Chapter 467

Pearl ran into Erik's office at the palace but he was not there. She went to his apartment suite upstairs and found him in the sitting area, in front of a fire. His eyes were swollen and red and he looked like he had not slept. She walked in and said his name. He stood up and looked at her.

"My heart is broken," He managed to say. "For what happened to you, because of political and evil men, for what happened to me, losing my son, all those years without my son, and for what Christian, for him, he's not…." He put his face in his hands.

Pearl walked to him and pulled him into her arms. "I am so sorry, Erik. I thought, I believed them." Erik shook his head.

"He was right. Christian was better off without me."

Pearl shook her head. "That wasn't for Sebastian to say. It wasn't his call. What he and Gail did was wrong."

Erik looked up at her. "Was it? I'm torn between the devastating, crushing pain of knowing I lost two decades of my son's life, hating Sebastian for it and feeling that maybe he was right to do it and I shouldn't hate him at all. I'm so completely fucked up by this." Erik hugged her and continued, "And what he did to you. He deceived you, the worst lie. To make you question your own morals and character and your child's parentage for Christ's sake!"

He pulled her tighter to him. She could feel him trembling as he rocked her in his arms.

They stood and held each other for a long while.

"I'm sorry I left the other night. I was so completely ruined by finding it all out at once." Erik took a deep breath. "And your thinking that I, that I would do that again. To you and to myself. To Christian. Our son…I would never jeopardize us again. But you believe I would!" He sat down and placed his arms on his thighs, leaning forward.

"I didn't trust you. You're right. And I need to work on that. I do. And I'm sorry," Pearl said as she sat down in a chair next to his.

"Thank you for the apology. One day, perhaps you'll trust me again. It's earned not expected." He gave a sad smile as he looked at her. He closed his eyes and said, "My god. What a mess this has all been. You got mixed up with the most powerful family in the world. And we took away all that could have been good for you, completely navigating your existence with our long standing grudges and toxicity."

He shook his head.

"Yet here I am, sitting next to the love of my life, still, after everything. In all his toxic glory." Pearl smiled and looked at him.

"This is not a time for wit, my love," Erik sighed.

"Oh yeah? Well, what is it a time for then? Tears? More anger? I'm past that. Just like this is all in the past." She stood up. "I'm tired of all this pain! I've given my life to these lies and my heart and my soul to this country. To you. And I'll be damned if I allow your cousin to still control us with his narrative from the grave. Christian is your son. We know that now, today. And now he has his father. He has him and loves him! It all came together as it needed to. We don't have to tell anyone about his true lineage if we decide against it. We are in control now. This is our life. Our time. And I want you. I want to love you and have you by my side. We are a family. It hurts. It sucks. But do we let it destroy us all over again?"

Erik stood up and walked to her, grabbing her and pulling her into his arms, pressing his mouth to hers and kissing her with a ferocity that grew from a place so deep inside of himself, he barely recognized who or what he was. All he felt was his love for her, for this hurricane of a woman, who after all of this damage and all these years, stood so strong when faced with her world being turned completely upside down all over again and again. She stood for him, for their love. She was still fighting for him.

"I don't deserve you but my god, I love you. I love you." He kissed her again and lowered her to the floor. Within moments, they were tangled in each other's arms, holding one another making love. It was their way of finding each other again, becoming one.

Afterwards, he worked hard to keep his emotions in check as best he could.

He ran his fingers through her hair and nuzzled his nose against her cheek.

"He is my son." Erik whispered.

Pearl nodded.

"How did you find all of this out?" She asked.

"Christian had the letter from Gail. He hinted about it in a roundabout way the night before the wedding, asking about the past, if it was better to know or not know things about the past. After he went to bed, I ransacked his office and found the letter mixed in with some old calendars and planners and other things of Sebastian's. It looked like Sebastian was careless with it or someone planted it. Regardless, Christian found it. He knows you were given a sedative but I don't believe he knows anything else. I contacted Gail and told her I had found the letter. But I lied. I told her I had found more out and needed her to tell me the truth or I would go the authorities with what I had. I guessed about the paternity. I hoped I was wrong. But when I went to see her, she came clean quite quickly. It must have been weighing on her for some time."

Pearl sat up and looked over at Erik.

"What are we going to do about Christian? Do we tell him? Alexander is the rightful king."

Erik laughed. "Alex doesn't want that anymore than we want him to have it. You and I both know he isn't suited for it. Neither is Isla. Christian is a good man, he is what is needed on the throne," he said.

"You would have been a good King. It only makes sense that your son would be as well. But can we keep this just to us?" Pearl asked. She hated one thing more than anything else. A lie. But this was something that needed to be carefully considered.

"Let's take some time and process it all. We've been through so much." Erik read her mind.

"I have an idea?" He jumped up, naked as the day he was born.

"Yes, naked man?" Pearl laughed.

"Come with me, to Italy. For only a week. Maybe two. We postpone your trip to the states. It's too much for you right now. Let's get away."

Pearl smiled and thought about it for a moment.

"Yes. I think I'd like that."

"Good. Tomorrow. We leave tomorrow."