Reclaiming My Broken Luna 2

Astrid's POV

The silence after the call ended was heavier than the words I hadn't spoken.

I remained frozen, clutching the phone as though its weight could tether me to the choices I had made.

Each unspoken truth tightened like a vice around my chest, each lie stealing the air I so desperately needed.

I wanted nothing more than to turn back, to run to Ryker and finally tell him who I really was.

But how could I? How could I be so selfish, so reckless? I knew the truth about my condition - how dangerous and uncertain everything is. How could I let him get close to me, knowing how it will all end?

The thought of Ryker loving me, only to lose me, was unbearable. I couldn't let him go through that pain, the kind of pain that had already hollowed me out.

I knew it too well - the ache of losing someone you'd give anything to keep. The searing, unrelenting agony of losing my husband, the devastation of outliving my child.

I wouldn't wish that torment on anyone, least of all Ryker.

A shiver coursed through me as I stared at my trembling hand, willing it to stay steady. But my composure wavered, the cracks too wide to mend.

Every word I'd said on that call was a lie. There was no urgent matter to attend to. It was all an excuse in my desperate attempt to protect them, to keep distance between us.

It was better this way. Better for them.

If I stayed away, it would be less hard for them to live without me. They wouldn't have to endure the pain of losing me.

I closed my eyes and drew a shaky breath, trying to suppress the storm building inside me. But the ache refused to be buried.

The moment I let go of the phone, the tears came. Hot, relentless, and unyielding, they slipped past the defenses I'd tried so hard to maintain.

I sank to the floor, pressing my hands to my face as the sobs overtook me, my body wracked with grief.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. Every regret, every fear, every longing poured out of me like a dam breaking.

Deep down, all I wanted was to be with them. To savor whatever time I had left.

But I couldn't be selfish-not with their happiness at stake. I couldn't sacrifice their peace for my fleeting joy.

I rose from the floor, collecting myself together through the strength of my resolve.noveldrama

The weight of my grief is still there, but hope burned brighter inside me, fueled by my determination.

Hope, fragile yet unyielding, blossomed within me.

Even if the odds were slim, even if the path ahead was riddled with uncertainty and hardship, I had to try.

And if I failed if death was the only solution then I could face the end knowing I had done everything I could.

There would be no regrets and in this short life I am given, I would still be grateful for the chance of

knowing the truth, for reconciling.

with Killian, for meeting Ryker life, and knowing who my father

was.

But if I succeeded - if by some

I

this

miracle I found a way to defy this et

condition - I would return to them. I would no longer hold back, no longer keep them at arm's length.

I would let them in fully, with no secrets, no lies. And I would cherish every

moment we had, no matter how short or long we have.

Straightening my spine, I walked towards Alpha Theron's office, my footsteps resolute.

I'll speak to him about my decision to stay here and help searching for my cure.

Just as I arrived at the hallway leading to his office, I found him just right outside talking Asha.

I could feel the tension between them even though there's great distance between

us.

I was about to announce my presence, but I felt I have gone at a wrong time.

They were so tense that they haven't even realized I was there.

I was about to turn around to leave when I heard them mention my name.

I froze instantly, my mind growing curious about their conversation Instead of leaving, I chose to stay when I realized that they were talking about me.