Alpha's Discarded Luna (Talia) novel Chapter 71

Chapter 69

Talia’s POV

My hands clench at my sides, nails biting into my palms hard enough to leave crescents. I already knew what Aeson

thought of me—Imema told me, Robin confirmed it in his innocent way. But hearing it from his own mouth, watching him say those words on video, is a different kind of pain

entirely.

Sharp and surgical, like deliberately cutting off a connection

I have nurtured for years.

Aeson shifts uncomfortably in his seat beside Imema.

She pats his hand, that gentle, possessive gesture she’s

perfected, and he calms under her touch. Reassured by the woman who’s been systematically replacing me for months.

The next videos are mundane–children playing, learning, living their small lives in the protected bubble of this elite

kindergarten. I’m barely watching, lost in the echo of his words, the casual cruelty of a child who’s been taught his mother is something to be ashamed of.

Then the last video plays.

14:35

< Chapter 69

Robin approaches Aeson, small and serious, his face set with determination. “Aeson, why did you lie?”

Aeson, absorbed in drawing, looks up with immediate

annoyance. “Lie about what?”

“You said that bad woman is your mom.” Robin’s voice is

firm, unflinching. “Talia is your real mom. Why would you say

that?”

Aeson’s expression turns dismissive, cold in a way that makes

my heart clench. “None of your business.”

“Don’t you know that hurts her?” Robin’s voice rises. “Don’t

you even care?”

“So what?” Aeson snorts, utterly unbothered. “No matter what

I say, she’s still my mom.”

Robin’s face flushes with anger. “How can you talk about her like that? She loves you!”

Aeson’s patience snaps, his voice rising to match Robin’s.

“She’s MY mom. Why do you even care? Are you just jealous because you don’t have one?”

2/8

14:35

< Chapter 69

Robin goes pale. The words hit their mark–cruel, precise, devastating. A child’s deepest wound exposed and prodded.

The teachers shift uncomfortably in their seats. Even they,

who’ve always seen Aeson as polite and well–mannered, can’t hide their reactions. This isn’t the boy they thought they

knew.

Aeson’s voice continues, impatient and dismissive, each word

a fresh cut. “Talia’s just a housewife. All she does is cook and

clean and do chores. What’s so special about that? Kelly can

do the same things. If you like her so much, you can have

her. I don’t want an embarrassing mom like her anyway. Ms.

Volkov is a hundred times better. A hundred times!”

The room goes absolutely cold.

I feel every pair of eyes shift to me, then away, then back.

The teachers exchange glances loaded with meaning. This

isn’t a child repeating innocent words–this is a child who’s

been taught, coached, encouraged to see his own mother as

beneath him, as something to discard.

Aeson’s face flushes red. He wants to defend himself, to

explain, but the video is undeniable. He stares at the floor,

3/8

14:35

< Chapter 69

unable to meet anyone’s eyes.

I stare at the floor too. My emotions are a locked box I refuse

to open. If I open it, I’ll never close it again.

Imema’s eyes gleam with barely concealed satisfaction. I see it in the quick flicker before she masks it with concern. Good.

Let them fight. Let Aeson hate her more. Every crack in their

relationship is more space for me to occupy.

I reach for the remote and turn off the projection. My voice emerges flat, empty, stripped of all emotion. “There’s nothing

in Robin’s phone. We’re leaving now.”

I take Robin’s small hand in mine. It’s warm, trusting, utterly dependent. He follows silently, obediently, his compliance more heartbreaking than any tears could be.

The teachers watch us go. I feel their eyes on my back–pity, sympathy, the particular sadness reserved for people who’ve lost something they can never get back.

Two broken people walking out together. One without a

mother. One rejected by her own child.

We reach the door.

4/8

14:35

< Chapter 69

“Wait.”

Aires’s voice stops me cold. I turn, keeping my face carefully

blank. “What now?”

He studies me, those dark eyes searching for cracks, for

weakness, for any sign that I’m about to break. “Don’t you

find those two videos suspiciously convenient?”

“Convenient?”

His gaze shifts to Robin, cold and assessing, weighing and judging a child who hasn’t done anything wrong. “Only two videos on his phone damage Aeson’s image. Especially the last one. He may have manipulated the situation. Provoked Aeson intentionally. Staged this.”

I narrow my eyes, disbelief warring with fury. “You’re accusing a five–year–old of manipulation?”

Aires doesn’t flinch. “Isn’t he capable? Since he appeared, your relationship with Aeson has deteriorated steadily. You haven’t noticed the pattern?”

I step in front of Robin, blocking Aires’s predatory stare with

5/8

14:35

< Chapter 69

my own body. “I know exactly why my relationship with Aeson

has deteriorated. You don’t want to blame Imema, so you’ll

blame a child instead? That’s pathetic. That’s beneath even

you.”

“Blame?” Aires’s smile is ice, sharp and cutting. “So you don’t

believe Aeson was bullied? You don’t believe my son?”

“I believe Aeson is capable of lying.” My voice is calm, steady,

unwavering. “He told everyone I’m not his mother because

I embarrass him. Why wouldn’t he lie about Robin too?

You’ve taught him that truth is optional when it serves your

purposes.”

Aires’s eyes narrow dangerously. “So this is how you see your

son? As a liar?”

“I see what he shows me.” I hold his gaze without flinching.

“And he’s shown me plenty. All of you have.”

“No matter what he’s done,” Aires says coldly, each word

precise and cutting, “Aeson is your son. Your flesh and blood.

Have you given up on him completely?”

“He gave up on me.” My voice doesn’t waver, doesn’t crack, doesn’t beg. “I’m an ‘embarrassing mom.‘ He’d be better off 6/8

14:35

< Chapter 69

without me. You’ve both made that abundantly clear.”

Aires’s lip curls with contempt. “So you’ll choose this

scheming boy over your own child?”

My face hardens into stone. “Aires. He is five years old. He

is not scheming. He is not manipulating. He is a child who wanted to feel like he belonged.” I pause, letting the words land. “But you–you’ll believe a child is a master manipulator, but your precious first love remains pure and innocent? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.”

His jaw tightens, a muscle jumping beneath the skin. “This is

about Aeson. Leave Imema out of it.”

“Didn’t you blame Robin for our broken relationship? I’m blaming Imema. What’s the difference?” I tilt my head, letting him see the contempt I feel. “You can’t even hear her name without losing composure. This conversation is pointless.”

I look down at Robin, softening my voice to something warm

and safe. “Come on, sweetheart. We’re leaving now.”

He nods, his small hand tightening in mine. Together we turn

and walk toward the door.

7/8

1

14:35

< Chapter 69

Coin Package: get more free bonus

B

get it

Write your comment