Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

I shrugged my shoulders gathering the empty plates. “Ollie deserves to have both parents in his life. When they’re actually present.

I could see the moment my words had made an effect on him; I could see him wince slightly.

“About last night,” he began, but I cut him off.

“Not now, Xenois. Let’s just focus on giving Ollie a good morning, okay?”

He nodded, looking a bit relieved that the conversation was being rescheduled.

“Okay.”

We drove to school in separate cars-me with Ollie, Xenois following behind. I used the time to ask Ollie about his excitement for the field trip, about his friends, about anything that would keep his mind off the unusual situation of having both parents taking him to school.

In the school parking lot, Ollie unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his backpack, then paused, looking uncertain.

“Is Dad going to come in too?” he asked.

“Let’s see,” I said, watching Xenois park beside us. “Would you like that?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Jacob’s dad always comes to school with him. And Mia has both her parents sometimes.”

The simple longing In his voice broke my heart all over again. Such a basic desire-to have both parents present, to be like other

children whose fathers made time for them.

Xenois joined us as we walked toward the school entrance, Ollie between us. At first, our son kept glancing nervously between us, as if afraid one of us might disappear. But as we approached his classroom, he grew more confident, even reaching out to hold both our hands.

“Mom, Dad, this is my classroom,” he announced proudly, leading us inside. And that’s Ms. Henderson.”

The teacher looked up from her desk, her surprise evident when she saw Xenois. “Alpha Mayor,” she said, standing quickly. “What a pleasure to see you,”

“I’m just Dad today,” Xenois said, offering her a charming smile. “Ollie’s dad.”

He threw his arms around my waist in a tight hug. “Bye, Mom! Will you pick me up after school?”

“Always,” I promised, kissing the top of his head. “I’ll be here.”

I turned to Xenois, who was watching us with an expression I couldn’t quite read. “I’ll see you later,” I said simply.

“Luna,” he caught my arm as I turned to leave. “Thank you for this. For… letting me be part of his morning.”

I looked at him steadily, seeing not just my husband but the man who had broken our family once before. The man who would do it again given the chance.

“Enjoy it while it lasts, Xenois,” I said quietly, so only he could hear. “Moments like these are rare. And getting rarer.”

I left before he could respond, walking briskly through the school hallways toward the exit. Once in my car, I allowed myself a

moment to breathe, to steady my hands on the steering wheel.

Today was just the beginning. I had a doctor’s appointment to schedule, a lawyer to meet with, a future to plan. A future where my son would live, where he would thrive, where he would be protected from the heartbreak that had destroyed him once before.