That evening, the sky glowed a soft orange, fading slowly into dusk. Splendour sat by her window, the same bouquet of roses resting beside her bed. She kept touching the petals, smiling like someone lost in a beautiful dream.
Her phone buzzed.
Alfred Calling...
She answered instantly.
"Hello, my flower girl," Alfred's calm voice came through, warm and deep.
She giggled. "You just want me to blush again, right?"
He laughed softly. "Maybe. Did my little surprise make you smile?"
"It did more than that," she replied, her voice trembling slightly. "You made me cry, Alfred. That letter… the flowers… I didn't expect all that. Thank you for loving me this way."
"I should be the one thanking you," he said. "For staying. For believing in me when I had nothing. For not giving up when life tried to break you."
There was a pause the kind filled with silent emotions words could never carry.
"I'm proud of you, Splendour," he continued. "You've grown into the woman I prayed for."
She closed her eyes. "Don't make me cry again, Alfred. I'm already emotional."
He chuckled. "Then I'll make you smile instead."
"How?" she teased.
"By reminding you that I still mean every promise I ever made," he said slowly. "I'll still build that life with you. I'll still protect your heart. And I'll never let you fight alone."
Splendour's chest tightened with warmth. "I believe you," she whispered. "I always have."
Then she added, softly, "And I promise too… to love you without fear, to stand by you through every storm, and to never forget the reason we started."
Their voices grew quieter as the night deepened two hearts whispering love across distance.
"Happy birthday again, my angel," Alfred said finally. "Sleep with a smile tonight. Tomorrow will be brighter."
"I love you, Alfred."
"I love you more, Splendour."
The call ended, but her smile lingered wide, soft, and full of peace. She lay back on her bed, holding her phone to her chest.
For her, love wasn't just a story anymore.
It was a prayer answered.
Enisa, who had been watching quietly from the doorway, folded her arms and smiled faintly.
"You're really lucky, Splendour," she said with a teasing tone. "Some of us can't even get good morning texts, and here you are receiving flowers and love poems."
Splendour laughed shyly, her cheeks turning pink. "Go away, Enisa," she said, throwing a pillow playfully.
Enisa dodged it and laughed. "No, for real hold that man tight. Love like that doesn't come twice."
Splendour just smiled again, her heart melting all over.
That night, she slept like a child knowing she was loved, seen, and deeply cherished.