Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 277

Chapter 277

ANDY

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Carol began weaving spells around the cell, soundproofing the space so that my screams wouldn’t disturb the rest of the compound.

The preparations were thorough, professional they’d clearly done this before.

“You’re going to tell us how to remove the memories,” Lynn said, pulling instruments from her bag that made my stomach clench with

anticipation. “You’re going to undo whatever psychological poison you’ve planted in his mind.”

“Am I?” I asked, settling back on the bench with false casualness. “And what makes you think I have any interest in helping you?”

The first blow came without warning, Lumina’s fist connecting with my jaw with enough force to split my lip and fill my mouth with

blood. The taste was metallic and warm, and I savored it like fine wine.

“That’s for laying your hands on my son,” she said, shaking out her bruised knuckles.

I spat blood onto the cell floor and grinned up at her. “He’ll never really be your son. Not after what I’ve shown him. He knows now

that his real mother died screaming his name, begging for mercy from the woman who pretends to love him.”

Another blow, this one to my stomach, doubled me over with pain. But the physical agony was nothing compared to the joy I felt at seeing their faces. They were beginning to understand that they were too late, that the damage I’d done couldn’t be undone with violence

or threats.

“Where are the other children?” Lynn demanded, pressing something sharp against my throat. “The ones from your trafficking

operation. Where are they being held?”

I forced myself to straighten up, meeting her eyes with defiant glee. “Oh, Riley knows all about those poor little souls. Sophia made sure he was aware of every aspect of our work. He knows where they are, what they’re used for, how they’re trained. He’s complicit in all

of it, whether you want to admit it or not.”

The knife pressed deeper, drawing a thin line of blood. “Tell us where they are.”

“Ask your precious son,” I suggested mockingly. “He was there for most of the acquisitions. Sweet little Riley, helping Mama Sophia select the prettiest children, the ones who would fetch the highest prices. He has such good instincts for that sort of thing.”

Lynn’s hand shook with rage, but she managed to keep the blade steady. “You’re lying.”

“Am I? Ask him about the girl with the blonde curls. Ask him about the boy who reminded him of Ollie. Ask him why he never tried to help them escape, why he stood by and watched as they were broken and sold like livestock.”

Each word was a poison dart, designed to burrow deep into their minds and fester there. Even if they didn’t believe me now, the seeds of doubt were planted. They would remember my words when they looked at Riley, would wonder how much of his childhood had been spent as an active participant in Sophia’s atrocities.

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Chapter 277

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The beating that followed was methodical and thorough. They worked in shifts – Lumina’s rage-fueled attacks alternating with Lynn’s

more clinical approach to inflicting pain. Carol provided magical support, ensuring that I remained conscious throughout the ordeal, that

the agony stayed sharp and immediate.

Hours passed. My body became a map of bruises and cuts, every nerve ending screaming for relief that never came. But through it all,

I held onto my secret like a precious treasure.

They wanted to know how to remove the memories I’d planted in Riley’s mind. They wanted the antidote to the psychological poison

I’d fed him. But I would never give them that satisfaction.

“Please,” Lumina whispered during a brief respite, her voice raw with exhaustion and desperation. “He’s just a child. He doesn’t

deserve to suffer for our mistakes.”

I looked up at her through swollen eyes, my smile never wavering despite the blood coating my teeth.

“He was always my child,” I said softly. “From the moment Sophia placed him in my arms as an infant, he belonged to us. You may have given him life, but we gave him purpose. We shaped him into something beautiful and terrible and perfect.”

“He’s not yours,” Lumina said, but I could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

“Isn’t he? When he wakes up screaming from nightmares about Sophia’s death, whose name do you think he’ll call? When the memories become too much to bear, who do you think he’ll blame? When the madness finally takes hold and he comes for you with murder in his eyes, remember this moment. Remember that you could have saved him if you’d been willing to let me live.”

Lynn raised her knife again, but I was beyond caring about physical pain. My work was done. The seed was planted, watered with trauma and fertilized with guilt. All that remained was to wait for it to bloom.

“Riley will only ever call Sophia his mother,” I said, my voice growing weaker but my conviction remaining strong. “And that devotion

will be your undoing.”

I began to laugh then, a sound that started low and mad and grew until it filled the entire cell. Even as they resumed their torture, even as consciousness began to slip away under the weight of their rage, I couldn’t stop laughing.

I had won. Despite everything they’d taken from me, despite the failure of my plans, I had planted the perfect revenge in the mind of

the boy they loved most.

Riley would be mine forever, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart