I am so sorry for the amount of time that this update has taken! Life has just gotten so busy! But don't worry, I have not abandoned this story.

Chapter 13

Dimitri's POV:

Rose remained silent for a few moments as her eyes continued to widen in surprise. However, her surprise quickly turned to anger.

"You're bullshitting me, aren't you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at me. If she really thought this was a joke, she clearly wasn't amused by it.

"I'm serious," I told her quickly.

"How could you tell me you love me and expect me to say it back when you were keeping this from me?" she yelled. "Why are you even telling me now? Were you just using or messing with me?" Her eyes that once appeared so soft and so warm were now filled with anger. I felt terrible for eliciting this in her.

"I'm not messing with you Roza, I love you! I know this is a shock, but I'm really hoping that you will listen to my side of the story and let me explain why I have kept this hidden from you," I told her as calmly as possible.

"Thank god I didn't say I love you back since I barely even know who you are clearly," she retorted.

That really stung, but I tried to not let it get to me too much. She was angry which was expected, but I had to keep fighting for her.

"You know me Roza," I pleaded, staring into her eyes. "I lied about who I was so that you could see me for who I really am. My title of being a prince is superficial. It means nothing!"

"Why are you even telling me all of this now?" she questioned.

I decided to be honest and replied, "The newspaper has an article about my family's visit with our photographs in it."

Rose glared at me. "So you're only telling me now because I would have found out anyway?" she exclaimed. "Well that makes me feel so much better," she added sarcastically.

"I wanted more time, so that we could get to know each other better first before dealing with all of this." I replied. "But it was also really important that you hear it from me."

"I seriously could not give a fuck about your excuses!" she yelled, her cheeks burning red. "How do you expect me to ever believe you again when all you have done is prove that you are an excellent liar?"

"You can trust me because nothing has been a lie aside from my title!"

Rose shook her head in response, still glaring at me.

"Roza," I pleaded.

"Just stop!" she exclaimed. "What do you even want from me? Were you expecting me to fall in love immediately and then run back to Russia with you for your happily ever after? I have a life here!"

"I was hoping for more time," I replied, gritting my teeth.

"Well thank god that you didn't have the opportunity to waste anymore of my time!" she exclaimed as she headed for the door.

"Roza," I exclaimed and grabbed onto her arm. She violently swung her arm back, and I immediately let go. "All I want from you, is you!" I exclaimed quickly as she continued moving towards the door. I couldn't let her leave.

"Goodbye Dimitri," she stated sternly and then left. She slammed the door behind her, and I sunk to the ground against the door, placing my head in my hands. I had really fucked up.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I demanded. "She won't answer my calls or texts, and probably hasn't even listened to any of my voicemails."

Ivan looked at me with a sympathetic glance. "You just have to give her some time and space. Give her at least a week before trying to contact her again. She knows that she has the option of speaking to you, so all you can do is hope that she will come around."

"I'm not that patient," I muttered.

Ivan cracked a small smile. "If Dimitri isn't patient enough, then no one could ever be…" he said in a teasing tone.

I shook my head at him since I wasn't in the mood to smile.

"Maybe you should go back to Russia for a week to clear your head. I know your family would love to see you, and I think it would be good for you to get away for a bit." Ivan suggested.

I shook my head, not quite on board yet with Ivan's plan. "But what if she decides she wants to talk to me while I'm gone? She will just assume that I have left her and she will just be even more angry and-"

"There is such thing as cell phones," Ivan said, narrowing his eyes at me. "A simple text or voicemail to her will be enough to let her know that you have not permanently abandoned her."

I nodded my head, feeling a little stupid now.

"I just always envisioned coming back home from here with a woman," I admitted to Ivan. "Going back home now would be like admitting defeat. It would be a failure." For weeks now, I had been imagining stepping off the plane with Roza, holding her hand as I gave her a tour around the castle and city. And most of all, I imagined falling asleep in the same bed as her, holding her while she slept, knowing that we were truly together.

"Visiting your family for one week is not failure Dimitri," Ivan told me while patting me lightly on the shoulder. "It's being a good son."

I nodded my head, feeling a little guilty again that I hadn't visited home in so long, and that I had made my entire family take time out of their busy lives to visit me.

"It would also be something that a good grandson would do," Ivan told me in a joking tone. "Yeva is probably going to berate you for spending so long away from home."

I nodded, and couldn't help but let loose a small smile at the thought of my Babushka. I really did miss her and my home.

"And after the week is done, you're going to come back here and fight for Rose. If she won't answer your calls, then find her in person. She at least owes you a conversation." Ivan said.

I nodded. I still wasn't very pleased with the idea of leaving, but Ivan did have a point. I could either mope around here alone, or I could mope around with my family.

"I guess we can go to Russia," I stated after a bit.

Ivan grinned. "Perfect, I will call your family and get everything set up."

Did Rose react the way you were expecting? Do you think Dimitri's trip to Russia will be good for him? What's really going through Rose's head. Review your thoughts!