Chapter 227

Julian

Three days, it had been three days and I hadn't heard a peep from either Cassie or Ian. When I called their phones went straight to voice mail. Every hotel in the city didn't know what I was talking about. So I knew they weren't there.

It was like my wife and children had disappeared into thin air and it was beginning to worry me.

More than worry me, it filled me with an ice cold dread that I couldn't shake.

My only relief was that I knew they hadn't been kidnapped. If they had been then there would have been a ransom by now or we would have found their bodies.

My hand closed around the windowsill at the thoughts of their bodies, my children so small and innocent and my wife curled around them in a last ditch effort to keep them safe assaulted me. I could see it all so clearly.

She would fight tooth and nail to protect them.

"They aren't dead." I whispered to myself. It was my favourite mantra. One that I repeated over and over again. "Ian is with them. He has them hidden and safe and-"

"Your highness."

I fell silent, turning to Cathy with a small weary small. "Is there any news?" She asked quietly. "I don't mean to intrude but the staff wanted me to ask you?"

My smile slipped a second before I forced it back on to my face. "Not yet-" I trailed off.

Cathy's brow furrowed. Keeping her head down she moved into the room and closed the door softly behind her. My eyebrows shot up in shock.

"Your highness-" she stuttered. "Julian." Her eyes pleaded for me to understand something I clearly didn't.

"I don't want to overstep but this thing with Megan," she shook her head. "There are rumours that she is." Her throat worked as she swallowed hard. "Forgive me." She added quickly. "But there are rumours that Megan is carrying your child."

The rage that bubbled up in my chest was all consuming and I had to swallow it down before it erupted. Cathy didn't deserve my anger, none of the staff did.

"I see." She turned her head away. Clearly trying to hide her disgust at me. "Then the rumours are true."

I remained silent. Yes Megan was pregnant. I had double checked that myself but the child wasn't mine. I knew that I had never touched her. Not once.

Sure back when I had first been married I had thought I had but that was because I had gotten Cassie and Megan mixed up.

There was no mixing them up now. My heart and soul knew Cassie was my love and my mate.

"How long have these rumours been flying around the kitchen?" I asked, my voice clipped with anger.

"A few days. I tried to squash them-"

I cut her off with a growl. "I clearly aren't giving everyone enough work if you all have time to gossip about my personal life,Cathy. Honestly I'm disappointed at you and the others. How dare you-"

Cathy's old head snapped upwards and her eyes were challenging. "How dare we?" She asked in a small voice. "How dare you Julian? Sometimes I look at you and I see the man you were destined to be but most of the time I see a weak man. A man who I am ashamed of. I have known you since you were a boy so I have earned the right to speak openly to you."

My eyes flashed and a growl rumbled through my chest. Only this time she didn't look away. She met my gaze unwavering.

"I am glad your mother isn't here to see the kind of man you have become Julian." She spat and I had never heard such venom in her voice.

I reeled back in shock but she didn't let me get a word in. Hands on her hips she glared at me. "She would be ashamed of you. You are meant to love and protect your family and not go and-"

"I do love my family." I snapped back. I was so fed up with people questioning that. I loved Cassie and the boys. They were my whole world and I would happily give up the crown and my kingdom if it meant we could be together again. "I would do anything to get them back." I added lamely.

"You should have thought about that before Julian." She admonished. "You should have thought about that before you got another woman pregnant and set her up as your official mistress." She shook her head. "I can not stay around and watch you ruin yourself for a whore. So I quit."

I stared at her in shock. "You quit?" I parroted back stupidly. "You have been with my family for years."

"Yes I have and if Cassie and the boys were here I would remain but they aren't. I am too disappointed with you. Disgusted-"

"Are you going to them?" I asked and my voice shook. "That's why you are leaving isn't it?" My hands curled into fists so tight that my knuckles cracked. "You know where they are and are going to them?"

"I have no idea where they are Julian." She answered evenly and her eyes swam with tears that I didn't understand. "I can see you love them and my heart breaks for you King Julian but even if I knew where they were or where to start looking then I wouldn't tell you." Her eyes bored into mine.

"You think she knows and has run?" I whispered. And it made sense. If the staff and the kingdom knew Megan was saying I was the father to her child then it made sense that Cassie did.

Ian. Ian knew and they were together.

"I think you will never see her again now Julian. I think you have-"

I roared , whirling around. I lifted the heavy wooden desk and threw it. The force of it smashing the window so the desk fell and splintered into the gardens.

She was right.

Cassie had found out and Ian had helped her escape. He had taken away my family before I could try to explain.

I knew another thing as well. With Ian's help Cassie would disappear forever.

I might not ever see my family again.