The Rejected Luna (Avery and Kaden) novel Chapter 21

**Between Then and Now by Mark Twain**
**Chapter 12**

**Lysander’s POV**

As soon as Carrie re-entered the room, her composure shattered like glass. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she rushed toward the three of us, her voice a desperate wail as she recounted the turmoil of the day.

“Lysander, is Christian mad at me?” she implored, her eyes wide with fear.

“Is Blair upset because I came back? I swear, I never meant to hurt her…”

Typically, we would have leaped to her aid, enveloping her in our protective embrace, offering words of comfort to soothe her troubled heart.

But this time, an invisible barrier held us back. We remained seated, enveloped in an unsettling silence. When Carrie finally paused, her breath hitching, we exchanged glances, and I spoke the words that felt heavy on my tongue, “Carrie, go upstairs. We’re tired.”

I watched her retreat up the staircase, each step echoing in the hollow space between us. A knot of unease twisted within me, a gut feeling that today, something about her was… different.

The living room fell into a heavy silence once more. The three of us sat on the couch, our thoughts swirling in a storm of unspoken words.

It was I who finally shattered the stillness, my voice barely a whisper. “This is my fault… If it weren’t for me, Blair wouldn’t be dead.”

I bowed my head, burying my face in my hands, trying to muffle the tempest raging inside. Yet, my voice trembled, betraying the turmoil within.

When Carrie had first returned, we had indulged Blair a little more than usual, perhaps out of spite, perhaps to prove a point. But as the years unfolded, those feelings had morphed into something genuine, something real. None of it had ever been a façade.

And now, in this moment of clarity, I recognized the truth—we had been so terribly wrong.

Zayden’s voice broke through my thoughts, soft yet insistent. “She seemed… a bit off earlier. Maybe we should check on her.”

I nodded, the weight of dread settling in my stomach as I reached for a glass of milk, a futile attempt to steady my nerves. We made our way upstairs, but before we could even knock on her door, a sudden crash echoed through the hallway—the unmistakable sound of glass shattering.

Then came Carrie’s voice, low and seething with fury, “That bitch Blair. I thought everything would be fine once she was dead—but no, she just won’t stay gone! I don’t know what trick she pulled to get everyone so worked up over her!”

I halted mid-step, my heart racing as I exchanged wide-eyed glances with my brothers.

What in the world did she just say?

“She can’t even stay quiet in death!”

We all held our breath, frozen in place outside her door, the air thick with tension.

“That bitch’s life is stubborn as hell. Snake venom didn’t kill her, the car crash didn’t finish her off…”

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