Chapter 2

"Jasmine, is God playing a cruel joke on me?" Richard's voice trembled, completely losing his usual composure.

I understood why Richard was breaking down.

Our parents were betrayed and murdered by the people they trusted most. After that, it was Richard and me, relying on each other, dodging bullets and knives, fighting through every ambush.

We always thought we'd have each other's backs for the rest of our lives. But nothing lasted forever.

"Don't be sad, Richard. Wendy can keep you company," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Having your foster sister become your wife. Now that's a whole new experience."

Wendy came into our lives two years after our parents died, left in our care by one of the Rossi family's mercenaries who asked us to look after her.

Back then, I was twelve, and I was convinced I wouldn't make it past eighteen.

After I'd passed on everything I knew about being a little sister to Wendy, I told Richard through tears that from then on, Wendy would be his new little sister, and he didn't need to worry about me anymore.

Richard didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He always insisted I was his only sister, kept Wendy at a polite distance, and never really treated her like his real sister.

I had no idea when it happened, but somehow those two ended up getting so close.

The medical team showed up so fast that I didn't get a chance to see Richard's face after I said that.

They ran some blood tests, but the results would take three days to come back.

During those three days, I secretly reached out to my friends and handled all the paperwork to get out of the country.

Because of my health, my parents and Richard had always kept me on a tight leash, never letting me travel or try anything risky.

But now, the doctors said my body would only get weaker, and in the end, I'd be stuck in bed, counting down the days.

I wanted to get out and see the world I'd never gotten to experience.

*****

Three days later, the result came out.

"What?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. I jumped to my feet and snatched the test results from the doctor's hand.

"Yes, the data shows that the princess has fully recovered. All her vitals are now within normal range. She is even healthier than a healthy individual." The doctor gave a respectful bow to Richard.

Richard sat on the leather sofa, the tip of his cigar flickering in the dim light.

After a long silence, his voice came out rough and hoarse. "Everyone, get out."

I stared at the test results, flipping through them again and again, still in disbelief.

But my body kept getting weaker, and whenever I got emotional, a sharp pain would shoot through my heart. That was definitely a sign of my genetic illness.

If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have realized something was off and gone to the hospital for a check-up.

Wendy grinned and snatched the report right out of my hand. "Is it because Don Richard hasn't been doting on you enough lately, Jasmine? Is that why you're not feeling yourself?

"The port's been a madhouse lately. Don Richard and I have been running around like crazy, barely had time to check in on you. Guess that's on me."

She was basically implying I was pretending to be sick to get some attention.

I opened my mouth to explain, but had no idea how to begin explaining myself.

"This is way out of line," Richard snapped. "You can't joke about your health like this."

When Richard shot me that look, I instinctively flinched.

He gave me the same look when I snuck out to go bungee jumping back when I was little. And when I got back, he made me stay in the dark room for a whole week.

"You're grounded for a month, no leaving the estate. Wendy will handle your business for now," Richard said. "I really spoiled you way too much when you were little. It's time for you to learn to be a decent princess."

*****

I stayed put at the estate for seven days, until Eugene showed up again to talk about the details of breaking off the engagement.

"Are you sure? You want me to bust you out?" Eugene kept asking, those golden eyes of his looking at me like a big, fluffy golden retriever.

"Of course I'm sure," I said, unable to resist ruffling his curly hair. "Eugene, because we're not engaged anymore, you won't do me this tiny favor?"

"Of course, I'm willing, but your brother..."

When I heard Richard's name, my mood dipped a bit.

Of course, I wanted to be the perfect, good little sister. But a month felt like forever for what little time I had left.

"Alright, that's settled then. I'll hide in your car, and you'll make sure I'm safe," I said.

Eugene gave me a knightly salute, and I couldn't help but laugh.

The trunk slammed shut, and everything went pitch black.

After a while, Richard's cold, familiar voice echoed from outside. "I hope you won't regret this. You'll never know what you're missing out on."

Eugene knocked twice on the trunk, showing off with a smug grin. "Same to you."

Eugene floored it, tearing through four layers of security, and the SUV shot out of the estate.

Once he was sure there were no Rossi family tails following us, Eugene finally pulled over. "Come on out. We're in the clear."

I hopped out of the car, but my vision went dark for a moment. I had to steady myself against the door, waiting for the dizziness to fade.

Before we said goodbye, Eugene hesitated, and then finally spoke up, "About the engagement, I want to clear something up.

"Instead of seeing you as my wife, I've always thought of you as my friend, so..."

I jumped in. "I get it."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Enjoy your freedom."

The SUV disappeared into the dust.

I got it. Life was never perfect, but with family and friends like these, I was already lucky.