Luna Who Broke the Line Chapter 05
The night of Talia’s celebration, Blackthorn Grand
Hotel’s banquet hall blazed with light.
My parents, Callum, and Gideon all arrived early.
Dressed in coordinated, elegant colors. Standing
together, they looked like a flawless family portrait.
Guests kept glancing back.
Talia glowed. But she feigned unease.
“I’m only going to a local Pack college. Isn’t this all a
bit… much?”
My parents shut that down immediately.
“Much? You’re our princess. You deserve the best of everything this world has to offer.”
Callum added, “If you don’t deserve this, no one does.”
Talia’s smile brightened. She twirled in front of Gideon, her fishtail skirt fanning out dramatically.
“Gideon. Do you like my dress?”
Gideon was clutching a gift meant for me. A pearl
bracelet I’d once stared at through a jewelry store window for a long time.
That day, he’d been so focused on finding Talia’s
birthday gift that he kept rushing me along.
Later, he remembered the way my face had fallen
when I put it down. The guilt had gnawed at him.
To find the same bracelet, he’d contacted three jewelry stores. He’d finally gotten it just before the dinner.
Now his mind was full of my face. The expression I
might make when I opened it.
Talia called his name several times. Nothing.
“Gideon? Are you listening?”
“Hm? What?”
“My dress.”
“Pretty.” He glanced at it without seeing. His eyes slid back to the doors.
Talia’s smile froze.
Before, just standing in front of him was enough to command all his attention. Tonight, he was waiting. For me.
Before she could make sense of it, her attention snagged on the velvet box in his hand. She snatched it
and flipped it open before he could stop her.
The pearl bracelet gleamed inside. Her eyes lit up.
“It’s gorgeous. Is this for me?”
She was already reaching to put it on.
Gideon took it back.
His voice was apologetic. But steady.
“Sorry. This is for Freya. No one else touches it.”
Talia watched him tuck the box carefully away. Beneath her sleeve, her nails bit into her palm.
She forced her voice steady. Red–rimmed eyes. Small. Hurt.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was for her. Something this precious… I shouldn’t have touched it. Someone like
me.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. Gideon’s expression flickered.
But he didn’t move to comfort her.
He just looked toward the entrance again.
I never walked through it.
As the dinner started, my parents and Callum muttered their irritation.
“Honestly. We were generous enough to invite her,
and she can’t even show up on time.”
“So ungrateful.”
Talia said softly, “Maybe she was embarrassed about
her scores. Didn’t want to face us.”
Gideon said nothing.
In the days after, he went with Talia to shop for
move–in supplies. But he was distracted. Checking his
phone constantly. Looking for something from me.
He even bought doubles of everything he got for Talia. Stashed them away. For me. For orientation day.
He didn’t believe I could avoid him forever. I had to show up for classes.
On the first day of the semester, he stood at the
entrance of Blackthorn Community College with a bag full of gifts. Waiting.
I never came.
What he got instead shattered him completely.