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

know. Mark. And Nicholas both. They are down in the sitting room with your parents," I said. Susie's eyes went wide as saucers. "Mark is

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

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. My presence was required for this. It is, after

"True."

knew who I

about you

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

"Mark told me to give you this." I held my palm out with the ring sitting in the

at

overdue," I told her.

from my palm and held it up closer to her, to inspect it. She touched it with

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

even if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be throwing his whole life away with this. He

it to work. If this is what you want, Susie, you can't let it get away. You have to

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

see him," she

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

the way, Susie slid the ring onto her finger. I couldn't help my

I've consistently said "Susie's father was saying. He cut

*Susie..." her mom said.

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

the word

moving closer to Susie's

bow. "Please

both

daughter," Mark said.

her

was quicker. She touched her husband's arm. "He

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

Nicholas said. "He is my Beta and a