Rise Of A Shattered Luna (Natalie) by Kave Derry novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168 The Ghost Of A Mother

Natalie’s POV

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The city blurred past the tinted windows of the car, a smear of gray concrete and flashing neon signs.

My heart was still thrumming with the residual adrenaline of the confrontation/at the Moonmilk Cafe.

But as we approached the upscale district surrounding the Diamond Mall, my heart began to soften.

My gaze drifted to the window, catching sight of a giant digital billboard advertising a family theme park.

I thought of the villa.

I thought of Sean and Susie.

They would be waking up from their nap soon, Yvonne would be there but I wouldn’t.

Guilt pierced through my chest.

For four years, they had grown while I was a prisoner.

I had never bought them a single toy.

I had missed every milestone, and while Baron had ensured they lived like royalty, he couldn’t give them the one thing only a mother could: the simple joy of being pampered.

“Stop the car,” I said, my voice steady despite the sudden tightness in my throat.

The driver obeyed instantly, pulling the car to a smooth halt in front of the mall’s grand

entrance.

Chris, sitting in the passenger seat, turned his head, his expression alert.

He must have assumed I sensed a threat. “Luna, do you have further instructions?”

“No, Chris,” I said, checking my reflection in the small vanity mirror.

I smoothed my hair. “Have the others head back to the villa… You come with me. I have some shopping to do.”

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Chapter 168 The Ghost Of A Mother

Chris blinked, confusion evident on his face. “Shopping, Miss?”

“For my children,” I clarified.

He didn’t ask another question.

He simply nodded.

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He stepped out and opened my door. “I’ll have the escort team return. I’ll park the vehicle in the underground lot and meet you at the fountain. Wait for me here a moment, Miss. It’s public space.”

“Alright,” I agreed.

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I stepped onto the sidewalk, the afternoon sun warm against my skin.

I watched the car pull away, leaving me standing there.

For the first time in days, I felt like a normal person.

My eyes wandered across the storefronts until they landed on a boutique nestled between a high–end jeweler and a designer shoe store.

The sign was written in a whimsical, gold–leaf script.

In the window, perched on a velvet pedestal, was a little princess dress.

It was made of layers of blush–toned tulle, embroidered with tiny silver stars that caught the light.

It was impossibly cute.

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I immediately thought of Susie… her round cheeks, her bright smile and the way her eyes would shimmer in the dress.

I could almost feel her small arming

around my neck in a frantic thank–you hug.

I pushed open the heavy glass door, the chime above it ringing with a cheerful tone.

The scent of lavender and expensive cotton enveloped me.

“Excuse me.” I said, my voice rising slightly with a touch of genuine excitement.

Can I get that star–embroidered dress in the window? I believe I’ll need a size 120,”

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Chapter 168 The Ghost Of A Mother

The shop assistant started to turn, but someone else beat her to it.

A woman was standing by a rack of lace cardigans, her back to me.

At the sound of my voice, she stiffened.

She turned her head slowly, as if she were afraid of what she might see.

My heart skipped a beat, and then dropped into the pit of my stomach.

Quincy Summers.

The woman who had raised me.

The woman I had called “Mother” for over a decade.

Our gazes locked.

Quincy’s eyes flew wide, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle a gasp.

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“Natalie?” she whispered, her voice trembling so violently I could hear the heartbreak in it. “Natalie… is that you?”

She hurried toward me, her footsteps frantic.

For a second, the old instincts screamed at me to duck and hide.

But as she got closer, she stopped.

She blinked, her eyes drinking in my face.

I wasn’t the Natalie she remembered.

The look on my face made her second guess herself.

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“I… I’m sorry. Quincy stammered, he

shoulders sagging as she took a step back.

The hope died out of her eyes, replaced by a crushing, hollow grief.

“I mistook you for someone else. You bear a striking resemblance to my daughter, but… she passed away. I am so sorry for staring.”

She apologized quickly, but her eyes couldn’t tear themselves away from me.

I stood there, frozen.

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Chapter 168 The Ghost Of A Mother

I could walk away.

That would be the easiest thing.

But my feet didn’t move.

I watched her.

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Quincy looked older, there were deep lines of worry etched around her mouth, and her clothes seemed to hang loosely on a frame that had grown frail.

I realized, with a pang of bitter irony, that she desperately missed me.

Back when I hadn’t known that I wasn’t her biological daughter, we used to shop together all the time.

But after Sharon came… everything changed.

Quincy stood there, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at me.

“So much alike,” Quincy rambled, her voice hushed and disoriented.

“The eyes… the way she stands… so much alike! But she isn’t my Natalie. My Natalie died long ago in that fire. She was so gentle. She would never look at me with such coldness.”

Her voice wavered.

Then steadied.

“No… no, that’s not right…”

She took a hesitant step toward me again.

Close enough that I could see the fine tremor in her lashes.

“Your eyes…” she whispered. “They’re the same.”

Her eyes searched my face again.

Desperate now.

As if she was trying to force the recognition.

Beside her, a middle–aged woman in a plain navy dress their long–time housekeeper, Lucy quickly stepped forward to support her.

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Chapter 168 The Ghost Of A Mother

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Lucy looked at me with a mix of suspicion and pity before turning her attention back to Quincy.

“Madam, you must be tired,” Lucy said softly, her voice full of a protective concern. “You’ve been shopping all morning and the heat is getting to you. You’ve mistaken this lady for someone else. Why don’t we head home? The Alpha will be waiting.”

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