Husband With Benefits
Chapter 767: Arrested

Chapter 767: Arrested

Anna sat there on the small bench, shivering. Her father had almost died believing that she’d left this world. And all because she had been worried that he would not listen to her and let her choose a life of her own.

She had been so consumed by fear that he would never truly understand her desires, that he would dismiss her dreams without a second thought, that she had made a cowardly decision to run away instead of confronting him. In her desperation, she had turned to Kael, begging him to help her escape the confines of a life that felt stifling. If only she had been stronger, more resolute in her beliefs, none of this would have spiraled out of control.

What a fool had she been! All this while, she’d been cursing herself for not knowing whom to love. But in the end, she’d almost ended up losing the one person who loved her dearly and unconditionally.

Thankfully, nothing happened to him today and she’d already been in the country to come to him without wasting time.

Before Anna could take a relieved breath though, the door creaked open, and two officers walked in, followed closely by Crown Prince Rafael who closed the door with a finality.

Standing up, she quickly curtsied to him and even as she felt herself tremble with fear, she straightened and stammered with false bravado," What is going on?"

The officers exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable, but Rafe’s steely gaze sent chills down her spine. "The officers are here to arrest you," Rafe said, his tone devoid of warmth. "For faking your own death."

The words hit Anna like a punch to the gut. Her mind raced, searching for an explanation, a way to defend herself, but her voice caught in her throat. "What? This is a mistake! No no. I was away for further studies."

After she’d returned, she’d been scared of this, but Kael had assured her that he’d never had anyone prepare a death certificate and her father had never held her funeral to avoid any speculation about the reason for her suicide. He’d convinced her father to lie to everyone that she’d gone abroad...

"Are you sure? Because if you were, why does your father believe you to be dead? And he even tried to exact revenge from Kael because he believed that he was responsible for your death. So, Miss Anna, you are to be arrested for this. It is in your best interest that you come away right now."

"Rafe! My father is here. I need to see him. Please don’t do this. I can explain everything."

"Miss Anna. I didn’t realize we were this close that you could address me by my name. Now, I do believe that you should leave her quickly before Lord Rupert is brought back. Since he already believes his daughter is dead, why scratch old wounds. Do you want him to feel even more worst when he comes in to recuperate? That his daughter would rather choose to not be with him and prefer to fake her own death?"

Anna tried hard to explain, "But I’m right here! I came back because I wanted to be with him, to explain everything!"

"You put everyone through hell, Anna. Your father nearly lost his mind, and for what? Because you were afraid to face your own life? You can’t just run away and expect everything to be fine."

"I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! I just needed time to figure things out!" She said loudly as she glared at him," You talk as if you are not to blame! Have you forgotten your part in this? You were one of the biggest reasons for me running away!"

Rafe gestured to the officers then, silently ordering them to retreat. The officers hesitated for a moment before leaving quietly. Anna did not even realise that the officers had left and as she waited for Rafe to answer her, she felt herself grow desperate.

Ultimately, she fell to her knees then and bowed her head," Please, Rafe. Please. You know all that happened.I was reckless. Let me explain everything. Please. I’ll do anything! Anything you say."

He walked closer to her then and hooked a finger under her chin, raising her head until their eyes met. "Are you really willing to do whatever I tell you?"

"Yes, I’ll do anything! I just want to make this right. I want my father to understand. But please don’t have me arrested. I know I’ve made a mess but my father! If you want, you can have me arrested later. I can promise you I won’t go anywhere..."

Rafe studied her for a long moment, his expression inscrutable. There was a calculating glimmer in his eyes, as if weighing the gravity of her promise against the consequences that could follow. Finally, he turned and walked a few paces away before throwing a stack of papers at her. They landed with a soft thud on the floor, scattering slightly.

"Then start here. This is one way to make reparation. Your father, believing you to be dead, took some reckless decisions. And since he cannot make up for them now, you should take responsinbility."

With trembling hands, Anna picked up the papers from the ground and tried to read them. But the words were all blurry and she wondered if she was hallucinating as she read the bold words on the paper.

Carefully, she wiped her tears with the back of her hand and hurriedly stood up, not able to believe what she was reading. She looked up at Rafe and swayed on her feet," There is a mistake. This... How can this be?"

"What is a mistake, Anna? These are the papers that you need to sign if you want to meet your father and take back your place as his daughter."

"But Rafe... these are... this is a..."

"It is a marriage contract, of course. Between you and me."

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