The Luna Choosing Game

Chapter 0622

The butler showed me to Susie's room, and then quickly excused himself outside of her door. When he was gone, I knocked.

"Go away!" Susie called in a watery voice. She was crying.

I knocked more insistently as I pushed open the door.

*I said -* she started, cutting herself off she say me. "Piper?"

"Hi, Susie," I said.

"Oh, Piper!" She was sitting at her desk, the tears running down her cheeks. As I entered the room, closing the door behind me, she jumped from the chair and ran to me.

We shared a hug. Relief flooded through me.

I stepped back after a moment, to look her over. She didn't seem too worse for wear. Other than the crying, she didn't show any signs of abuse or neglect.

"What are you doing here?" Susie sniffed. "I'm sure word has gotten around by now."

*Rumors don't matter. Come back to palace."

*If you've heard the rumors, you know why I can't."

"Everyone will forget, the moment you appear. They'll all just think it's gossip and it won't matter," I say. "Since Jessica is the only other contender for Joyce, you wouldn't even have to face elimination."

*Piper," she sounded so sad. "I can't come. It's just not rumors. My parents... They know the truth about me."

*How could they?" I asked. She wasn't showing yet. Sure they might suspect, but to have real proof?

"I told them," Susie said.

I startled, speechless.

"I didn't want to lie anymore about any of it," Susie said. "I don't want to have to pretend to have feelings for Joyce, when the only one I really want is Mark."

in my pocket near doubled, and I regretted holding it back even this

the sitting room with your parents," I said. Susie's eyes went wide as saucers. "Mark

If your parents wouldn't have let him inside, he would have scaled the walls and climbed

laughed a

I were able to stop him before he did anything drastic. Nicholas had a plan, as he always does, that his arrival at your door might open the way.

"True."

who

about you often.

heart lurched and I pulled her into another hug. How grateful I was to be in her life! Though how much it hurt to hear she had such a hard time getting friends. She was so sweet and kind, she deserved

to give you this." I

at it

I told her. "He wants to ask you

held it up closer to her, to inspect it. She touched it

in the next, she

never go for it," she said. "And even if they did. Or even if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be throwing his whole life away with

I told her. "Nicholas will find a way to get it to work. If this

blinked away the tears. She continued looking at the ring

see

we didn't need the butler to guide us back downstairs to the sitting

finger. I couldn't help my smile. When she saw it, she smiled too,

as I've consistently said "Susie's father was saying. He cut himself off when

*Susie..." her mom said.

his gaze dropped to

word

to Susie's parents,

a deep bow. "Please allow me to

parents both

daughter," Mark said. "I cannot live

of her condition!" Susie's

touched her

do," Mark confirmed. "The baby is mine. And I would raise it as my child, with Susie

for this man," Nicholas said. "He is my Beta and