The Broken Luna, Now His Regret novel Chapter 17

17 Chapter 17 The Confession

The sunroom was flooded with afternoon light, making everything look deceptively peaceful. Brielle sat at the small table, a coloring book spread before her, crayons scattered across the surface. But she wasn’t coloring. She was just sitting there, staring at nothing, her small face creased with worry far too heavy for such young shoulders.

When she heard footsteps and looked up to see Mira, her entire body went rigid. The crayon in her hand clattered to the table.

“Hi, baby,” Mira said softly, her voice breaking on the endearment. She moved slowly, carefully, kneeling down to be at Brielle’s eye level. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Brielle’s lip trembled, and for a moment, Mira thought she might launch herself into her arms the way she used to. But then the little girl’s face hardened, and when she spoke, her voice was cold in a way that no four–year–old’s should ever be.

“You made Daddy cry.”

The words were a knife straight through Mira’s heart, twisting viciously. “I know, sweetheart. I’m so sorry you had to see that. I never wanted to hurt Daddy or you-”

“He cried in his study for a really long time. I heard him through the door.” Brielle’s eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back furiously, as if crying was a weakness she couldn’t afford. “He thought I was asleep, but I wasn’t. I heard him crying and saying your name over and over. Why did you tell all those people mean things about Daddy? Why did you want to hurt him?”

Mira felt her own tears threatening but fought them back. She had to be strong for this. “Brielle, sometimes grown–ups hurt each other. Not on purpose, but because we make mistakes. And when that happens, we have to talk about it so we can heal and get

better.”

“But you didn’t just talk about it! You told everyone! You went on TV!” Brielle’s voice rose, her small hands clenching into fists. “Now everyone at preschool says mean things about our family. They say Daddy’s bad and you’re leaving him and it’s all wrong and I hate it!”

The anguish in her daughter’s voice nearly broke Mira’s composure completely. She reached out tentatively, but Brielle jerked away from her touch.

“Don’t touch me! You’re the one who left! You’re the one who made everything bad!”

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Dr. Hartley started to intervene, but Mira shook her head slightly. This pain, this anger -Brielle needed to release it.

“You’re right,” Mira said quietly, settling back on her heels. “I did leave. And I’m sorry that hurt you. But Brielle, I need you to understand something very important. Can you listen to me? Really listen?”

Brielle’s jaw set stubbornly, but she gave a tiny nod.

“When you were born, something went very wrong with Mommy’s body. Do you know.

what a coma is?”

Brielle shook her head.

“It’s like sleeping, but you can’t wake up no matter how hard you try. Mommy was in a coma for three whole days after you were born. The doctors weren’t sure if I was going to wake up at all.” Mira’s voice was steady despite the memories flooding back–the terror, the pain, the certainty that she was dying. “But do you know what kept me fighting to wake up?”

Another head shake.

“You. The thought of holding you. The thought of being your mommy.” Mira smiled through her tears. “And when I finally woke up, all I wanted–more than anything in the whole world–was to see you and Daddy. To hold my baby and have my husband tell me everything was going to be okay.”

Brielle was listening now, her anger momentarily forgotten in the face of a story she’d never heard before.

“But when I woke up, Daddy wasn’t there. He’d only visited once in three days. And when he finally came…” Mira swallowed hard. “He held you for maybe five minutes. Then he left again. Said he had important business to take care of.”

“What business?” Brielle asked, her voice smaller now.

“He went to see Auntie Astrid. Because she was sad about something, and Daddy thought helping her was more important than being with me when I’d just almost died.”

Brielle’s eyes widened. “But… but Auntie Astrid is nice. She wouldn’t-”

“Auntie Astrid is very nice to you, baby. And I’m genuinely glad about that. I’m glad she reads to you and braids your hair and makes you feel loved.” Mira’s voice was sincere.

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“But here’s the thing grown–ups sometimes don’t tell children: someone can be nice to you and still do things that hurt other people. Auntie Astrid was nice to you, but she and Daddy did things that hurt Mommy very, very badly.”

Brielle’s face scrunched up with the effort of processing this. “Like what things?”

Mira glanced at Dr. Hartley, who gave an encouraging nod.

“You know how at preschool, everyone has a best friend? Someone they spend all their time with and share secrets with?”

“Like me and Emma!”

“Exactly. Well, when grown–ups get married, they promise to be each other’s best friend forever. They promise that the other person will always be the most important. But Daddy broke that promise. He made Auntie Astrid his best friend instead of Mommy. He spent all his time with her instead of with me. And that hurt Mommy’s heart very badly.”

