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

and caring for

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

+15 BONUS

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

I wasn’t that young, innocent girl

adding some bite to my own voice. The hurt made it easier.

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

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

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

hate him.

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

hate him, but I

to my knees beside

If we had stayed together, maybe he would have revealed his secret in

was a

My reality was very far from these golden fixtures and expensive

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

I

was so drained, from the trip, from seeing

quickly, my own eyes slid

Excuse

open

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

uh.“I rubbed the sleep from my eye. “Wait, there’s been

he was already disappearing out of the room. He left

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

gave her my softest smile. It is. We have to be quiet though, okay?

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

my arms and

atop some type of stage The

Luna on one side. The three

than he did on the bills in

voice camed far, like he was

calming the crowd and gaining their attention “Congratulations on having

your presence and look forward to becoming more acquainted over the coming

and whispered something in the King’s