Page 225 of Bad Prince

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But it doesn’t last.

It never does.

Because the second I slow down?—

everything comes back.

Isa’s voice.

Tristan’s eyes.

Kane’s silence.

The court.

The pressure.

The loneliness.

The way it all sits inside me like something unfinished.

Like something missing.

My throat tightens.

I take another sip of coffee.

Then I pull out my phone.

I stare at it.

Thumb hovering.

I shouldn’t call her.

She’s working.

She’s always working.

But I need?—

I don’t even know what I need.

I just hit call.

She picks up on the third ring.

“¿Mija?”

Sweetheart?

I close my eyes.

That word alone almost breaks me.

“Hi, mamá.”

There’s a pause.

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