“Why didn’t you tell him it hurt?” The question was so innocent, so childlike, that Mira almost laughed through her tears.

“I did tell him, sweetheart. So many times. But he didn’t listen. Or maybe he listened but didn’t care enough to change.” Mira took a shaky breath. “And Grandma Selene- she was mean to Mommy too. She said cruel things and made me feel very small and not good enough. And Daddy… Daddy let her. He didn’t protect me the way husbands are supposed to protect their wives.”

Brielle was crying now, tears streaming down her face. “So it’s Daddy’s fault you’re leaving? It’s his fault our family is broken?”

“No, baby. It’s nobody’s fault. Or maybe it’s everybody’s fault a little bit.” Mira opened her arms tentatively. “Sometimes grown–ups just can’t be together anymore. But I need you to understand something–can you come here? Please?”

After a long, agonizing moment, Brielle slid off her chair and walked slowly toward Mira. When she was close enough, Mira pulled her into her lap, and Brielle didn’t resist this time.

“Listen to me very carefully,” Mira said, holding her daughter close and breathing in the familiar scent of her strawberry shampoo. “Mommy is never, ever leaving you again. Do you understand? You are the most important thing in my entire world. I would die for you. I almost did die for you. And nothing–not Daddy, not Grandma

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Selene, not anyone–is going to keep me away from you ever again.”

“But you already did leave,” Brielle sobbed against her shoulder. “You went away for so long and you didn’t come back and I cried every single night and nobody would tell me where you were—”

“I know. I know, baby, and I am so, so sorry.” Mira rocked her gently, the way she used. to when Brielle was an infant. “But that’s never going to happen again. From now on, you’re going to live with Mommy. We’ll have our own house, just you and me. And you can decorate your room however you want, and we’ll have pancakes for breakfast every Sunday, and I’ll read you three bedtime stories every night instead of just one.”

“Three?” Brielle pulled back slightly, hope flickering in her tear–stained eyes.

“Three,” Mira confirmed with a watery smile. “And you’ll see Daddy whenever you want. He’ll come visit, and you can stay with him sometimes too. We’re both going to love you so, so much. We just can’t live together anymore.”

“Because he hurt you too much?” Brielle’s voice was impossibly small.

“Because we hurt each other too much. And staying together would only hurt you

more.”

Brielle buried her face back in Mira’s shoulder and cried–deep, wrenching sobs that shook her tiny frame. And Mira held her, rocked her, whispered soothing nonsense, and felt pieces of her shattered heart slowly beginning to knit back together.

Through the open doorway, hidden in the shadows of the hallway, Kieran stood watching this scene unfold. He watched his daughter break down in Mira’s arms. Watched Mira comfort her with the kind of patient, unconditional love he’d never properly appreciated. Watched the two of them cling to each other like drowning people who’d finally found shore.

And he understood with devastating clarity that this moment–this reconciliation, this healing–was only possible because he’d finally gotten out of the way.

He’d spent five years inserting himself between Mira and Brielle, letting Astrid and his mother poison their relationship, creating barriers where there should have been unbreakable bonds.

And now, watching them together, he saw what he’d destroyed.

Not just a marriage. Not just a family.

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But the most pure, beautiful love he’d ever witnessed–the love between a mother and daughter.

And it was his fault it had almost been lost forever.

Cassian appeared beside him silently, following Kieran’s gaze to the sunroom,

“You should go,” Cassian said quietly. “Your presence is only making this harder.”

“I know.” But Kieran couldn’t seem to move. Couldn’t tear his eyes away from the family

he’d broken.

“The pack council is waiting. They need your answer about-”

“Tell them I’ll accept whatever decision they make.” Kieran’s voice was hollow. “If they want to remove me as Alpha, I won’t fight it. I don’t deserve the position anyway.”

Cassian’s eyes widened in shock. “Sir—”

“I destroyed my mate, alienated my daughter, and brought shame to the pack through my own selfishness and weakness. Why would they want me to continue leading?” Kieran finally turned away from the heartbreaking scene in the sunroom. “Maybe it’s time for someone else. Someone who actually deserves the power.”

He walked away, leaving Cassian staring after him in stunned disbelief.

Because in that moment, watching Mira and Brielle begin to heal the damage he’d caused, Kieran Ravencrest finally understood what true strength looked like.

And it had nothing to do with being Alpha.

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