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

to focus on like work, and caring for Elva, that I could successfully distract myself from the pain of

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

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different now that I couldn’t help but wonder if I was misremembering

that young,

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

and I intend

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

the sitting room, and then out into the parlor. I

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

to hate him. So

he hadn’t slammed that door. 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

to hate him, but

sunk to my knees beside the couch where

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

a

wasn’t reality. My reality was very far from these golden fixtures and expensive

staying here. I needed to go home and look for

I

on the cushion. I was so drained, from the trip, from

own eyes slid

me Excuse

blinked open

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

sleep from my

I looked up again, he was already disappearing out of

watching me with curious eyes.

is. We have to be quiet though, okay? No

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

pulled Elva into my arms and

was standing atop

The three

bills in my purse. He was pale with

himself well and his voice camed far, like he was

calming the crowd and gaining their attention

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

whispered something