Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 144

Chapter 144

SOPHIA

68

I was humming softly to myself as I flipped the pancakes in the pan, the sweet smell of breakfast filling the kitchen. Everything was

falling into place perfectly. Today was the day I would finally remove the last obstacle standing between me and my happily ever after

with Xenois.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs made me turn with a bright smile, expecting to see Riley coming down for breakfast. Instead,

Xenois walked into the kitchen, already dressed in his business suit and looking more alert than I’d seen him in weeks.

“Good morning, darling,” I said sweetly, gesturing toward the stove. “Breakfast is almost ready. I made your favorite pancakes.”

But instead of the warm greeting I was expecting, Xenois kept his distance, his expression oddly serious as he leaned against the

kitchen counter.

“Sophia, I’ve found you a place to live,” he said without skipping a beat, his voice sounding businesslike in a way that made my

stomach clench with uneasiness. There was something off about him.

I nearly dropped the spatula I was holding, when I finally processed what he just told me.

“What do you mean, a place to live? Why would I need that when I can stay here?”

“Because your stay here was always meant to be temporary,” Xenois replied, his eyes meeting mine with a clarity I hadn’t seen in months. His eyes were narrowed at me with suspicion, anger and a little bit of resignation as he continued speaking.

‘You were supposed to leave the day after you arrived, remember? The only reason you’ve stayed this long is because I had a heart

attack and was unconscious for three days.”

–

Panic began to rise in my chest as I realized something was terribly wrong. The way he was speaking, the sharpness in his eyes, the way he seemed to be seeing right through me this wasn’t the confused and malleable Xenois I’d been dealing with for years. This wasn’t the Xenois that I had under my thumb for six years, making him do what was supposed to make me happy all the time. I knew he had been resisting this compulsion but it wasn’t to this extent.

“But Xenois,” I said, setting down the spatula and moving toward him with what I hoped was a seductive smile, as I tried to hide the panic that was trying to make itself shown on my face.

‘Surely you don’t want to send Riley and me away when we’re finally becoming a family? When you need us most?”

I reached out to place my hands on his shoulders, to massage away the tension I could see building there, but he stepped back sharply, avoiding my touch completely.

“Keep your distance, Sophia,” he said coldly. “And don’t touch me.”

1/3

19:52 Mon, Jan 26

Chapter 144

a

68

The rejection stung like a physical slap, but before I could process what was happening, the sound of small feet on the stairs

announced Riley’s arrival. He bounded into the kitchen with a cheerful expression that seemed completely oblivious to the tension

crackling between Xenois and me.

“Good morning, Mommy!” he said brightly, giving me a hug around my waist. “Good morning, Mr. Xenois!”

“Good morning, sweetheart,” I managed, though my mind was racing as I tried to figure out what had changed overnight.

That’s when I noticed it – the necklace that Xenois always wore, the one with the simple pendant that I’d enchanted to keep him

compliant and confused, was missing from his neck. The chain that had been there for years, that he’d worn faithfully because he believed

it was a gift from Lumina, was completely gone.

–

My blood ran cold as the implications hit me. The necklace couldn’t be removed by the wearer that was part of the spell’s design. Xenois couldn’t even think about taking it off because the magic made him believe it was precious to him. Which meant someone else had

removed it.

The only other person who had been alone with Xenois recently was Riley.

I stared at the little boy who was now setting the table with an innocent look, like he was a perfect little angel who had done nothing wrong, and felt a surge of rage so intense it took all my self-control not to grab him by the shoulders and shake the truth out of him right

there.

Breakfast was a tense affair. I served the pancakes with a smile that felt like it might crack my face, while Xenois made conversation with Riley about school and hobbies as if nothing had changed.

But I could see the difference in his act – the way he really looked at Riley when he spoke, the genuine interest in his responses, the lack of the glazed confusion that had been defining his behavior for months.

‘I’ll be coming home early today,” Xenois told Riley as he finished his breakfast.

“Around three o’clock, so we can spend some time together. Maybe play some basketball or work on that model airplane you

mentioned,”

“Actually, I interrupted quickly, forcing sweetness into my voice, “Riley and I already have plans for today. A special mother-son

adventure, don’t we, sweetheart?”

Riley looked between us, and I could see the conflict in his young face. “…”

“It’s okay,’ Xenois said gently. “You can choose what you’d prefer to do, Riley. Spend the afternoon with your mother or with me.”

For a moment, hope flared in my chest. Maybe the compulsion spell in Riley’s necklace was still strong enough to make him choose me, to make him stick to our plans.

“I’d like to spend the day with Mommy,” Riley said quietly, and relief flooded through me.

2/3

19:52 Mon, Jan 26

Chapter 144

“Then I’ll come home around six, Xenois said with a nod. “We can work on some chess moves after dinner.”

Riley nodded eagerly. “I’d like that, Mr. Xenois.”

68

After Xenois left for work, I waited until I heard his car pull out of the driveway before I went looking for Riley. I found him still standing in the dining room, clearing the breakfast dishes with the no nonsense efficiency I’d trained into him over the years.

Without warning, I grabbed his small hand in a grip tight enough to make him wince.

“What the hell did you do?” I hissed, my careful mask finally slipping to reveal the fury underneath.

Riley looked up at me with those wide, innocent eyes that had fooled everyone for so long. “I saved him,” he said simply.

The calm acceptance In his voice, the lack of fear or surprise, told me everything I needed to know. He knew exactly what he’d done and why he’d done it. The little brat had been more aware of the situation than I’d given him credit for.

“You’re going to regret this,” I snarled, tightening my grip on his hand as I dragged him toward the stairs. “Come on. We need to get

you ready for our fun day out.”

Comments

LIKE

Write Comments

< SHARE

3/3

19:52 Mon, Jan 26

Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart