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

for Elva, that I could successfully distract myself from the

faced with him now and seeing what he had become, brought all those feelings crashing back into Tome so hard, they stole my

+15 BONUS

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

that young,

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

is a mistake, and I intend to

my spine. “You are the only woman who ever dared to break up

into the parlor. I thought he might slam the door behind him, as enraged

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 misconceptions

wanted to hate him, but I

knees beside

a 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 us could have been a happy little

was a

My reality was very far from these

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

I

I was so drained, from the trip,

my own eyes

Excuse me,

open

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

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

he was already disappearing out of the room.

Elva sat up on the couch, watching me with curious eyes. “Is it time for more pretty

her my softest smile. It is. We have to be quiet though, okay? No

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

into my

family was standing atop some type of stage The King stood

on one side. The three princes flanked his

in my purse. He was pale

camed far, like he was accustomed

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

We are very pleased by your presence and look forward to becoming more acquainted over the coming

in and whispered something in