Chasing His Kickass Luna Back novel Chapter 136

For a few seconds, it’s as if we're the only two people in the room. Words fail me. My mind is a thicket of emotions, feelings too intricate and tangled to put into coherent thought.

When Karl finally sits back down, a part of me wants to run away, to escape this newfound reality where the lines between past and present blur. But I stay put, because running would mean letting go, and letting go means losing a piece of myself that I’ve just rediscovered.

“Now,” Karl says, raising his glass. “Let’s enjoy this delicious dinner prepared by a renowned chef.”

The room comes alive as plates are set and glasses are filled. The aroma of the three-course meal I’ve painstakingly prepared fills the air, and the murmurs return with time.

“The food smells incredible,” remarks one of the Betas, breaking the ice. Others nod, murmuring their agreement.

“Yes, it’s delicious, too,” Karl adds, casting me a meaningful look from across the table.

Except for Gianna. Oh, I catch her alright, barely taking a bite, making faces like she’s ingesting poison. She doesn’t speak throughout the entire dinner, and when plates are taken away, hers is still full. She refuses the dessert and the cappuccinos, resorting instead to swirling her wine around in her glass with a deathly stare on her face.

My insides coil with irritation, but I let it pass. I don’t need her approval, not when I see the look of pure satisfaction on the faces of everyone else in the room.

“Would anyone like to dance?” Karl announces once the plates are cleared.

A buzz fills the air as couples pair off, leaving Karl and me in a widening circle of emptiness. Then he extends his hand towards me, a silent request that sends an unexpected thrill up my spine.

“Would you do me the honor?” he asks.

“I… I shouldn’t,” I murmur.

But Karl’s eyes are stern. “Dance with me. Please.”