Chapter 31

He pulled away from her and sighed, staring her deep in the eyes. She broke off eye contact and looked away. She didn’t want him to charm her into forgetting what he had just done. He might not have cheated on her since they weren’t romantically involved but she still felt betrayed.

“Alyssa, I’m sorry about what you saw. I know why you’re thinking but I promise that it’s not like that”.

She scoffed. “Really? How so? Explain yourself, if you truly have anyway to defend what I just saw”.

“That lady was Lola and she was my mistress who stays on the island. I already ended things with her but she wanted to meet me to talk and one thing led to another and she kissed me. I know how that sounds but that really is what happened. I didn’t mean for you to stumble on that”.

“So you didn’t sleep with her then? You two looked very involved when I walked in, like you couldn’t let each other go. And you want me to believe that you just stopped Midway and she left? I’m not stupid, Luther”.

“I know that you’re not but I really didn’t have sex with her. I want you to believe me”. He walked towards her and held her hands. “I love you too, Alyssa. And not as a replacement for Allisa. I live you for you, just they way you are. I’m sorry that you had to see that but I really do want you in my life. Why you saw was a mistake Andi promise you that it won’t ever happen again. From now on, I will be totally and completely invested in you. I promise”.

Alyssa stepped back. “You love me? Really? You’re saying that now? How can I be sure that you’re not just saying that to manipulate me into staying here?”.

“I’m not. Believe me. Even if it’s just this once”.

Alyssa bit her lips, contemplating whether to believe him or not. “Alright. But let me think about it”.

He nodded with a smile. “Sure, take all the time you need”.

***#####***###

Alyssa couldn’t fall asleep even after hearing the most beautiful and heartwarming confession from Luther. She laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying the moment over and over again in her head.

Finally, she decided to get up and get a glass of water. Alyssa slowly walked down the hallway, trying not to make any noise. As she entered the kitchen, she saw that there were two maids who seemed to be discussing something.

“It’s his majesty’s birthday tomorrow,” one of the maids said excitedly.

“I know right! Just as always, he wouldn’t celebrate it,” the other maid replied with a sigh.

Alyssa couldn’t help but eavesdrop as she felt a pang of sadness for Luther. The conversation between the maids made it evident that Luther had never celebrated his birthday.

“Birthdays are meant to be celebrated, but he never celebrates it. To him, it’s just like every normal day,” one of the maids continued.

“I think it’s something about his past,” the other maid added.

Alyssa’s interest piqued, and she moved closer to hear more about Luther’s past.

“I once heard Nanny Martha talking about it. His birthday is the same day his parents died. It was an accident, and he survived it while his parents died. He kind of blames himself for it, and that’s why he never celebrates it,” the maid said in a hushed tone.

The revelation left Alyssa heartbroken as she realized the depth of pain that Luther had been carrying all these years. She understood the significance of birthdays, and the fact that Luther never celebrated it was indicative of the fact that he still must have been traumatized by the accident.

Alyssa decided to spend the day with Luther to celebrate his birthday, to show him that he was loved and cherished, and that he did not have to blame himself for something he had no control over.

She chatted briefly with the maids before taking a tour around the mansion and then the entire island. She changed into a bright blue sundress with flowery patterns so she could enjoy the weather and have more fun on the island. She appreciated that Luther didn’t follow her around as she went about the island because she would have felt stifled and be forced to give him an answer and she wasn’t ready to go through any emotional rollercoaster.

She returned late in the evening since Luther had instructed for some guards to follow her around and keep her safe. She was enjoying her time on the island because she didn’t have to continue pretending to be someone she wasn’t and she didn’t have to feel guilty towards Allisa’s family and uncomfortable when she had public appearances.

She got into her room, feeling drowsy and after taking a warm bath, she slipped into a tiny night dress and drifted to sleep the second her head touched the pillow.

She woke up suddenly and glanced at the huge wall clock to her right and groaned when she saw that it was only 4am. Her throat seemed dry as she felt parched and she glanced at the bedside table for her water bottle and she sighed angrily when she saw that it was empty. She groggily got up from her bed and stumbled out of her room to get some water.

After leaving the kitchen with her thirst quenched and with a full bottle, she decided that since she was awake, she would check up on Luther to see if he was still working late so she could talk to him and perhaps even coax him to sleep. As she stepped into the hallway of the third floor that belonged solely to him which included his bedroom, office space, library, and private gym, she heard a noise coming from his room. She walked towards his door and pushed the door open slightly.

She stood in the hall outside of Luther’s bedroom, listening to his distressed cries as he dreamed. She knew she shouldn’t intrude, but she couldn’t bear to hear him in such pain. Opening his door, she found him sleeping with sweat pouring down his face and a look of sadness etched across his features. “Alyssa,,” he called, waking up suddenly.

She popped her head into the room without permission and quickly, the rest of her followed.

“Are you okay?”, She asked, concerned.

He forced a small smile and assured her that it was fine. She stared at him for a few minutes before turning around to leave.

“Will you stay? Please?”.

She turned to him, hesitantly because she didn’t think it was a good idea for her to be alone with him in his room, especially not after the conversation they had earlier in the day, but the vulnerability in his eyes swayed her heart and she obliged. “All right”.

Luther begged Alyssa to join him on the bed. Needing no more convincing, she sat beside him, using the bed cover to cover their bodies. Luther asked her to lie down too, but Alyssa insisted on sitting up and watching over him. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, indicating a fever. She wanted to get some cold water, but Luther pleaded with her to stay, pulling her close before she could even finish her sentence.

Alyssa couldn’t deny Luther’s request, and let him hold her, trying to gain strength from her presence. However, her mind was still fixated on the accident that caused him so much pain. She had to know, and Luther could tell. Luther encouraged Alyssa to ask about his parents and his birthday, a topic he had been avoiding.

Luther recounted his tragic story, where he and his parents had just celebrated his fifteenth birthday with a grand party. He had insisted on going to the other end of the capital to see the carnival that had come to perform from another kingdom. His parents had tried to convince him to go another day because he was tired and they were too but he had persisted and eventually, they gave in. They had wanted to go discreetly so they didn’t bring their guards with them for fear of ruining his happiness buy on their way there, their car was slammed into by a truck who sped away, leaving them for dead. He woke up in the hospital, only to find out that both of his parents had died on impact. The doctors had told him that it was a miracle that he even survived. While he was still in his hospital, recuperating from the physical and mental trauma, he had begun to take on his late father’s duties as king and the day after he was released from the hospital, he was crowned as the new king of the kingdom.

Luther blamed himself, believing he was the cause of his parent’s death and struggled to celebrate his birthday ever since. Alyssa was devastated, seeing Luther in such pain. She hugged him as he told her and held him tightly when he shuddered, feeling tears on her lashes.

She knew she had to be strong for him, telling him that he was just a child back then and not to blame himself anymore. She praised him for growing up into a man of nobility and helping his people. He deserved happiness, and Alyssa would always be there to make him happy.

As the clock struck midnight, Alyssa knelt beside him, kissing his forehead, and whispering, “Happy Birthday, my dear Luther.” He smiled, feeling a sense of hope. Alyssa knew that Luther had a heart full of love and happiness. She hoped to help him realize that his parents would always be proud of him, no matter how much time had passed.