Pursuing My Rejected Luna by Cara Anderson novel Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Skye

I wake to an empty bed.

Again.

The morning light filters through the curtains, soft and golden, mocking me with its beauty. I reach across the mattress to Jaxon’s side-a habit I can’t seem to break even after three years-and find the

sheets cold.

He never came to bed. Though I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised.

Then I remember what day it is, and my chest tightens.

Our anniversary. Three years married today.

I lie there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, waiting to feel something. Sadness, maybe. Disappointment. But there’s only a dull ache, familiar and worn smooth by repetition.

He forgot. Of course he forgot.

I force myself out of bed and cross to my closet. On the top shelf, hidden behind winter scarves, is a small wrapped box. I bought it six weeks ago-a vintage compass I found at an antique shop in town. Jaxon mentioned once, years ago before we were married, that he’d always wanted one. Back when I was nothing more than a schoolgirl with a crush, hanging on his every word.

Before Cassandra and her son turned my world upside down, before the storm what little hope I had left,

thought maybe this year would be different. That maybe he’d remember, and we could have one nice moment together.

I pull the box down and stare at it for a long moment.

Then I throw it in the trash. A fitting metaphor for our marriage.

I need to get out of this house.

The walls feel like they’re closing in, and the thought of sitting through breakfast with Grandma Rose’s concerned looks and Cassandra’s carefully sympathetic smiles makes my skin crawl.

I dress quickly in jeans and a loose sweater that hides the slight swell of my stomach, grab my purse, and slip out before anyone can stop me.

The town is a twenty-minute walk from the Alpha house. I take the long route through the woods, breathing in the crisp autumn air, trying to settle the nausea that’s become my constant companion.

The small café on Main Street is quiet this early. I order chamomile tea and toast-all my stomach can handle lately-and settle into a corner booth by the window.

For the first time in weeks, I let myself relax.

1/3

Chapter 31

+15 Bonus

No one watching me. No one judging. No one expecting me to be the perfect Luna.

Just me and my tea and the knowledge that I need to leave before this life crushes what’s left of my

spirit.

I’m halfway through my toast when I notice him.

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