Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 52

Chapter 52

SOPHIA

I winced partially from genuine pain and the rest for dramatic effect to sell it even more, so that Silvia would hate Lumina more, making it easier to get rid of her faster.

“To be very honest with you, it was frightening when it happened to me. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. The hatred in her eyes…” I trailed off, my voice wobbly a bit as Silvia picked up from where I had dropped off.

“I can only imagine the horror that you went through. Tell me, Sophia, do you feel safe at all? With her living so close, knowing she’s capable of such violence and that she can still snap and decide to commit more atrocities?”

It was a loaded question, and we both knew it. There was no hiding it now. She was giving me an opening to raise complaints about Lumina’s stability,

her fitness as a mother and mate.

“I try not to think about it. For Riley’s sake, I have to believe that was a once and done incident

“But you don’t believe that, do you?” She asked, certainty in her tone as I inhaled deeply

I hesitated, as if fighting with my conscience about this as I continued speaking.

“I’m worried about Oliver. If she could do that to me, a grown woman, what might she do to a child who displeases her somehow?”

“Exactly my concern.” Her voice was filled with satisfaction.

“Which is why I think Saturday’s dinner supposed to happen today is more important than ever.

We need to have a clear discussion about the future, about what kind of environment we want our grandsons growing up in.”

Grandsons. Plural. She was already thinking of Riley as family, as her grandson. This was better than I could have possibly hoped for. I said to myself trying to keep my happiness bottled up for now.

“If you truly think it would be helpful…”

“I do. In fact, I think it’s essential. Those boys deserve stability, Sophia. They deserve to grow up in a home where they feel safe and loved, where they’re not walking on eggshells around an unstable parental figure.”

“You’re right, of course. Riley has been through so much already, losing his father. The last thing he needs is more chaos in his life.”

‘Precisely. Which is why I think it’s time we adults started making some difficult but necessary decisions.”

My heart was racing now, but I kept my voice calm and concerned. “What kind of decisions?”

“The kind that prioritizes the children’s wellbeing above all else. The kind that recognizes when a situation has become too toxic for children to live in and then changed to a new place,”

She was talking about removing Lumina from the picture. Not just from Xenois’s life, but from Oliver’s as well. This was far more than I’d dared to hope

for when I’d returned to Silver Creek.

1/3

Chapter 52

‘Mrs. Blackwood, I hope you don’t think I came back here with any agenda regarding your family-”

“Oh, darling, I don’t care what agenda you had when you came back. What matters is what’s happening now, and what needs to happen going forward.” Her voice softened slightly. “You and Xenois have history. Good history. You were happy together once, weren’t you?”

“We were young-

“You were compatible. You understood each other. You brought out the best in each other. She paused meaningfully. “Unlike certain marriages that seem to bring out the worst in everyone involved.”

I closed my eyes, hardly daring to believe this was happening. Silvia Blackwood, the matriarch of the most powerful family in Silver Creek, was essentially offering to help me destroy her son’s marriage and claim his family for my own.

“Saturday at six,” I said finally. “Riley and I will be there.”

“Wonderful. And Sophia? Come prepared to speak honestly about what you want for your future. For both your futures.”

“I will.”

“Oh, and one more thing – might I have a word with young Riley? I’m so looking forward to meeting him properly.”

Panic flashed through me as I thought of Riley locked in the bathroom upstairs, probably still shivering from his punishment. “Oh, I’m sorry, but he’s

fast asleep. It’s been such an exhausting day for him, with everything that happened. He was completely worn out.”

“Of course, poor little thing. Another time then. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities to get acquainted this weekend.”

‘I’m sure we will.”

“Until Saturday then, dear. And Sophia? Welcome home.”

The line went dead, leaving me staring at my phone in amazement. In one phone call, Silvia Blackwood had just handed me the key to everything I’d been working toward. She wanted Lumina gone as much as I did, maybe more. She was ready to embrace Riley as her grandson, to accept me back into the

family fold.

All I had to do was play my part on Saturday night. Show up looking appropriately vulnerable but dignified, let Riley charm his way into everyone’s hearts, and watch as the Blackwood matriarch systematically dismantled her daughter-in-law’s position in the family.

I took another sip of wine, savoring both the alcohol and the taste of impending victory. Poor Lumina had no idea what was coming for her. She thought burning my hand was some kind of power play, some way to mark her territory and warn me off.

Instead, she’d just given me the perfect victim narrative and turned Xenois’s own mother into my ally.

I glanced at the stairs, knowing Riley was still locked in the bathroom where I’d left him. I should probably let him out soon, make sure he was presentable for Saturday’s performance. After all, he was going to be the star of the show the sweet, traumatized little boy who just wanted a stable family and a father figure.

The Irony wasn’t lost on me. While Lumina fought desperately to protect her family from threats that didn’t exist, the real threat was being invited to dinner by her own mother-in-law.