After breakfast, Giovanni had called his friend Alexander, who agreed to take the case and confirmed his arrival to be in two days. After a few minutes of watching my cousin throw some clothes in a suitcase, we had joined his parents in the main dining room where they awaited us. Gio gave a lame excuse of wanting to get more involved in Garviland's governance by helping me out. My uncle and aunt didn't even bat an eye at the poorly delivered lie, they were too overjoyed that their son was finally showing interest in something that would come in handy when he finally took over their dukedom.

Sitting in comfortable silence in the back of the SUV, I thought back to when everything was normal.  When all I would look forward to in my day was calling a certain doctor who was busy battling a rash epidemic in Kenya. At first, the calls to Ryan served to keep me sane, my cousins were out of the country and all the pitiful looks everyone threw my way because of my failed wedding were unbearable. I remembered how my biggest worry at the time was why Ryan wasn't taking my calls, how I would give anything to have those moments again.

"I thought we were going to the palace?" Asked Gio, breaking me out of my muse.

"Later, first I have to make amends with my friends. I haven't seen them in a while." I pushed a button that closed the partition between us and the driver. "They hinted at Mario being behind everything and I was not ready to hear it. I just can't wrap my head around it, Gio. The man who I spend every evening with, the guy who came to my defense at the council meeting, the same guy who more than a month after our wedding, has been content with the little scraps of intimacy he gets from me. I can not merge that with the psychopath that killed George, almost killed me, my grandparents and worst of all, killed papa! I can't imagine him capable of it. Believe me,  since Mariana ambushed me in that closet, all I do is watch him. He probably thinks I'm falling for him because he has caught me staring at him severally."

"You really care about him." Gio's voice was slightly above a whisper.

"I'm not in love with him if that's what you are asking!" I snapped then instantly regretted my unfortunate outburst.

"Niq, nobody would blame you for falling in love with your own husband." His hand rested on mine giving a reassuring squeeze.

"I feel like an idiot, could I be living with my own fathers killer? Could I be letting the same man who kidnapped Joe, put his hands on me?" A sob escaped my lungs as the full measure of my worries weighed down on me. Gio unstrapped his belt and before a wave of sobs wracked through my body, I was engulfed in a warm embrace.

"Shh, it's okay." He said repeatedly.

"No, it's not," I said once I had calmed down. "Could I be really that naive? How can I claim to be ready to rule this kingdom when I may very well be married to a murderer?" I pulled away from him and accepted the handkerchief he was handing me. "How can I claim to still be in love with Joe, when I am not certain of what I feel for Mario?"

"Well for that, you cannot blame yourself for, if he really is the culprit, he definitely had us all fooled. So don't burden yourself, we'll cross those bridges as we get to them."

"There may be a problem your Highness." Said Samson through the intercom. I tore my gaze from my cousin and took in our surrounding. We were a few meters from the familiar mansion in the woods, only this time, instead of the calm, quiet ambiance I was used to, the driveway was filled with cop cars. Policemen milled around. Looking closer to the front porch, an ambulance sat, with the back doors ajar. Throwing all protocol aside, I was out of the SUV and flying towards the ambulance in an instant.

Before I could arrive, Samson was by my side. "This is very risky your Highness."

"What could possibly happen here Sam, the compound is crawling with policemen." I didn't wait to hear his reply as I quickened my step. The ambulance was empty, but the obvious absence of the gurney at the back signified, it wouldn't be for long. Before I could take another step towards the open front door, a paramedic appeared, pulling the now occupied gurney. Ryan walked slowly next to it, holding onto Halima's limp hand. Pure horror was written in his face, the oxygen mask attached to her ghostly countenance told of a story that was hard to comprehend. "Ryan," I called. He turned to face me, my heart sunk at the pain written in his features.

"Niq." He croaked.

"What happened?"

He pointed to one police car. Squinting, I saw a woman in the back seat. Her gaze was fixed on me, an eerie smile spreading across her bloody lip.

"Who..." Before I could continue, Ryan let go of Halima's hand as the paramedics lifted the gurney onto the ambulance.

"She's our new maid, Halima was taking a nap, I was out back helping the contractor... Khalid had just come home from school. Next thing I heard was his screams. When I got there, Halima was laying lifeless on the bed. Khalid was putting on the fight of his life, pummeling the maid on our bedroom floor. He said that the woman had a pillow over Halima's face." I gripped his hands, horrified. "She's okay but they had to resuscitate her."

"Oh, Ryan!"

"That's not even all of it, Khalid heard that woman mention Joe."

"What?"

"Yeah, something like, the princess is off limits but watching his pregnant friend die would certainly have the desired effect on Joe!"

"Dr. Murphy. We need to go now!" Came one of the paramedics' voice.

"I have to go, please go inside the house. Khalid is still talking to the police. Once they all leave, bring him to the hospital." He turned and hopped onto the ambulance which within no time was speeding down the driveway, leaving me frozen.