Let Love Win

Chapter 26 - Zeek

The whole ride out to the orphanage, I was debating on different ways that I was going to come completely clean to Hadley. I felt like our relationship was in a pretty good spot right about now and I felt like there wasn't at all a better time to tell her how I really felt. She was a really cool and all around amazing girl, and with everything that she's learned about me and all that she's allowed me to learn about her, I feel like now is the best time to tell her everything.

At the same time, I know that she's extremely smart and if she hadn't figured out the big secret by now, then maybe she never would. But who's to say that she has to know? Perhaps Hadley is the start of a new life I was hoping for when I moved here for the year. And maybe—just maybe—she would be the ultimate end to the reign that my parents have always had over me; choosing my life for me, creating the path that I am destined to travel and all that crap. I was past the point of being an adult and responsible enough to make my own decisions. It's about time I proved that, not only to them, but to myself.

Oh, who am I kidding? If I want Hadley to be a part of my future at all, she needs to know everything about me. She'll be thrust into it after all.

I arrived at the orphanage in record time and quickly manoeuvered myself up to the front doorway. I leant against the frame of the door and tried my best no to look too desperate. I mean, she was the one who called me over in the first place and even though I thought about calling her for about an hour before that. I looked down at my watch and saw that it was just after 9 o'clock. I knocked on the door and it took her a minute to come and open the door. When she did, something—though I wasn't yet sure what—was different.

"Hey," I smiled when the door was completely open. I took a step forward and leaned in to kiss her but she backed away. I then took a good look at her face and noticed how puffy her eyes were. "You okay? Hadley, have you been crying?"

"No, I got something in my eye," she said unconvincingly. "Though I do find it kind of funny how you waited until now to show up. Someone was just here looking for you." By the tone of her voice, I could sense she was somewhere between upset and pissed, however slightly more on the side of royally pissed off. Royally, oh boy.

I racked my brain for some kind of excuse as to why I was late, if I even was. "Umm, Brad and I were running low on bread and milk, so I just stopped at the store to grab some before I came over. Who was looking for me?"

"Your supposed fiancé."

I felt the colour drain from my face. Brad would have told me if she was here. "What?"

"I was kind of hoping you could tell me." She led up a newspaper that housed a picture of me on the front page with a heading mentioning the wedding that my parents had planned. "What was our deal, Zeek? If you were tired of me, you only had to say something. But the sneaking around, I'm not ok with that. When were you going to tell me about this?"

I was stunned speechless. "I-I don't know."

"You don't know? That doesn't...who are you? Who are you really?"

I saw tears pooled in the corners of her eyes and looked away from her. I couldn't bear to lie to her again, and now that I was telling her the truth, there was no way I could face her while I did it. Although the truth is supposed to make everything better, I knew that this one should have come out sooner and now it was going to tear her apart. "Xavier Johnson, heir to the throne of Prussia."

"A prince? Are you joking me? Why didn't you...were you ever going to even mention this?"

"I don't know, I was going to—loads of times, actually. But I just never wanted you to treat me differently."

"I would have treated you the same way, Zeek...Xavier." She shook her head at her own correction. "Did you actually take me as someone so low as to treat you like you're on some kind of pedestal?"

"I didn't know what to think."

"Oh, so now the honesty comes out, huh?" she chuckled sadly. "We've been dating for 8 months now, you would think this is something you tell your girlfriend."

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want toy be a prince for once in my life."

"Fine, but I-I trusted you. And I thought you trusted me too."

"I do trust you, with everything."

"Then why keep such a big piece of your life a secret from me?" She wiped away a couple fallen tears. "Or were these months just a big lie? Someone who you really aren't?"

"Baby, don't cry," I whispered, reaching out for her. She turned away from me and wiped away more tears. "I didn't mean to hurt you, that's the last think I ever wanted to do to you."

"Then maybe you should have thought of that before you lied to me about who you are," she wept quietly.

"Please, don't do this. I love you, don't leave."

"You love me? No, there's no such thing as love."

With that, she closed the door softly and I was left on the doorstep. My heart was in the gutters as I stood there, debating whether or not to knock on the door again and plead for her forgiveness. Even if I did, I had no idea what I would say. Hell, I'm almost certain that I was on the top of her most hated people list. And there was definitely nothing I could do at this moment that would even slightly change her mind about me.

Defeated, I turned away from the door and headed back to my car. I don't know what it was that made me wait so long to tell her of my royalty. I had considered telling her more than enough times, but it never left my brain to formulate words to say to her. I guess I was truthfully scared that it would cause her to look at me differently. Everyone who knew always did, aside from Brad but that was because he used to be a part of it too. Unfortunately for me, he was allowed to step down when I was born because it secured that he would never have a chance at the throne.

There were so many times when I wished I was in his position. Royal blood wasn't even a part of his background anymore. He would never have to mention it to anyone because it would never matter anymore. Plus, he'd has at east 18 years, if not more time to adjust to not having any shot at the title of king. Then again, if you think about it, there was hardly a chance of him getting the spot even before I was born. Either way, none of this matters to him and his life.

In keeping this secret away from Hadley for so long, not only did it totally blow up in my face, but it now also gave more power to my parents. I had to find a good enough excuse not to take the throne in my name like they'd planned me to all my life, I'd found it in Hadley. Our relationship was evidently everything I was looking for. We were best friends, lovers, and everything in between. and the sex was good too. She was my ticket out of the whirlwind that would become my life. Now that she's gone because of my own stupidity, I'm back at square one. Like now I would have to find someone just like her to prove to my mother and father that I wasn't looking for wealth, but for love.

But how could I ever find someone like her in such a short amount of time? I mean, yes, I'd found Hadley on my first day here. but it had taken me 8 months for her to fully open up to me and trust me enough to let me completely into her life. And yet there were still things that I needed to learn abut her. Plus, now that the biggest secret of my life is out in the pubic eye thanks to this new story, any girl I talk to is going to assume things about me; I'm looking for a wife, I'm going to take them back to Prussia to be the Queen—everything I was afraid of people assuming.

And of course, I had to lose the one person who wouldn't have changed over it.