Alpha's Discarded Luna (Talia) novel Chapter 62

Chapter 60

Talia’s POV

“I’m saying,” I reply quietly, “that trust should go both

directions. And so far, in this family, it never has.”

“I don’t distrust him.” My voice remains calm, measured,

despite the hostility radiating from every corner of this room. “I simply want to understand what happened before making judgments.”

Aires’s eyes narrow, that familiar cold skepticism settling into his features. “But you don’t trust him either, do you? You’re questioning your own son’s word.”

“Aeson is five years old.” I keep my tone reasonable, though

patience wears thin. “He’s still learning to process the world

around him. Children misinterpret things. They fill gaps in

their understanding with assumptions. We can’t treat every

word from a child as absolute truth without examination.”

“He’s not just any child.” Aires’s voice hardens. “He’s your son.”

“And you’re my husband.” The words come out sharper than I intended, but I don’t take them back. “Have you ever trusted 2

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me? Even once?”

He opens his mouth to respond, but I’m not finished. The dam has broken, and years of silenced truth pour through.

“I didn’t say I don’t believe him. I said we should investigate.

When Imema fell down those stairs, Aeson swore he saw

me push her. He was certain. Absolutely convinced. And

the video proved otherwise.” I hold Aires’s gaze, letting him

feel the weight of it. “So forgive me if I’ve learned to want

evidence before conviction. Is that really so unreasonable?”

Aires falls silent. Beside him, Aeson’s earlier smugness wavers, uncertainty flickering across his young face.

Diana has heard enough. She slams her hand against the table again, rattling the delicate china. “Talia, I don’t care about your excuses or your little jobs. You will resign from that position immediately. I heard that child you’re caring for has no mother–a wild thing running around without proper upbringing-”

“Mrs. Perseus.” My voice turns to ice, cutting through her

tirade. “Robin is not a ‘wild child. He’s a little boy who lost his

mother. I would choose your words more carefully.”

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Diana’s face flushes an alarming shade of purple. She presses her temples, the familiar gesture of a headache building behind her eyes–the headaches my medicine has kept at bay for two years. The headaches she now suffers because of her own son’s games.

I turn to Aires, refusing to be distracted. “Can we discuss

Electra’s release first? Before we address anything else?

That’s why I’m here. That’s the agreement.”

Aires’s jaw tightens, but he notices his mother’s distress. He

pulls the small bottle from his pocket–the medicine I spent

months earning from Jack Carter–and hands it to her.

“Mother, is this your medication? Talia brought it.”

Diana stares at the bottle in his palm. The woman who

“withheld” her medicine. The woman who dared to have

leverage over her. The woman who, in her mind, exists only to serve this family’s needs.

Rage overcomes reason.

She snatches the bottle and hurls it at me with all the force

she can muster.

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Glass shatters against the floor at my feet. Shards spray. One catches my cheek–a sharp, burning slice. I feel the warmth of blood welling, then trickling slowly down my face.

The room goes absolutely silent.

“Mother,” Athena whispers, horrified. “Talia’s bleeding.”

Diana laughs. It’s a harsh, ugly sound. “Good. She deserved it. Trying to control me with medicine? Thinking she could threaten me and face no consequences?”

Aires’s voice cuts through, sharper than I’ve heard in weeks. “Mother. That’s enough.”

Instead of calming, Diana’s fury intensifies. “You’re defending

her? After everything? She threatened me, neglected Aeson,

abandoned this family to play nanny for strangers–and

you’re telling me that’s enough?” She points at me, finger

trembling. “What good is she, Aires? Tell me! What possible use is this woman to anyone?”

Athena steps forward, attempting to mediate as she always does. “Talia, please don’t take Mother’s words personally. We can handle disagreements between us adults, but Aeson is

innocent in all this. He shouldn’t suffer because of adult

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conflicts.” She glances at Diana, then back at me. “Mother,

please calm down. Aeson is watching. Let Talia apologize,

and we’ll move forward. We need to focus on helping Aeson,

not fighting among ourselves.”

Diana’s chest heaves, but she forces herself to breathe, to

calm–for Aeson’s sake. Her voice remains sharp, edged with

lingering fury, but she’s trying.

“For Athena’s sake, apologize, and I’ll let this go.”

I touch my cheek. My fingers come away red. The sting is

nothing compared to the clarity blooming in my chest like ice

flowers.

“No wonder Aires’s first solution to everything is an apology.” I

smile, thin and cold. “He learned from the best.”

The room freezes. Even Athena’s breath catches.

Diana’s carefully maintained composure shatters completely. “How dare you! Apologize this instant!”

I meet her rage with ice. “Who are you to demand an apology from me? You didn’t give birth to me. You didn’t raise me. You hold no authority over me except a title I’ve stopped 5/8

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respecting.” I take a step forward, and she actually flinches.

“You want to play queen? Go find a mirror–at least there,

your commands might be obeyed.”

Diana’s face cycles through shades of purple. Her chest

heaves. Her finger shakes as she points at me.

Aires’s voice drops, low and warning. “Talia. Show some

respect.”

“Respect is earned, Aires. I give what I receive. And from this

family, I’ve received nothing but contempt, manipulation, and

now glass in my face.”

Diana screams, “You’re here to provoke me! Someone- anyone–enforce the family rules! Punish her!”

Two servants enter, faces grim. They’ve seen this play out before–Diana’s wrath, my submission. They expect easy

work.

I step back, my voice carrying through the room with

authority I didn’t know I possessed. “Touch me, and I’ll press

charges for assault. Every single one of you. I have evidence

of everything that’s happened here tonight. The video on my phone has been recording since I walked through that door.” 6/8

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My eyes lock onto Diana’s.

“Family rules? Private punishment? You think I’m still the

woman who’ll kneel and beg for your approval? Who’ll

apologize for existing? I’ve been accommodating for years,

and you mistook it for weakness. I’m done.”

Diana’s mouth opens, but no words come. Her eyes roll back. She crumples.

“Mother!” Athena rushes to her side, catching her before she

hits the floor. “Mother! Someone call an ambulance! Mrs.

Perseus has fainted!”

Chaos erupts. Servants scatter in every direction. Aires

moves toward his mother, phone already in hand. Athena

screams for help, for water, for space.

I stand in the middle of it all, blood drying on my cheek,

watching the woman who terrorized me for years collapse under the weight of her own rage.

No one looks at me. No one speaks to me. In their panic, I’ve become invisible again.

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Only this time, I prefer it as I turn around and walk out through the doors.

B

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