Nathan’s POV
The moment the council meeting ended, I could not focus on anything except Nicole. The way she had stormed out, her face a storm of anger and hurt, had left me uneasy. Something was wrong—very wrong. I didn’t know if it was the stress of everything happening or if she was about to do something rash. Either way, I had to find her.
I searched the entire palace grounds. The garden, her favorite place to clear her head, was empty. The children were with Miriam, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing around us. Every room I checked seemed more desolate than the last. I even asked Marcus if he had seen her, but he just shook his head.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, my worry deepened. Endless, terrible scenarios ran through my mind. What if she got hurt or something?
