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."

doubled, and I regretted holding it back

And Nicholas both. They are down in the sitting room with

don't think anything would have kept him away. If your parents wouldn't have let him inside,

a little at

anything drastic. Nicholas had a plan, as he always does, that his arrival at your door might open the

"True."

parents knew who

little. "I talk about you

I pulled her into another hug. How grateful I was to be in her life! Though how much it hurt to hear

to give you this." I held

looked at it

says it's overdue," I told her.

palm and held it up closer to her, to inspect it. She touched it with only her fingertips, treating

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

they did. Or even if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be throwing his whole life away

that," I told her. "Nicholas will find a way to get it to work. If this is what you want, Susie, you can't

continued looking at the ring for another minute or two, before

see him," she

leading, we

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

Nicholas, as I've consistently said "Susie's father was saying. He

*Susie..." her mom said.

eyes were on Mark, and his on her. Then his gaze dropped to her hand, where she'd already put on

he said, the word overflowing with

moving closer to Susie's parents, closer than

into a deep bow. "Please allow me to

parents both went

love with your daughter," Mark said.

of her condition!"

touched her husband's arm.

mine. And I would raise it as my child,

this man," Nicholas said. "He is my Beta and a loyal man besides.