The Heart Made of Broken Gold

Chapter 17: The Secret Princess

Molly is unsurprised by the fact that Princess Jackie entrusted the care of her daughter to someone else. Molly had previously heard about King Daniel doing the same with his son, who was then taken care of by a servant. Felicity, the one who cursed King Daniel’s son Prince Edward and transformed him into a monstrous creature, had her curse broken when Prince Edward found true love. Now, Molly is contemplating whether Felicity also placed a curse on Jackie’s baby. Molly proceeded to write her story.

It’s New Year’s Eve and Jessica and Edward decide to go to the movies. While at the theater, Jessica notices a group of girls casting glances at her and Edward. This made Jessica feel uneasy and she thought that they were admiring Edward. She eventually confronts the group of girls and asked them what their problem was. One of the girls responded laughing and called her “Princess Jessica.” This only made Jessica angrier and she demanded to know why she was being called that. The girl rudely threw a newspaper at her, which only added fuel to the fire.

Jessica stumbled upon a newspaper article that revealed Jackie and Paul as her biological parents, who had given her up to Nancy and Kenny due to her disability. Jessica was in disbelief and refused to accept this narrative. She expressed her desire to return home and confront her parents, refusing to believe that someone would spread false information about them. Overwhelmed with emotions, Jessica couldn’t help but cry. Edward, a companion, accompanied her to his car. Suddenly, some boys started taunting Jessica, but Edward intervened and shouted at them to stop. Frightened, the boys quickly fled the scene.

Edward put a comforting hand on Jessica’s shoulder as she rushed into her house. “Mom!” Jessica yelled, and Nancy quickly appeared in the living room.

“I thought you were at the movies with Edward. What is the matter?” Nancy asked.

“Is this true?!” Jessica asked angrily.

“I am sorry, but it is. We love you very much. We wanted to tell you the truth, but we did not know how to tell you. You have every right to be angry with us, but our hearts were in the right place,” Nancy replied.

“I am not angry I am just disappointed you did not tell me,” Jessica replied.

King Henry was reading the newspaper when he came across an article stating that Jackie had given her first baby to Nancy and Kenny because the baby had a disability. This revelation helped King Henry understand why Jackie had been hesitant to introduce him to Nancy and Kenny’s children, as she knew he would realize that one of the kids was actually hers. King Henry decided to call Jackie to confirm the news. He asked her if it was true that she had a child with cerebral palsy and had given the child to Nancy and Kenny. Jackie confirmed the truth of the matter, explaining that she was not ashamed of her daughter Jessica. However, she feared that the media would blame her for Jessica’s condition, which made her emotional.

“Jackie, I just want you to know that it’s not your fault that Jessica is disabled. Sometimes these things just happen, and we can’t control them. I apologize for not being a better brother like Arthur was. How is Jessica doing? Is she upset with you?” King Henry inquires.

“No, she’s not angry with me. She’s just disappointed that we didn’t tell her the truth sooner. I’m actually really worried about her. She doesn’t want to leave the house because people keep bothering her,” Jackie responds.

“Perhaps it would be best for her to come stay with me in England. She’ll be safe here, and I can arrange for a private tutor to help her with her studies,” King Henry suggests.

“I’ll talk to Nancy and Kenny about it and see if they’re okay with it,” Jackie agrees.