Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 297

Chapter 297

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The casual use of our mother’s first name always jarred me. Riley had never called her Mom, not even once since he learned the truth

about Sophia. And before then he was still calling Sophia Mama, although he called Lumina Mama too, but I could see it was just to act

he was grateful and happy, while waiting for a dead woman to come pick him up.

Now that Sophia was dead, and Riley found out that they had lied about it, It was Lumina and Xenois, like they were distant relatives

or family friends rather than his actual parents.

Dr. Sloane said it was a defense mechanism, a way of maintaining emotional distance while he processed his trauma.

“You could come back, to school in Silver Creek. You were always smart and you gave me a run for my money back then” I said

carefully. “If you wanted to. Everyone misses you.”

Riley’s laugh was quiet and bitter.

“No, they miss who they thought I was. The kid who was eager to please and grateful for attention. That person doesn’t exist

anymore.”

The words hit me like a physical blow, partly because they were true. The Riley who had first come to live with us had been desperate

for approval, working so hard to fit in and be the son our parents wanted.

He’d been damaged and confused, about a lot of things, but he had actually put in effort, there had been something hopeful about him, something that suggested he wanted to be part of our family.

This version of Riley was different calmer in some ways, but also hollowed out, like someone had scooped away everything that

made him himself and left only the shell.

The medication helped with his panic attacks and the violent flashbacks, but it couldn’t restore whatever Sophia’s death and Andy’s

brain game had taken from him.

“I miss him too,” I said quietly, not caring if it was the wrong thing to say.

Riley turned to look at me again, and for a moment his careful mask slipped. I saw something raw and grieving in his expression, a acknowledgment of loss that went beyond just missing Lake or worrying about the move to Silver Creek.

“He’s not coming back,” Riley said.

“That version of me died with Sophia. This is who I am now.”

Before I could respond, Dad’s phone started ringing. He glanced at the caller ID and pulled over to the curb, his face shifting into the expression that made me worried because something important was happening.

“Dr. Sloane? Is everything alright?” His voice carried that tone of worry and panic that I’d learned to associate with bad news about

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12:53 Thu, Jan 29 M

Chapter 297

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Lake’s condition. “What do you mean unusual activity?”

Ø (93)

I saw Riley sit up straighter beside me, his calmness suddenly pierced by sharp anxiety. Something was happening at the hospital.

Something involving Lake.

“What’s wrong?” Mom asked, twisting in her seat to look at Dad with the same concern I could hear in his voice.

“Increased brain activity,” Dad explained, his phone still pressed to his ear as he listened to whatever Dr. Sloane was telling him.

“Elevated heart rate, muscle responses. They think he might be waking up.”

The words hit the car like lightning. Lake was waking up. After days of unconsciousness, of mechanical breathing and monitored

silence, he was finally fighting his way back to consciousness.

“We have to go back,” Riley said, leaning forward in his seat with more animation than I’d seen from him in days. “We have to be

there when he wakes up.”

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart