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."

pocket near doubled, and I regretted holding

the sitting room

kept him away. If your parents wouldn't have let him

a little at

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."

parents knew who I

"I talk about you often. You were my first

grateful I was to be in her life! Though how much it hurt to hear she had such a hard

the ring from my pocket. "Mark told me to give you this." I held

at it and

told her. "He wants to

Susie plucked the ring from my palm and held it up closer to her, to inspect it. She touched it with only her fingertips, treating it as

of her features. Then, in the next, she began to cry again. "What's the matter?" I asked

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

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

continued looking at the ring for

see

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

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

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

*Susie..." her mom said.

Mark, and his on her. Then his gaze dropped to her hand,

the word overflowing with

Susie's parents, closer than even Nicholas was

said, dropping into a deep bow.

both

daughter," Mark said.

know of her

touched her husband's

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

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