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

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

now and seeing what he had become, brought all those feelings crashing back into Tome so hard,

+15 BONUS

wonder if I was misremembering the past. Maybe he’d never been kind. Maybe I had

that

adding some bite to my own

is a mistake, and I intend to correct

Nicholas said, so coldly that a chill ran along my spine. “You are the only woman who ever dared to break up with me. Piper. I’ll never allow the same mistake to happen

into the parlor. I thought he might slam the

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

to hate him.

slammed that door. He might be a cruel, insensitive bastard but he liked children. He’d

wanted to hate

my knees beside the couch where

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

a nice

very far from

to go home and look for another job, as soon as

I

on the cushion. I was so drained, from

own eyes

Excuse me,

blinked open

nervous official hovered over me. I beg your pardon, miss, but the King Luna, and princes have arrived, I

sleep from my eye. “Wait, there’s been

already disappearing out of

Elva sat up on the couch, watching me with

to be quiet though, okay? No one can

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

pulled Elva into my

the parlor, the royal family was standing atop some type of stage

his Luna on one side. The three

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

voice camed far, like he

and gaining their attention “Congratulations on having

pleased by your presence and

leaned in and whispered something