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

things to focus on like work, and caring for Elva,

become, brought all those feelings crashing

+15 BONUS

different now that I couldn’t help but wonder if I was misremembering the past. Maybe he’d never been kind.

wasn’t that young,

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

and I intend to

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

into the sitting room, and then out into the parlor. I thought he might slam the door behind him,

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

to hate

cruel, insensitive bastard but he liked children. He’d been kind to Elva. He didn’t take any of his

hate

sunk to my knees beside

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

was a

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

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

I

cushion. I was so drained,

quickly, my own

Excuse

blinked open my

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

the sleep from my eye. “Wait, there’s

looked up again, he was already disappearing out of

the couch, watching me with curious eyes. “Is it time for

have to be quiet though, okay? No one can

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

my arms and

parlor, the royal family was standing atop some type of stage The King stood at

one side. The three princes

did on the bills in my purse. He was pale with hollowed out

his voice camed far, like he was accustomed to

calming the crowd and gaining

for this monumental event. We are very pleased by your presence and look

Luna leaned in and whispered something in the