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."

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

room with your parents," I said. Susie's eyes

your parents wouldn't have let him

a little

does, that his arrival at your door might open the way. My presence was required for this. It is, after all, more likely they'd let me in to see you than

"True."

parents knew who I was..."

talk about you often. You

how much it hurt to hear she had such a hard time

from my pocket. "Mark told me to give you this." I held my palm out with

looked at

told her. "He wants to ask you

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

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

they did. Or even if that didn't matter to me, Mark

find a way to get it to work. If this is what

away the tears. She continued looking at the ring for another minute or two, before she

want to see

doorway. With Susie leading, we didn't need the butler to guide us back downstairs to

I couldn't help

Nicholas, as I've consistently said "Susie's father was saying. He cut himself off when Susie and I returned to the

*Susie..." her mom said.

Susie's eyes were on Mark, and his on her. Then his gaze dropped to her hand,

word

to Susie's

bow.

both went wide-eyed.

daughter," Mark said. "I cannot live without

don't know of her condition!" Susie's father

She touched

confirmed. "The baby is mine. And I would raise it as

my Beta and