A doctor entered the room, picking up the clipboard at the end of the bed. “I know you’re worried about him, but he’s just come out of surgery and needs time to recover. Might I ask you to let him rest?”

“Of course.” The last thing Rosalina wanted was to leave her father, and her mother’s expression revealed the same reluctance.

But they each kissed his cheek, and she heard their mother whisper in his ear, I love you so very much.

The vehemence in her mother’s tone, the fierceness in her eyes, cracked Rosalina’s heart wide open. Unwelcome tears streamed down her face. She grew hot, restless. She wanted to crawl out of her skin. Instead, she led the way out of the room.

Harrison caught her expression, and immediately went into action. Instead of taking the three of them back to the staff, he ushered them into a private room and shut the door, his big shoulders blocking the window.

The moment they were alone, they fell onto each other.

“I’m so scared,” her sister said. “I don’t want him to die. Please don’t let him die.”

“He’s not going to die, Vivi.” Rosalina swiped the tears from her cheeks, her sister’s weakness forcing her to be stronger.

“It’s his second heart attack,” Genevieve said. “A heart only has so many beats.”

Rosalina pressed her hand hard on her sister’s back, reminding her that their mother didn’t need to hear this.

Genevieve immediately pulled away. “I’m sorry, Mama. I’m just so scared.”

“I know you are.” Her mother patted their backs. “But let me tell you something, we are not going to talk about my husband dying. We have to be strong for him. More than ever before, he needs us to be strong.”

“I didn’t call him back.” Tears streamed down Genevieve’s cheeks. “He left messages all week, and I didn’t call him back.”

“Darling, he knows you love him.” Her mother’s voice tried to be soothing, but Rosalina heard the thread of fear.

“No, I should’ve called him back. He’s my father, and I love him.”

“Of course you do. You’re also only twenty years old, and we’ve expected so much from both of you.” Her mother stroked Rosalina’s hair. “I know you’re blaming yourself, darling, but that’s not going to help.”

Rosalina noticed her mother didn’t say it wasn’t her fault. “He has too much stress, and Marcel and I only made it worse.”

“As Head of State, your father deals with unrelenting stress and pressure,” her mother said. “This latest power play by Auguste is nothing new. The new variable is that we’ve discovered your father’s heart had an abnormal valve, and it’s now been repaired.”