Alpha's Discarded Luna (Talia) novel Chapter 61

Chapter 59

Diana’s POV

I slam my palm against the mahogany table. The teacups rattle, a satisfying echo of my fury.

“What do you mean, Talia hasn’t been home in weeks? Not

only is she neglecting her own family, but she’s also playing nursemaid to some stranger’s child?”

Aeson nods, his small face pinched with remembered hurt.

The sight of it makes my blood boil, how dare that whore hurt my grandson like this?

“I even asked mom to choose, between me and that boy,

Robin…

He says, his voice wobbling in that way that always twists

my heart. “I thought naturally, she will choose me! Grandma, don’t you always say that a pup should be most important

to his mother? But she still chose him. His father said Mom

doesn’t have money to take care of me, so she has to earn it by taking care of their kid instead.”

He pulls out his phone, scrolling frantically. “And Robin keeps

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sending me pictures. Every day. Look…! Mom picks him up

from school. She makes him snacks. She cooks him special

meals. Look.”

Athena leans over, gasping as she scrolls through the

images. “These are Talia’s snacks. No one else makes

patterns like this. And this dish, this is her specialty, the way

she plates it is unmistakable. Aeson, this is the medicinal meal she used to make for you. You can’t buy this anywhere.”

My grandson’s face crumples further. Jealousy wars with hurt wars with a desperate, childish confusion. He doesn’t understand why his mother would pour herself into another child. Frankly, neither do I.

“Enough.” I cut Athena off sharply. “Aeson, stop worrying. When your mother gets here, I’ll deal with her personally.”

Aeson lifts his sleeve, revealing a bruise blooming across his forearm. It’s not serious, all children bruise like overripe fruit, but just the existence of that bruise on his milky white skin is enough to fuel my rage.

“Robin hits me at kindergarten,” he says, accusation thick in his voice. “He started it, but when the teacher came, he pretended I pushed him. Everyone believed him. They made 2/8

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<Chapter 59

me apologize.”

“That’s outrageous.” I’m on my feet now, pacing. “Tomorrow, I’m going to that school with you. We’ll see how brave that little brat is when an adult shows up.”

A servant hurries in, breathless. “Madam Perseus, Mr. and

Mrs. Perseus have arrived.”

Talia walks into the living room. Her eyes sweep the space, landing briefly on Aeson.

He turns his head away with a dramatic sniff, waiting for her to come crawling. To apologize and beg for his forgiveness, like she is supposed to.

But instead, the arrogant bitch looks past him like he’s

furniture.

The dismissal is so complete, so casual, that for a moment

I’m stunned.

Then, my anger climbs a few degrees higher.

I slam my hand against the table again, harder this time. The teacups jump. One tips, spilling cold tea across the polished 3/8

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wood.

“Talia.” My voice cuts like a blade. “Do you realize what you’ve done wrong?”

Talia’s POV

I stand in the doorway of the Perseus living room, taking in the scene. Diana, regal and furious behind the mahogany table. Athena, hovering like a nervous moth. And Aeson, arm extended dramatically, displaying his bruise like a trophy.

In the past, this setup would have made my stomach clench with dread. I would have started apologizing before anyone spoke, desperate to smooth things over, to earn approval I’d

never receive.

Now? I just feel tired.

Diana’s voice cuts through the silence. “Talia. Do you know what you’ve done wrong?”

I say nothing. There’s no point.

Aires glances at me, then at his mother. “What’s going on?”

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“Ask your wife.” Diana lifts Aeson’s sleeve higher, displaying the purple mark. “She’s been encouraging other children to bully my grandson. Is this how a mother behaves?” She pauses for effect, then delivers the ultimatum. “I’ll make this clear, Aires. If Talia doesn’t earn Aeson’s forgiveness, she will never set foot in this house again.”

Behind her, Aeson straightens, a small smirk playing at his lips. He knows how much I used to fear this woman. He’s waiting for me to crumble, to beg, to promise anything.

I don’t.

Athena fills in the details, her voice hushed like she’s sharing scandalous gossip. “Aeson says there’s a boy at kindergarten -Robin–who bullies him daily. That’s where the bruise came from.” She glances at me, then away. “And… he says Talia doesn’t come home anymore. She’s too busy taking care of other people’s children. For money.”

Diana slams the table. “Does this family lack for anything? You abandon your own son to work like a common servant? How disgraceful!”

The old words. The old weapons. They used to work so well.

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“I make money using my skills.” My voice is calm, measured. “There’s nothing disgraceful about that. When I didn’t work, you called me a parasite living off your son. Now that I do work, I’m disgraceful. Which is it, Diana? Should I earn a living or stay home? You can’t have it both ways.”

She stares at me, momentarily stunned. “How dare you talk back to me?”

“Not everything you dislike hearing is ‘talking back.‘ It’s just conversation you don’t want to have.”

Her face purples. Before she can respond, Aires interjects.

“Aeson, is this true?”

Aeson nods, all wounded innocence. He hands over his phone, already open to the photos. “These are proof. Robin sends me pictures every day. Of Mom. With him.”

Aires scrolls through the images, his expression hardening. Finally, he looks at me.

“What do you have to say?”

I stay silent.

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Diana pounces. “Are you mute now? Answer him!”

I meet her eyes. “When I speak, you call it talking back. When I’m silent, you call it dumb. I’m trying to find the option that doesn’t provoke you. So far, there isn’t one.”

She trembles with rage. Good.

Aires holds up the phone. “Talia. Did you make these?”

I glance at the photos. Robin’s happy face, the snacks I prepared, the meals I cooked. “Yes. I made those for Robin.”

“And the bullying? Did he hurt Aeson?”

I frown. “These photos don’t show anything about bullying.

They show me caring for a child. That’s all.”

Something flickers in Aires’s expression–annoyance, maybe. “Are you implying Aeson is lying?”

“I’m saying we should investigate before deciding who’s

telling the truth. That’s fair, isn’t it?”

Aires’s jaw tightens. He doesn’t like this version of me–the

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one who won’t automatically side with his son, who demands evidence instead of blind loyalty.

“Talia.” His voice drops, cold and dangerous. “Are you saying you don’t trust your own child?”

I look at Aeson. At his expectant face, his certainty that I’ll cave, his confidence that he’s won.

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