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 distract myself from the pain of his

now and seeing what he had become, brought all those feelings

+15 BONUS

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

wasn’t that

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

a mistake, and I

only woman who ever dared

turned and left me, then, walking out into the sitting room, and then out into the parlor. I thought he

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

to hate him.

He might be a cruel, insensitive bastard but he liked children. He’d been kind to Elva. He didn’t take any of his misconceptions about me out on

to hate him,

knees beside

Elva would have been our child. If we had stayed together, maybe he would have revealed

a

My reality was very far from these

needed to go

I

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

own eyes slid

Excuse me,

blinked open

I beg your pardon, miss, but the King Luna, and princes have arrived, I suggest

the sleep from my eye. “Wait, there’s

again, he was already disappearing out of the room. He

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

softest smile. It is. We have to be quiet though, okay? No one can

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

Elva into my arms and camed her

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

one side. The three princes flanked

looked older than he did on the bills in my purse.

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

he said, calming the crowd and gaining

this monumental event. We are very pleased by your presence and look forward to becoming more

and whispered something in