CHAPTER 11
When the princess got to the Shakespeare statue in Central Park, she finally stopped to catch her breath. After leaving the hotel, she had blindly started walking and had ended up here.
She brushed a tear away as she looked up at Shakespeare.
“Now I see why you wrote so many tragic love stories.” the princess said, hugging herself. “And why Americans say you have a ‘crush’ on someone. Because when it doesn’t work out you feel crushed, like someone has stomped on your heart until there is no feeling left.”
She forlornly walked over to a park bench and sat down. She felt so defeated that her first love story had such a tragic ending. She knew she had no one to blame but herself. She hated how na?ve she had been. She had traveled around the world. She was educated, smart, and savvy, but her feelings for Ned had clearly clouded her judgement. Now she was paying the price.
“There you are,” a male voice said behind her said. “I knew I’d find you here.”
When she turned around and saw Benson, she braced for his lecture she knew was coming. But instead, he silently sat down and put his arm around her. She let her head fall to his shoulder. “I really messed up.”
Benson nodded. “Life is messy sometimes, especially when you care for someone.”
The princess nodded miserably. “And the more you care the more you hurt.”
“You can’t have great joy without great pain,” Benson said. “I am so sorry you have to go through this.”
“I wish I had listened to you, Benson.”
“I wish I had been wrong,” Benson said back.
“Princess Isabella!” Gary shouted when he spotted the princess. Ned’s movie producer rushed over to her.
Benson protectively stood up. “She has nothing to say to you or to anyone. Princess, we need to go.”
The princess quickly walked away from Gary.
“Wait,” Gary called out. “I just wanted to say how sorry I am about what happened with the press. This was my fault. A misunderstanding.”
Frustrated, the princess turned to face Gary. “You don’t have to lie for Ned. He already admitted he said that to Simone. I know I was just a PR stunt. I hope you all had a good laugh at my expense.”
“I’m not laughing, Princess,” Gary fired back at her. “Ned just fired me. Me, his business partner, and one of his best friends. We’re shooting our last scenes today at the castle, but Ned told me not to show up. We were supposed to do two upcoming movies together…”
“Get to the point,” Benson demanded, losing patience.
“Ned told me that no pictures of the princess were allowed. Period. I went behind his back. I thought I was helping our movie. He didn’t know about the press.”
“Ned admitted he said that to Simone,” the princess shot back.
“Yeah, because she was getting jealous, and he didn’t want her saying anything to anyone. He was trying to protect you…”
“Why are you telling me all this?” The princess interrupted, skeptical. She wasn’t about to be fooled again.
“Because you should know the truth,” Gary said. “I owe Ned at least that. You can hate me. I deserve it but don’t take this out on Ned. He really cares about you.”
The princess had heard enough. She started walking away. Benson was right by her side. “Where to next, Princess?”
The princess stared straight ahead. “Home.”
Benson looked surprised. “You don’t want to find Ned? Gary said he wasn’t responsible for this. When he left the suite, he looked as miserable as you were. By what Gary has told us, it sounds like he truly cares for you.”
“Who knows if Gary was telling the truth or if this was just another lie? I can’t trust any of them. I just want to go home. I’m done with New York City.”
Benson looked worried but nodded. “Okay, Princess. As you wish.”
***
A few hours later, when they got into the town car to take them to the airport, the princess was exhausted physically and mentally. She had emotionally shut down to protect herself. Now she only felt numb.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk to Ned before we leave,” Benson asked. “I think it would be good for you.”
The princess sighed. “Or just hurt me even more. No, thanks, Benson. I’m waving the white flag on love. I give up. Tried it. Got crushed by my crush. End of story. I won’t make this same mistake again.”
“Falling for an American?” Benson asked.
“Falling at all,” the princess said and meant it.
Benson looked surprised and concerned. “I’ve never known you to just give up on anything.”
“And you’ve never known me to have my heart broken either,” the princess said wearily. “First time for everything.” As she shut her eyes, the last thing she saw was the worried look on Benson’s face.