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

like work, and caring for Elva, that I

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

+15 BONUS

help but wonder if I was misremembering the past. Maybe he’d never been

I wasn’t that young, innocent girl

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

and

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

turned and left me, then, walking out into the sitting room, and then out into the parlor. I thought he might slam the door behind him, as enraged as

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

wanted to hate him. So

cruel, insensitive bastard but he liked children. He’d been kind to Elva.

to hate

knees beside

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

was a

wasn’t reality. My reality was very far

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

I

was so drained, from the trip, from seeing Nicholas again,

my own eyes

Excuse

blinked open my

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

the sleep from my eye.

I looked up again, he was already disappearing out

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

be quiet though, okay? No

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

pulled Elva into my arms

atop some type of stage The King

side. The three

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

and his voice camed far, like he was accustomed to

he said, calming the crowd and gaining their attention “Congratulations on having

by your presence and look forward to

leaned in and whispered something in the