Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 198

Chapter 198

LUMINA

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I stared at him through my tears, seeing something in his expression I’d never seen before – complete, unguarded honesty mixed with

deep, genuine remorse.

I came here to bring my family home,” he said quietly. “But sitting in that hospital room, watching you with both boys, seeing how

happy and natural you looked when you weren’t walking on eggshells around me… I realized I never gave you a choice. Not really.”

The truth of his words hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest, that made me barely able to breath. I don’t know how he noticed all this but he was right – I’d never had a choice. I’d been forced into marriage to avoid exile or execution, forced to live in a territory where I was barely tolerated, forced to pretend I was happy in a relationship that had been built on suspicion and obligation rather than love.

“You were forced to marry me,” Xenois continued, his voice growing quieter with each word.

“Forced to stay in a loveless marriage, forced to pretend you were content while I neglected you and our son. I won’t force you to

come home with me too.”

My breath caught in my throat as I began to understand what he was saying.

“You’re free, Lumina,” he said simply. “If you want to stay here in Zade’s territory, that’s your choice. If you want to take the boys and start over somewhere completely new, that’s your choice too. If you want to dissolve our mating bond and find someone who can love you

the way you deserve to be loved… that’s also your choice.”

“And if I want to come home with you?” I whispered.

“Then that would be your choice as well,” he replied. “But it has to be your choice, not something you’re doing because you feel obligated or because you think it’s what’s expected of you. I want you to choose what makes you happy.”

I sat there in stunned silence, tears streaming down my face as the full weight of what he’d given me settled in. For the first time in six years – maybe for the first time in my entire adult life – I had complete freedom to choose my own path.

The magnitude of it was overwhelming. I could pack up the boys and move to another territory, start fresh where no one knew our history. I could stay here with Zade, where I’d felt safe and valued in a way I hadn’t experienced in years. I could return to Silver Creek,

but as an equal partner rather than a reluctant captive.

‘I don’t know what to do,’ I admitted through my tears. ‘I’ve been trapped for so long, I don’t even know what I want anymore.”

Xenois stepped closer and pulled me into his arms, holding me as I completely broke down against his chest. All the pain and frustration and grief I’d been carrying for years poured out of me in wrenching sobs that seemed to come from the very core of my being.

‘I know, he murmured into my hair. “And you don’t have to decide right now. Take all the time you need.”

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20:01 Mon, Jan 26

Chapter 198

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‘Mama? Ollie’s worried voice came from the doorway, and I looked up to see both boys standing there with concerned expressions. Riley hung back near the door, still uncertain of his place in our family dynamic, while Ollie rushed toward us.

“What’s wrong?” Ollie asked, his small hands patting my back in the comforting gesture I’d taught him when he was tiny. “Are you

hurt? Do you need a doctor?”

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I managed a watery smile, pulling back from Xenois’s embrace enough to look at our son. “I’m not hurt, sweetheart. These are happy

tears.”

“Happy tears?” Ollie looked confused. “But you look sad.”

“Sometimes people cry when they’re happy too,” I explained, wiping my face with the back of my hand. “Daddy just told me something

that made me very happy.”

I looked over at Riley, who was still hovering uncertainly in the doorway, and my heart clenched with love and protectiveness. He’d spent six years learning not to trust easily, not to assume he was welcome anywhere. It was going to take time to convince him that he belonged with us completely and unconditionally.

“Riley,” I called softly, holding out my arm toward him. “Come here, sweetheart. I want a hug from both my boys.”

For a moment, he hesitated, his green eyes – so much like Ollie’s, so much like mine – searching my face for any sign that this was some kind of test or trick. Then, slowly, he walked toward us and let me pull him into our family embrace.

“Is this really okay?” Riley whispered against my shoulder, his small body tense with residual anxiety. “Are you sure you want me

here?

The question broke what was left of my heart. “Oh, baby,” I said fiercely, holding him tighter. “You belong here. You belong with us. You’re my son, and nothing will ever change that.”

*Even if you decide not to come home with us?” he asked, and I could hear the fear in his voice. “Even if you want to live somewhere

else?’

I pulled back to look at both boys, these two precious children who had become the center of my world. ‘Wherever I go, you both come with me,’ I said firmly. “We’re a family now, all four of us. That doesn’t change no matter what else happens.”

Ollie nodded seriously, as if he’d already understood this without needing to be told. “We stick together,” he said. “That’s what

families do.”

“That’s right,” I agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

Xenois watched this exchange with something that looked like wonder in his eyes, as if he was seeing his family clearly for the first

time in years.

“Take all the time you need,” he repeated quietly. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you. Both of you boys will be loved and taken care of, no matter what happens between your mother and me.”

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Chapter 198

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I looked up at him, this man I’d been forced to marry, who had caused me so much pain over the years, but who was now offering me the most precious gift anyone had ever given me: the freedom to choose my own future.

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20:02 Mon, Jan 26

Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart