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."

near doubled, and I

down in the sitting room with

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

a little

a plan, as he always does, that his arrival at your door

"True."

who

blushed a little. "I talk about you often. You were

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

tug the ring from my pocket. "Mark told me to give you

looked at it

I told her. "He wants

Susie plucked the ring from my palm and held it up closer to her, to inspect it. She

her face, softening all of her features. Then, in the next, she began to cry again.

for it," she said. "And even if they did. Or even if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be throwing his whole

If this is what you want, Susie,

away the tears. She continued looking at the ring for another minute

to see him,"

both headed for the doorway. With Susie leading, we didn't

her finger. I couldn't help my smile. When she saw

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

*Susie..." her mom said.

were on Mark, and his on her. Then his gaze dropped

the word overflowing

moving closer to Susie's parents, closer than even Nicholas was

deep bow. "Please

parents both went

your daughter," Mark said.

her

She touched

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

"He is my Beta and