Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 309

Chapter 309

LAKE

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“Still bothers me,” I muttered, but I was smiling despite myself. There was something freeing about criticizing the improbable physics of a video game, about engaging with something that was purely entertainment rather than training or survival.

We played for a while, with Ollie patiently explaining the mechanics while I fumbled through the controls.

I died repeatedly, mostly because my reflexes were still sluggish from the coma, but Ollie never seemed frustrated. If anything, he

looked delighted to have someone to teach.

“You’re actually pretty good for a first-timer,” he said as I managed to successfully complete a stealth section without getting

detected.

“Most people just run in guns blazing and wonder why they die.”

“Running in guns blazing is how you end up dead in real life too,” I said absently, then realized what I’d revealed. “I mean,

theoretically. Based on common sense.”

Ollie had gone quiet beside me, and when I glanced over, I saw him studying me with an expression that was far too perceptive for

someone his age.

“Riley’s not the only one who went through bad stuff with Andy, is he?” Ollie asked quietly.

I set down the controller, suddenly exhausted in a way that had nothing to do with physical weakness. “No,” I admitted. “He’s not.”

“But you still care about her,” Ollie observed. “Even though she did bad things.”

It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway.

“It’s complicated. She was the only family I had for a long time. The only person who seemed to want me around.”

“Until Riley,” Ollie said.

“Until Riley,” I agreed. “He changed everything.”

Ollie was quiet for a moment, processing this. Then he said, “I’m glad you have him. And I’m glad he has you. Even if it means I don’t

get much of him anymore.”

The matter-of-fact sadness in those words made my chest ache. “You’ll get him back,” I said with more confidence than I felt. “Once he works through his anger at your parents, once the medication evens out, you’ll get to know your brother properly. And he’s worth knowing, Ollie. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met.”

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Chapter 309

“Really?” Ollie asked, hope bleeding into his voice.

“Really,” I confirmed. “He’s loyal and protective and he feels everything so deeply it sometimes overwhelms him. That’s why the

medication dulls him so much-because without it, he’d drown in all those feelings. But underneath the numbness, he’s still there. He’s

still Riley.”

“How do you know?” Ollie asked. “How can you tell he’s still in there?”

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“Because when he looks at you, really looks at you, there’s guilt in his eyes,” I said. “He knows he’s hurting you by pushing you away.

He knows it’s not fair. That guilt means he cares, even if he can’t express it right now.”

Ollie absorbed this, and I could see him filing it away, adding it to his understanding of his complicated twin brother. “Thank you,” he

said finally. “For telling me that.”

“Thank you for not making this weird,” I replied. “For treating me like a person instead of like Riley’s damaged friend.”

“You’re not damaged,” Ollie protested immediately.

“I was in a coma for three days because I pushed my powers too hard,” I pointed out.

“And before that, I was helping Andy do terrible things to people. I’d say that qualifies as damaged.”

“Riley doesn’t think you’re damaged,” Ollie said firmly. “He thinks you’re brave.”

The word hit me like a physical blow. Brave. I’d never thought of myself as brave. Desperate, maybe. Reckless, certainly. But brave

suggested a kind of nobility I wasn’t sure I deserved.

“I’m not brave,” I said quietly. “I’m just trying to survive.”

“Sometimes that’s the same thing,” Ollie replied with surprising wisdom.

Before I could respond, the door burst open and Riley appeared, slightly out of breath like he’d been running. His eyes immediately found me on the couch, and I watched him do a quick visual assessment, checking for signs of distress or exhaustion.

“You okay?” he demanded, crossing the room in three quick strides. “Ollie didn’t let you overdo it, did he?”

“I’m fine,” I said, unable to keep the exasperation from my voice. “We just played video games. Very strenuous activity, sitting on a

couch and pressing buttons.”

Riley’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he turned to Ollie with an expression I couldn’t quite read. “Did he drink the

water?”

“Yes,” Ollie confirmed. “And he won two missions, which is apparently really good for someone who’s never played before.”

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Chapter 309

“Three missions, I corrected. “I won three.”

Riley’s lips twitched in what might have been the beginning of a smile. “Show-off.”

“Says the person who can hear private conversations from fifty feet away,” I shot back.

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The reminder of Riley’s strange ability seemed to deflate some of his protective energy. He sank onto the couch beside me, close

the enough that our shoulders were touching, and I felt some of the tension drain from my body. This was familiar, safe. Riley beside me, world slightly more manageable because I wasn’t facing it alone.

“Lyn wants to talk to you, Riley said quietly, and I felt my entire body go rigid. “Eventually. Not right now. But he wanted me to tell you that whenever you’re ready, he’s willing to have a conversation.”

I swallowed hard, trying to process that information. Lyn wanted to talk to me. The man I’d tortured, whose screams still echoed in my nightmares, wanted to have a conversation. What could I possibly say to him? How did you apologize for something like that?

“I’m not ready,” I managed, my voice coming out rougher than I’d intended.

“I know,” Riley said, his hand finding mine and squeezing gently. “That’s why I told him not yet. But eventually, Lake. Eventually you’re going to have to face this.”

“I know,” I echoed, but the words felt hollow. I knew I’d have to face what I’d done eventually. I just had no idea how to do it without

falling apart completely.

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart