The Luna Choosing Game

Nicholas held Elva safe and secure in his arms as he stood to his full height. Elva buried her face into the corner of his neck and shoulder. He gently patted her back.

He glanced down at Elva, his gaze so tender that it made my heart clench.

“There, there,” he whispered. “You are safe now.”

“Oh my God,” said one of the other girls in the room, fanning herself. “Of course he’s good with children.”

“Someone pinch me,” said another. “I think I’m dreaming.”

Nicholas’s soft expression hardened as he glared out at the rest of the room. “Whose child is this? Why is she here?”

I started forward, but the girl in the pink dress spoke before I could reach him.

“An outsider sneaked in, unless she’s a maid.”

Some of the other girls snickered at my expense.

“She can’t be a participant,” another girl fake-whispered, loud enough for half-the room to hear. “I thought we had to be virgins, and she’s got a kid.”

I wanted to disappear into a corner. Whether virgin or not, I was nothing compared to the rest of these girls.

My clothes weren’t as nice as theirs, and my figure wasn’t like what it had been at the Academy. I’d lost much of my musculature. I was skinny from too many nights of skipped dinners.

Elva’s wellbeing had always come before my own.

Her sake was the only reason I continued forward rather than hide in embarrassment. I stopped only when I reached Nicholas.

He looked at me, and I looked at him.

I’d forgotten how gorgeous his eyes were, golden brown with flakes of green. When we’d dated, I had spent hours looking at them, trying to memorize that color, but it had seemed different each time.

Before, when I’d stared long enough, I could earn a bashful smile from him. Now, his face was totally devoid of emotion. He looked at me like I was a stranger.

Did he… not recognize me?

I had changed, sure, but not enough to become unrecognizable. Unless he truly had sealed me away in his past and moved on, never once looking back.

was simply pretending, to save face. I could be a great embarrassment to him, showing up here, years after leaving him, and with

Maybe he hated me.

girl in pink motioned

monotone. Another moment of

followed him. He led me to an adjoining

remember that per the selection rules, you aren’t

look at the man, who nervously

an

sir.” The man bowed twice as

carried Elva into the room. I went inside after them. A servant stepped forward and closed the door behind us, leaving Nicholas, Elva, and I alone

might be sick. I had never imagined I’d meet Nicholas again,

had no idea what even to say. What would he think of me, to see me as I

must have cried herself to sleep, eyes closed

stepped forward toward Nicholas, and at once, his perfect façade cracked. He frowned.

gentle on Elva, his arm looped

you hide my child from

of my thoughts skidded to a stop. I blinked once,

Eloquently, I said, “Huh?”

glanced at Elva, softly sleeping in his arms. She was three years old. That lined up with our breakup

so

when he’d climaxed. But, hadn’t he been wearing

that fueled it seemed to slide into bewilderment. His

said, hoping to give

Nicholas wanted children. He’d even said so on television. For me to hide a child from him would have been a cruelty. He would

name. But

eyes widened a moment, before the

to say, he seemed to struggle to get it out.

between me and Elva. “She looks like

that to Nicholas. Elva was mine in every way that mattered.

some unspoken question for him,

What could cause that

his arms, and he immediately

lowered Elva down onto one of

mad at Mommy,” came Elva’s