Chapter 141

YENA

I stared at my phone in disbelief. The notifications were coming in faster than I could open them. And the highest bid – so far – was a number I could hardly believe.

I had Lucy on the phone a second later. I don’t know why I started whispering when she answered. I guess I was in shock, and not ready to get too excited yet.

“You are not going to believe this,” I told her. “But my new social account where I’m trying to sell a few dresses? I’m about to make some serious money on it.”

Lucy squealed. “Goddess, Yena! How much are you getting for that dress?”

I opened my mouth and froze. I had to force the words out. “Someone bid twelve thousand dollars on that dress I made in about an hour, Lucy.”

For a moment my chattery friend was stunned into silence for the first time since I’d known her.

“Right? I don’t even know if it’s for real. I haven’t replied.”

“Yena, do you remember that day when we talked in the back of your limousine, the afternoon when we first met? What did I tell you then?”

“Hmm. That I’m… going to be successful?”

“That you’re a badass. And crazy talented. And Yena, do you forget that you are also still a princess?”

“I’m not going to be a princess for much longer, Lucy. I can’t rely on that for my brand.”

She mumbled, “Mm-hmm…” and was quiet for a few seconds before going on. “Listen, to a lot of people in our world, whether or not you and Nolan get divorced, you’ll always be our princess. So many people love you, Yena. And my big point here is that people would pay anything for your designs. Send that person a bill for the twelve grand and see if they pay! I mean, you could also leave the post up a while longer and see if you get an even bigger bid, too.”

I exhaled heavily. “You think?”

Lucy laughed. “I know! Just do it!”

It was a simple next step. I said, “Okay.” But my mind started swirling as I remembered all the stuff I’d been researching when I was with Nolan at the palace, back when my husband had wanted to start a business with me.

“Yena? Are you still there?”

“Sorry, Lucy. I guess I’m just a little overwhelmed by all this. How do I even bill this person?”

“I dunno. Set up an account on a cash app?”

Again – so simple. “Thank you, Lucy. I’m gonna do it now.”

“Okay, and when are we making more dresses? You’re leaving so soon, and I wanna help you!”

I was not sure why, but this made tears pool in my eyes. Lucy was such a good friend. I smiled and thanked her again, then we made plans to meet the next morning and spend as much time as possible working together on dresses for the rest of the week.

This was so much simpler than what Nolan and I had been dreaming up together. His idea was for a big business that produced retail items on a large scale. And of course it was – everything in his life was big and dramatic.

I had not been looking forward to the pressure of hiring a bunch of people to work for me. It had been feeling like too much. It was all so complicated.

This wasn’t complicated anymore. It was easy, and simple, and my own.

I set up a cash app and shipping account quickly, following instructions I found online. Then I finally replied to the bidder, congratulating them on their purchase and confidently providing a link for payment. My pulse quickened as I waited for a reply.

I didn’t have to wait long. After just a couple minutes, the transaction was complete. I looked over at the dress, a feeling of pride and accomplishment making me smile giddily.

This thing I threw together in the middle of the night was valuable now. I needed to handle it carefully, package it neatly, and get it on its way to its new owner quickly. Like a real professional.

I’d take Lucy with me for packing supplies in the morning. Everything seemed a little easier with her at my side. It made me grateful that she’d finally gotten free from whatever loser she had been dating recently, so she and I could spend time together like this again.

It dawned on me that I was a real professional now, and a business owner… and Lucy deserved some sort of stake in my business, too. She was my muse, my assistant, and my moral support all in one. I wasn’t sure yet how, but I was going to need to compensate her at some point for all her time and hard work.

My eyes roved my little bedroom. It was a disaster. That’s how things always looked after I was done making clothes. A little nostalgia for the palace life, and in particular the maid staff that always cleaned up my studio for me invisibly overnight, hit me with a pang of sadness.

I had to shake my head at myself, thinking: You really did get spoiled, Princess.

I was trying to laugh it off, but I had to admit to myself that there was a little truth at the center of those feelings though, too. The truth was that I missed the palace. I missed my parlor studio. The gold necklace I left behind that I used to wear every day. And the black silk sheets on my and Nolan’s big, warm bed.

And Nolan. I missed him. I missed the life we’d had together.

I hadn’t realized it, but I’d been holding my breath. The thoughts of Nolan had me warm and tingly, wrapped up in the memories of our time together. I took a long breath in and tried to switch my mind state, returning to the present moment.

My life with Nolan was over, and I was on my own now. Finding my own way.

But I started trying to trace back in my mind when exactly it was that I’d come to the decision that I had to leave him. Our marriage had fallen apart so quickly. It almost didn’t made sense when I thought back and tried to remember how it all happened…

It was easier just to focus on moving forward.

I started tidying my room, making space for Lucy to work in there with me, and came across the course catalogue that Adan had given me on the morning when we met at the bakery. As I touched the cover of the little booklet, Lily stirred inside of me, remembering…

She did not trust Adan. Not one bit.

But, I told her, the truth was that Adan did help me get prepared to study abroad. And gave me lots of encouragement and support.

I unlocked my phone and looked at his text once again. I did not want to meet him up and receive whatever present it was that he wanted to give me. Seemed like that might encourage him too much. But I felt like I owed him an answer, at the least.

I just didn’t know what to say.