Crossing Alonso’s line
Natalie's mind went blank for a moment. It was infuriating for violence against women to happen anywhere, but for the youngest princess of the Valois household to go through that with all the protection around her was messed up on a whole other level.
Javier sighed. "...Don't feel pressured to stay by my side. Thank you for coming to see me." He gave her a sad smile, "It's good to have been able to say goodbye to you."
Such a loyal and reliable person, she hated for her husband to lose someone as rare as Javier.
"It's not goodbye. You don't have to go anywhere if you want to stay here. The real question is, do you still want to stay?"
Pain flashed in his eyes, "This is home; it's where everyone I care about is." His lips trembled and his face was becoming redder by the second. "The letter of resignation... It wasn't a request. The president threatened me."