Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Riley

I wanted to laugh, but it would have come out as a sob. He had no idea that the person who hurt me was about to come back from

the bathroom, that she would smile and thank him for protecting us, that she would wait until we were alone to show me her real face

again.

85

“She’s coming back,” he said, and I looked up to see Mama walking toward us, with a smile on her face and a look in my direction to

warn me that I should not have said anything I shouldn’t say.

She’d cleaned most of the coffee out of her hair and had removed the stains from her face, and her makeup had been fixed, but her

clothes were still damp and stained.

She looked smaller somehow, more fragile like she needed someone to take care of her. But I knew it was all an act. She just wanted

to curry favour with this Alpha.

“How is he?” she asked softly, reaching out to stroke my hair.

–

I flinched before I could stop myself, and I saw something flash across her face – anger, maybe, or annoyance – before it was replaced

by concern.

“Still shaken up,” Xenois replied, his arm tightening protectively around me as he continued speaking.

“I think it would be best if I drove you both home. You shouldn’t have to deal with public transportation after what just happened.

“That’s very kind of you,” Mama said, and her voice was so sweet, and so grateful that anyone listening to her would think she was an angel. “I don’t know what I would have done without you today.”

The car ride home was the worst kind of torture. I sat in the back seat, strapped into a seatbelt that felt too tight, that it made it hard to breathe, watching Mama change into someone so completely different in the front seat.

She kept touching Xenois while he drove the car – little touches on his arm, his shoulder, his hand when he reached for the gear

shift,

Each touch looked innocent enough, but I could see the calculation behind them, the way she was testing his boundaries.

“I can’t stop thinking about how violent she was,” Mama said, her voice still carrying that hurt tone.

“The look in her eyes when she hit me… it was like she wanted to really hurt me.”

“I’m going to have a serious conversation with her when I get home,” Xenois replied, his jaw clenched from anger as he shook his

head.

1/3

15:46 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 28

“This behavior is completely unacceptable.”

:

“I just worry about Ollie,” Mama continued, and I saw her glance back at me to make sure I was listening as I swallowed hard.

“If she can do that to a stranger in public, what might she do to her own child in private?”

85

The suggestion made my stomach hurt. I thought about the little boy I’d seen from afar since I came to this city, how mama would take me to the school in the guise of searching for a new school for me, how happy he’d looked, how he’d smiled and waved at me like he

wanted to be friends.

Was he really in danger? Was Lumina really the monster Mama said she was?

But then I remembered how Lumina had looked at me, a genuine attraction to me and she wanted to be my friends. Not the same way she looked at my mama.

When we pulled up in front of our apartment, Mama turned in her seat to face Xenois fully.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice filled with emotion. “For everything. For believing me, for protecting Riley, for just… being there when I needed someone.”

And then, before he could respond, she leaned forward and kissed him.

Not on the cheek like a friend might, but full on the lips like… like grown-ups did when they loved each other. Like the people in the movies Mama sometimes watched late at night when she thought I was asleep.

Xenois went completely still, his whole body tensing up like he’d been shocked.

For a moment, neither of them moved, and I held my breath in the back seat, not sure what was happening but knowing it was important somehow.

Then Xenois pulled back, his face flushed and confused.

“Sophia,” he said, his voice strained. “You can’t… I’m married. We can’t do this.”

Mama’s expression changed instantly.

The soft, grateful look disappeared slowly and it was replaced by something cold that I was more used to.

“Right,” she said, her voice sharp now as she continued speaking in a bitter tone. “Your wife. The same wife who attacked me in a restaurant full of people. The same wife who terrified my child. That’s who you’re being faithful to.”

“It’s not that simple-”

“Isn’t it?” Mama’s voice was getting louder now, and I shrank back in my seat, getting scared again.

2/3

15:46 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 28

*She showed you exactly who she really is today, Xenois. And you’re still choosing her over someone who actually cares about you.”

“Sophia, please-”

185

‘No.’ She was already opening the car door, her movements quick and furious as she refused to listen to what he had to say to her. “I

understand perfectly. Come on, Riley.”

I got out of the car as quickly as I could, knowing better than to move slowly when Mama was in one of her moods. I wanted to look back at Xenois, and wanted to somehow communicate that I was sorry for whatever had just happened, but I didn’t dare.

‘I should go, Xenois said through the open car door. “I need to get back to the office.”

“Of course you do,” Mama replied, not even turning around. “Run back to your perfect life with your perfect wife.”

The car pulled away before I could wave goodbye, leaving us standing on the sidewalk in front of our house. For a moment, everything was quiet except for the sound of traffic in the distance.

Then Mama grabbed my arm.

“Inside. Now.”

Her grip was tight enough to hurt, and I stumbled as she dragged me toward the building entrance. I knew that tone, knew that grip,

knew exactly what was coming next.

The apartment door slammed shut behind us, and suddenly we were alone again. Just me and Mama and all the anger she’d been

holding back while Xenois was watching.

Comments

LIKE

Write Comments

< SHARE