CHASED BY THE DUKE

2. Heartbroken(edited)

CHAPTER TWO

One hot punch. Then another followed. The pungent smell of sweaty men filled the home gym in the grand mansion of the Duke of Cornwall. From handling estate business, to having lunch with the Royal family and worst still, those damn pictures, he was at the tether edge of his patience. Anger, frustration and pain were detectable with every punch he threw. He had been at it for at least an hour, his muscles tensed.

“How long am I going to hold this punch bag for you?” Chris questioned, breaking the icy silence save for the sound of punches as Liam’s fist came into contact repeatedly with the punchbag before he stopped.

His chest heaved, sweat dripping down the toned muscles of his abs as he straightened up. Without a word or another glance at his friend, Liam took off the boxing gloves from his hand before heading straight to his room and hoping into the shower. His whole body was screaming in pain-untouchable pain from inside- as the cold water ran down the naked layers of his skin. If the pain he felt had been fire, then he would have doused it with ice but it something he could only feel and not touch. Why did he have to fall in love with her? He should have moved on by now but that was the thing about first love. It felt like an attachment he couldn’t get rid no matter how hard he tried and those pictures had broken his heart further, making him question if anything she ever said was true. All those I love you’s and promises of forever were all lies, weren’t they? He had grown up with his life figured out and yet one woman had managed to make him feel like he had no idea of what he was doing with his life. Nothing made sense anymore and it just felt like he was in this boat called life, rowing to the unknown. It was crazy how a love gone wrong could make you question every damn thing.

“Dude, are you okay?” Chris questioned from the other side of bathroom wall. Dammit! Why did he forget to lock the door on his way in?

“Would you like some scotch?” He questioned instead above the sound of the water falling from the showerhead.

“Unfortunately, I can’t. Its date night with Nora and I’m cooking,” He replied. Even though he’d never admit it loudly lest it blew Chris’s ego over; he had always felt a tad bit jealous of his relationship with his sister. They had that kind of love that didn’t take someone a second glance to know that those two were madly in love with each other and would dies for each other. No one had really cared that his heart was broken except his two friends. His mother, the Queen, had not even being sorry at all or at least even try to pretend that she cared. As a matter of fact, she even had celebratory wine the moment she found out and had never given him the chance to actually wallow in peace before beginning to bombard him with marriage questions.

“Just don’t break her heart,” He said instead.

“You know I won’t and I do hope that you get over what is disturbing you,”

“Don’t worry. You know I always get over anything,” except her, he wanted to add but refrained in the last minute.

Chris’s footsteps receded and the slight bang of the door closing, confirmed he had indeed left. Now left alone in his own world of grief, he closed his eyes and let himself think about her. Charlotte had been his life line and if there was something he had been very certain about, it was the fact that she would be with him forever but instead fate had been cruel. She was now with someone new and yet Liam knew if she walked through the door right now, he would be ready to welcome her. That was just how much he was still in love with her.

Eventually, he turned the shower faucet off, grabbed a clean towel from a pile before padding into his walk-in wardrobe barefoot with the towel hugging the V shape. Before he could quite pick out what he would be wearing for the evening, his phone rung, taking his attention.

“I want to say what a surprise but I do know you are about to rant on something mother is making you do. So please do spill,” Nora chuckled at that.

“Dad is getting all the heat now so no, I did not call you about mother. I do however need a favor Liam,” her voice dropped, sounding sly. He had a feeling that whatever this favor entailed, he was not going to like it.

“Does it involve me stepping out of the comfort of my home?” He questioned.

“I wouldn’t call that comfort but yes. It’s just for a few minutes though,” she added hastily.

“I really hate you. You are aware of that, aren’t you dear sister?” he questioned after a few minutes.

“Yeah, I do know that brother. So, you know how Chris is so obsessed with Miss. Han?”

“The poet? Everyone knows,” He would never shut up about it and back in college he would recite every line of every book he bought of hers. Liam had never understood his best friend’s obsession with poetry and in particular Miss. Hans.

“Well, I just found out that that there is a limited first edition copy of her first ever poetry book and Chris has been dying to own it. I want to give it to him as a wedding present and the owner of the bookstore has given me like thirty minutes to get there before he sells it off. I may have not told him that I’m some royal princess and so please, don’t let him know you are the duke either,”

“Why don’t you go pick up that book yourself?”

“Because I have a date night with Chris and so I need to get ready before he picks me up. Please brother and besides, you need to get out and see what Cornwall evenings actually look like these days. You’ve been cooped up in that ghost of house you call home for so long now,” He could almost picture her shrugging.

“You owe me one,”

“You are the Duke of Cornwall; what could I possibly pay you that you do not already have?” she chuckled.

“You still owe me. Now send the details I need,”

“Aww. I love you brother,” she cooed, sweetly then hung. Even though he’d never say it aloud, despite how annoying Nora could be annoying, he would kill anyone who hurt her.

He had snuck out to the night many times before with Charlotte just so he could be normal and have fun. Those were the happy days when he’d be out in the summer nights, stars in the sky and the love of his life with him but now, he did not care what the night looked like. He would just grab the book, come back to the mansion, have dinner and call it a night. When he stepped out of the mansion, he summoned Sean who drove him to the bookstore which looked pretty ancient.

“To be honest, love is just a fucked up emotion that has everyone fooled into thinking its real,” a drunk, American woman was at the counter talking to the middle aged man behind it who Liam immediately assumed was the bookstore owner.

“Ma’am, once again, this is a book store and I would appreciate if-“

“You think I don’t know this is a book store? Look at you selling romance novels, making people believe that love is real. That we are all going to experience it and we’ll get our happy ever after. These romance authors are all bloody stupid. You know, I dated this guy and he fooled me into believing I was his forever and he wakes up one day and says he doesn’t love me anymore,” she broke into tears.

For the first time in his life, Liam felt like someone could finally get the exact way he was feeling.

“I’m sorry Ma’am but this is a bookstore and there are customers behind you that would like to be served,” The bookstore owner pointed out, trying to hide his utter aggravation.

She turned around, looking at Liam from head to toe and then settling on his face,” Let me guess, you are probably thinking what a pathetic woman I’m for letting myself get heartbroken over and over again. Heartbreak sounds funny, huh? Well, let me tell you something handsome, I’m over men like you who make me believe that they are going to bring the world at my feet for me, okay? I’ve completely moved on and I don’t care if you-“suddenly she tottered forward, decorating the duke’s entire casual outfit with vomit.