Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 308

Chapter 308

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Ollie’s hand froze on the handle. He turned to look at me with those wide, hopeful eyes that reminded me so painfully of how Riley used to look before Andy had taught him that hope was dangerous.

“He acts like he does,” Ollie said quietly. “He barely talks to me anymore. When he does, it’s like he’s forcing himself to be polite to a

stranger.”

“He’s hurt,” I explained, choosing my words carefully. “Xenois and Lumina lied to him his entire life. Or, not them specifically, but the lie existed and they were part of it. Andy was his aunt, Sophia was his mum, and then suddenly she wasn’t. They were strangers, and then

suddenly they were his parents. That’s a lot to process.”

“But I didn’t lie to him,” Ollie protested. “I didn’t even know he existed until a few month ago. I’m just as much a victim of the lie as

he is.”

“I know,” I said gently. “And deep down, Riley knows that too. But you’re also living proof of everything he lost. You got to grow up with Xenois and Lumina. You got the childhood he was supposed to have. Every time he looks at you, he sees what could have been his if Andy hadn’t stolen him. But he still cares for them and loves them, and the fact, he won’t see any of them in his entire life is shitty.”

Ollie’s eyes were filling with tears now, and I felt like an asshole for making him cry. But he needed to hear this, needed to understand that Riley’s distance wasn’t about him as a person.

“So he does hate me,” Ollie said, his voice breaking slightly.

“No,” I said firmly. “He’s hurt by Xenois and Lumina over the lies, so he’s processing that. But he doesn’t hate you. If he hated you, he wouldn’t have told you how to take care of me just now. He wouldn’t have made sure you knew where everything was in the room. He

wouldn’t care about including you.”

“He was just being protective of you,” Ollie argued, but I could see the hope starting to creep back into his expression.

“He was also giving you instructions on how to help,” I countered. “That means he trusts you, at least a little bit. He just doesn’t know how to show it yet because he’s too busy being angry at his parents.”

Ollie wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, and I pretended not to notice. “Do you think he’ll ever forgive them? Forgive

everyone?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I know he wants to. Riley’s not naturally cold or distant. That’s the medication talking, and the trauma. Underneath all that, he’s still the person who cares too much about everyone and everything.”

“Is that why he cares so much about you?” Ollie asked, and there was no jealousy in the question, just genuine curiosity.

“Partially,” I said. “But also because we went through similar things. We understand each other in ways that are hard to explain to

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Chapter 308

people who weren’t there.”

:

(93

Ollie nodded slowly, processing this. Then he opened the door to their room, revealing a surprisingly large space that had clearly

been set up to accommodate multiple people. Two beds on opposite walls, a sitting area with the convertible couch he’d mentioned, a

private bathroom visible through an open door.

“This is nice,” I said, meaning it. “Way nicer than where Andy had us staying.”

“Where did Andy have you staying?” Ollie asked, helping me navigate toward the couch.

I froze, realizing too late that I’d opened a door I wasn’t ready to walk through. How did I explain the basement apartment, the reinforced walls designed to contain us if our powers got out of control, the way every piece of furniture was bolted down so it couldn’t be

used as a weapon?

“Nowhere important,” I said finally, sinking onto the couch with relief. My legs were shaking from the exertion of walking this far, and

I hated the weakness even as I acknowledged it was necessary to rest.

Ollie hovered uncertainly, clearly wanting to ask more questions but also aware that I’d just shut down that line of inquiry. After a moment, he moved to grab a glass from the bathroom, filling it with water and bringing it to me without being asked.

“Thank you,” I said, accepting it gratefully. The simple kindness of the gesture hit me harder than it should have. This was what normal people did-they saw someone in need and helped without calculating what they’d get in return, without considering whether showing care made them vulnerable.

“So,” Ollie said, settling into a chair across from me with that eager energy that suggested he was dying to move past the awkward

moment.

“Once you’re feeling better, I can show you Call of Duty. It’s really cool, and there’s this one level where you have to infiltrate this

base, and-”

“I’m feeling better now,” I interrupted, surprising both of us. “Show me.”

His face lit up like I’d just told him he won the lottery. He practically tripped over himself getting to his gaming system, setting it up with the kind of practiced efficiency that spoke of hours spent on this hobby.

As he launched the game and started explaining the controls, I found myself relaxing slightly. This was easy, safe. This was a kid being excited about something he loved, wanting to share it with someone new.

There were no hidden agendas, no manipulations, no tests to pass or fail.

“Okay, so you press this button to aim, and this one to shoot,” Ollie was saying, demonstrating on his own controller. “And if you need to reload, it’s this button here. The important thing is to stay in cover and not rush in, because-*

“Because rushing in gets you killed before you can assess the situation,” I finished, the words automatic from years of Andy’s training.

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Chapter 308

Ollie looked at me with surprise. “Exactly! Did you play this before?”

“No,” I said carefully. “But the strategy applies to most combat situations.”

“Most combat situations,” Ollie repeated slowly, and I saw understanding dawn in his eyes. “Right. Because you and Riley… you did

actual combat stuff. With Andy.”

I didn’t confirm or deny it, just accepted the controller he offered and focused on the screen. The game was starting, some kind of

mission briefing playing out in dramatic cinematic style.

“This looks fake as hell,” I observed as the main character jumped out of a helicopter without any safety equipment. “There’s no way

his spine doesn’t shatter on impact.”

“It’s a video game,” Ollie laughed. “It’s supposed to be unrealistic.”

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart