Chapter 31: Chapter 31

For a second I'm pretty sure that Nathan's mum is mistaking me for someone else.

Unfortunately?

What does that mean?

I've never even met her in my life before now.

I don't realise I've been standing in the same spot and everyone has gone inside until Nathan walks over to me.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asks and I look at him, unsure of what to say.

Should I even speak at all?

Maybe I didn't hear correctly?

Of course I did! The way that smile vanished off her face like a spell. And then she had walked out....

"Lu?" Nathan snaps me out of my thoughts and I subconsciously force a smile.

"I'm fine." I say and he smiles as he reaches his hand out for me and leads me to the large dinner hall where everyone is seated.

Staring at how happy Nathan is, I don't think I want to ruin this for him...or his family.

I don't think he even knows his mother doesn't like me.

I have to try and make this work...maybe after the buffet, I'll try to talk to his mum again.

I feel more confident with that thought in mind, but my heart sinks when Nathan leads me to his family table.

His parents are seated at the centre of the round table and besides them is Fred and Betty who smile at me as we get there.

Nathan helps me into the seat besides Betty and sits next to his Dad, fully occupying the table.

"I'm so glad you could make it." Betty says and I smile at her,

"Me too." I say and I turn to Nathan's mum, but she is busy talking with Fred, smiling pleasantly like royal queen.

Just then, the waiters troop in, in a uniform-like-fashion, carrying bowls and trays of food.

Turkish, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Greek, Thai, Japanese, French,....everything.

Nathan leans over and whispers in my ear,

"I know you're gonna love this. There are all sorts of cuisines to chose from you little foodie." He teases and pecks me below my ear, sending shivers around my body as I turn to smile at him.

But Nathan's mum is staring right at us in the most disapproving look ever and suddenly I lose appetite.

For everything.

The dinner.

The party.

The cruise.

I want to go back---No.

I want to go home!

Home in Los Angeles.

Back in our safe, penthouse where it was just me and Nathan.

In our little world.

"Madamè?" A voice says and I blink to see a female waiter staring at me.

"Pardon?"

"What cuisine?" She asks in an excellent French accent and I shrug.

"Well---"

"She loves Italian. And I'll have French." Nathan says, saving me and the waiter smiles contentedly as she moves to serve Nathan and another waiter comes to serve me.

He plates arancini, osso buco alla milanese, and finally pasta with Bolognese sauce.

"That's enough." I say to the waiter and he nods before leaving.

Nathan turns to my plate and chuckles.

"They're going to think you're pregnant again." He teases in a whisper and just as I giggle at his joke, his mum cuts in,

"My word. Are you going to eat all that?" She asks and everyone turns to me.

Betty, Fred and Nathan begin to chuckle at her remark.

"Lunar's known for her appetite, mum. You'd get used to it." Betty says but Mrs. Jackson's gaze doesn't leave mine.

"It's inappropriate to eat that much at a dinner party. Didn't your mother ever tell you that?" She asks in a harsh tone and the laughter instantly dies down.

Hearing the words 'your mother' instantly brings tears to my eyes like it always does and I feel like I've been stabbed in somewhere fragile....somewhere weak.

"Mum." Nathan objects.

"I...I am sorry." I say.

"You shouldn't be." Nathan tells me instantly.

"Nathan--" Fred starts.

"She's my girlfriend." He defends.

"She's my guest. And not even directly, she just happens to be dating you, that's the only reason she is here." His mum insists.

"Sophia." Nathan's dad interferes, turning to his wife, his deep voice shutting everything down.

Nathan, however, seems like he is fuming, but he turns to me anyway.

"You okay, baby?" He asks and I nod, but I keep my gaze down to prevent any tears from falling.

"I... I'm sorry, Mrs. Jackson." I say when I've composed myself enough to look up and then I call another waiter to take everything off my plate excluding the Arancini.

Nathan's mum nods in approval at what's left of my plate and I just stare at it, counting the minutes so I can get out of this cruise ship.

"Lu..." Nathan reaches for my hand under the table and I look up at him.

"I'm sorry." He says and I shrug.

"It's just food, Nathan. I'm just glad to be here with you." I say with a forced smile but he doesn't look like he bought it.

I look away from his scrutinizing gaze and turn to his mum.

One last try.

"It's a lovely dinner, Mrs Jackson." I say, clear as a whistle and she just looks at me.

"I suppose you're expecting me to warm up to you because of that poorly constructed compliment." She says and before Nathan speaks, Fred beats him to it.

"Mum, is something wrong?" He asks and she drops her fork.

"Well, of course not."

"Did something go wrong earlier?"

"Yes. Her." She gestures to me and I sit there, my heart thudding, watching them argue.

"Don't talk about Lunar like that!" Nathan stands up now and everyone is staring at us.

"And why not? How could you? How could you humiliate me by bringing this....this girl here!" She yells.

"Enough!" Nathan's dad yells and it's like the world pauses.

The waiters, the guests, the orchestra, everyone stops.

Mrs Jackson stands up however,

"No. No, it's not enough. I've had it. I wanted an amazing, beautiful dinner to celebrate my birthday and my son brings a Kensington as his date!" She yells.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Nathan asks and I tug the edge of his suit.

"Baby, let it go." I plead.

"No, Lu. I've had it."

"Nathan, calm down." Fred says.

"You've had it?" His mum asks, ignoring Fred.

"You want to get out of here?" Betty asks thoughtfully as she holds my hand under the table and I look at her.

"I do....But I can't leave Nathan. I can't leave them fighting over me." I whisper back in tears.

"What exactly is bothering you about this young girl, Sophia?" Nathan's dad asks and everyone is silent, waiting for her to speak.

She stares pointedly at me, green eyes blazing.

"Her father...Her father is a woman beater! What kind of man hits a woman that he doesn't even know?!" She yells at me and I get up in tears, suddenly defensive.

"That's not what happened! You weren't even there!"

"Oh, please. I saw everything on the news and the papers!"

"Those journalists lied! He--"

"Did the woman lie? Did the injuries lie?! Did the hospital reports lie?!" She yells.

"It wasn't his fault!"

"How can you hit a woman and it can't be your fault? And you, a fellow woman, are saying this? Do you see what I mean, Nathaniel?" She turns to Nathan but he just reaches out for me.

"Baby, let's go--"

"No!" I shrug out of his hold now, well aware of everyone staring at us as I turn to his mother.

"I'm not saying that woman was at fault....my dad was just going through a lot! We both were. He was drunk. We had lost half of our family a week before that day and that lady....."

My voice trails off at the memory but I force myself to continue.

"That lady had started talking about my mum, and she didn't even know we were related to her! She said horrible things about her and she judged her in our front, she called her a terrible mother for travelling 'to go see a lover' which was not even what happened! My dad couldn't stand there and let her say all those lies about the woman he loved---"

"What makes you think they were lies?!" Sophia yells at me.

"My mother would never do that! She was on that plane with my little sister!"

"So you just stood there and  watched your father beat up that woman--"

"I tried to stop him! He--"

"He could have killed her if the authorities hadn't shown up!"

"That's not true!"

"And what's worse is that they let him go last year, on a bloody parole hearing! A drunk and a woman beater! It's a good thing your mother wasn't around when he got out, he would have beat her up too!" She yells.

"SOPHIA!"

"MUM!" Nathan, his Dad and Fred all yell at the same time.

I need to get out of here.

Oh, God. I can't breathe.

I push my way out of the hall now as i pick up the huge hem of my gown and run as fast as I can out to the stairs and down the main deck.

The ship is already on parked by the beach and I run down the stairs and out of it.

"Lunar!" Nathan is yelling behind me, chasing me.

"Lunar!" He yells but I keep running until I get to where all the cars are parked.

I run to the first one and I yank the door open.

A chauffeur is seated there and stares at me shocked.

"Excuse me--"

"Get out!" I yell in tears and he does. Then I take the wheel and start the car.

A Ferrari. Good.

Just as Nathan catches up with me, I slam the door and step on the accelerator, speeding off into the night.

****

NATHAN'S P.O.V

I watch in utter dismay as Lunar drives off without a word and I'm torn between chasing after her or going back to the ship and giving my mum a piece of my mind.

How could she?

How could she have humiliated Lunar like that?

Brought up all those painful memories?

Thoughts of Lunar flood my mind and I remember how hard she fought those nightmares she dealt with.

How lost she felt.

How far we have come......

I head back to the ship and climb up to the main deck, only to see my family there.

"Do you know the damage you have done? To that poor girl? To Nathan? To their relationship? How could you be so insensitive Sophia? How---" my dad is saying but he pauses when he sees me.

They all do.

"Are you happy now?" I ask my mum and she looks at me apologetically.

"Nathan, you have to understand--"

"No. No, mum. Enough of that. All you ever do is make a big drama so you can feed of it. Anything that makes you look self righteous or puts you in the papers! It wasn't big enough that you had this party here in the Bahamas....You always have to make a scene!"

"Now, Nathan--" Fred starts.

"I got this!" I say to him and he backs off.

"You don't know who that girl is--"

"You don't know who Lunar is mum! Her name is Lunar! And she is the sweetest, most gentle, most beautiful and understanding soul I've ever met. And by far the strongest. And you sat there and judged the woman I love because you read something off a piece of paper!"

"Nathan--"

"You've never even met her father. I have. You don't what they've been through mum, you don't know how precious they are to me...How precious she is to me. And to think we came here on a vacation and the only reason I attended this dinner was so she could meet you guys. Big mistake. I never should have brought her here, I never should have come. You wonder why you never see me so much? This is why! This whole pretentious thing with this family has got to stop! I only wanted you guys to know how priceless Lunar is to me! We live together! I LOVE her! She carried my child and the baby.....the baby...." I run out of words as my parents stare at me in shock.

Taking a deep breath, I try again.

"You can only pray you'll see me after today....Because I don't think I can forgive you. Not after this." And with that, I exit the ship to head back.

I have to be with Lunar.

*******

I'm glad to see the Ferrarri she took parked in front of the house as I step out of the limo.

"Lu? Lunar!" I yell, rushing inside the house only to find her gown in the centre of the living room and the door to the balcony open.

From the balcony I can see her seated on the sand at the far end of the beach, close to water, her hair and dress billowing in the night Bahamian breeze.

Slowly, I walk over to her and sit right beside her, but she doesn't look up from her gaze on the water.

Where do I start?

I did this to her...I never should have brought her.

To the dinner...To the Bahamas even.

"Lu, I'm so sorry. I--"

"Do you think my family is a wreck, Nathan?" She asks, her voice quivering.

"Lu,..." I pull her close and bring her face close to mine so I can see her eyes.

They're clouded with tears.

"Of course not. Never. I could never think that and you shouldn't too."

"I don't. I...I just like knowing you're on my side." She says but she closes her eyes anyway and her tears escape....and it breaks my heart.

I bring her face closer and plant my lips on her  eyelids.

Her left, then her right. Kissing away her tears.

"I'm sorry."

"I want to go home." She says quietly and it hurts me even more.

Home.

We've only been here for a day and this vacation was supposed to be about us...about her.

But my mum just had to ruin everything.

"Sure. If you want, we'll leave first thing tomorrow." I say and she moves away.

"No. Just me. You can stay behind."

"I'm not leaving you, Lu. I want to come with you."

"You can't. Not while you're not in good terms with your family Nathan." She says and looks up at me.

"Lunar--"

"I know what it feels like to lose family. To have words unsaid, and words regretted. I don't want you guys to fight over me. Especially on your mum's birthday." She says softly and I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"But look at what she did to you."

"But I have you. And I know what she said isn't true, they were just accusations, but it doesn't change the fact that she is your mum."

"But baby, you were hurt."

"And now I have you here. All I ever need to feel better is you. I'm fine...but I need you to make amends with your mum. Please." She begs and I sigh.

What a gem.

"Fine. But I'm not letting you leave without me, if I'm staying, you are too." I say and she leans back into my hold, snuggling against me in the cool night breeze.

"I love you, Nathaniel."

"I love you, Lunar. Always."

Authors Note.

Soooo.....one more EPILOGUE I guess because this turned out longer than I thought. Hope you guys can be patient for one more I promise it will be worth it.

I'm so sorry for this very late update tho, I have been busy with school. But my next update will be my last! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR VIEWS AND READS!

VOTE AND COMMENT! LOTS OF LOVE!!