The Luna Choosing Game

“How long did you wait, Piper? A week? Two? It couldn’t have been long.”

He sounds like he’s jealous. Or was that an illusion? He doesn’t care about me and is just mad at me.

Maybe the latter is more logical.

His dark eyes burned into me, leaving my heart in scorched tatters. Never in a thousand years would i

have thought Nicholas would be so vicious to me.

“It wasn’t like that.” I said, to try to defend myself.

He crossed his hands over his chest. He wasn’t going to listen to me,

“Why even come here?” he asked me.

“My application was selected…”

“Why even apply? Were you trying to get to me?”

“No,” I said.

“Maybe you regret your child’s father. Maybe you want me back.” He laughed once, bitterly. “Like you

have a chance.”

The words sliced into me as surely as if he’d been holding a knife. He had changed since I’d known him.

Three w

years ago, he’d been kind and patient. I’d given him my heart and he’d gently cradled it. So many

nights, we’d laid under the stars, trading kisses and stories.

Once, when he’d spent all night looking at me, I had told him, “You’re missing the

starlight.”

He’d replied, “I can see it in your eyes.”

The man before me now was nothing like the one I had known. The man here was arrogant, indifferent. and imposing in how he carried himself.

Breaking up with him had never been something I wanted to do. It hurt me still, thinking upon it, so I had tried to push it to the back of my thoughts

so many other things to focus on like work, and caring for Elva, that I could successfully

become, brought all those feelings crashing back into Tome so hard, they stole my

+15 BONUS

I couldn’t help but wonder if I was misremembering the past. Maybe he’d never been kind. Maybe I had been too naïve

I wasn’t that young, innocent

I said, adding some bite to my own voice. The hurt made

and I

that a chill ran along my spine. “You are the only woman who ever dared to break up with me. Piper.

room, and then out into the parlor. I thought he might slam the door behind him, as enraged as he was, but instead, he gently closed

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

to hate him. So

children. He’d

hate him, but

knees beside the couch where Elva

a different world, maybe Elva would have been our child. If we had stayed together, maybe he would have revealed his secret in time.

was a

wasn’t reality. My reality was very far from these

wasting time, staying here. I needed to go home and look for another job, as soon as

I

I rested my head beside Elva’s on the cushion. I was so drained, from the trip, from seeing Nicholas again, from…

own

me Excuse me,

blinked open my

nervous official hovered over me. I beg your pardon, miss, but the King Luna, and princes have arrived, I suggest you hurry to the parlor at

my eye. “Wait, there’s been

I looked up again, he was already disappearing out

up on the couch, watching me with curious eyes. “Is it

We have to be quiet though, okay? No one can talk

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

into my arms

was standing atop some type of stage The King

side. The three

older than he did on the bills in my purse.

well and his voice camed far, like he was accustomed to

the crowd and gaining their attention “Congratulations

We are very pleased by your presence and look forward to becoming more

in and whispered something in the King’s