started uttering apologies and making excuses for his behavior, all the while hopping around as he tried to quickly don a pair of pants. In the distance, Cora heard the sudden blare of sirens, as if all of Manhattan was being alerted to her deep, resounding pain. She gave herself a mental shake and ran out of her boyfriend’s apartment before he managed to catch her.
Ex-boyfriend, she corrected herself. He wasn’t her boyfriend anymore.
Her phone started buzzing nonstop in her handbag, but she didn’t bother checking it.
Fuck Greg. She hoped he and Ms. Tits were happy together.
How long had he been fucking that woman? Weeks? Months? But it didn’t matter. Because Cora couldn’t trust him anymore. He could apologize a million fucking times and promise to never cheat again, but in the end, she would never be able to truly believe him. Even if he wanted to save their relationship, there was no saving it from her perspective.
Two years. Her chest tightened. Two long years wasted. She’d been so fucking sure Greg was The One. Thank God she hadn’t moved in with him yet. Or worse—married the cheating fucker.
As the finality of the situation washed over her, she wandered down the street, oblivious to the passersby rushing along the sidewalk as a light rain began to fall.
When she reached the park near her own apartment building, she sat on a bench and lifted her face to the sky, allowing the cool raindrops to caress her face.
The rain would conceal any accidental tears.
Chapter 1
Two months later…
Cora’s gazetraveled from the sparkling chandeliers to the elegantly decorated tables crowned with large floral centerpieces. Around the exotic flowers, little yellow lights blinked in intervals, mimicking the look of fireflies. Lush potted trees, strung with dazzling white bulbs, stood along the walls. Live music spilled over the murmuring crowd, the female vocalist’s angelic voice accompanied by a full band.
The grand ballroom in Shalan Palace was like something out of a fairytale.
Cora had been hesitant to travel to the small but prosperous country of Ismallia by herself, to attend the wedding of her college roommate to an Ismallian prince, but as she absorbed the splendor of the palace and watched the happy newlyweds approach the dance floor, she was glad to have braved the journey.
This was a once in a lifetime trip. The wedding that had taken place earlier in the day had been just as magical as the reception, and in any case, she would have regretted missing out on her friend’s wedding, no matter where the nuptials were held.
