She hurried into Emma’s old chamber and locked the door behind her. Leaning against it, she let out a shaky breath.

Then she frowned.

Evan already knew this chamber too.

She closed her eyes for a moment before pushing herself away from the door. Her gaze drifted around the quiet chamber, and before long, her thoughts wandered back to Emma’s royal matebond.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers brushing the blanket.

She couldn’t keep living in the past. Somehow, she had to find a way to start over.

Evan had been kind to her, and for a moment, she wondered if he could be the beginning of that new Chapter. But she quickly pushed the thought aside. She had trusted people before, and each time, she had paid dearly for it. This time, she would take things one step at a time and guard her heart.

She stretched out on the bed, still turning the thought over in her mind. At some point, her eyes closed.

The following moonrise, a loud knock jerked her awake.

Before she could gather her thoughts and figure out what was going on, another knock came at the door, followed by a female voice she didn’t recognize.

Lunara slipped out of bed and made her way downstairs. The pounding didn’t stop. Whoever was outside kept banging on the door instead of using the doorbell.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Evan stepping out of the cookhouse with a hand towel draped over his shoulder.

He looked at her and smiled.

“Relax,” he said. “I’ll get it.”

He walked toward the front door while Lunara stayed where she was, watching.

“Who is it?” Evan called, his hand closing around the doorknob.

Instead of answering, whoever stood outside slammed a fist against the door so hard the wood rattled.

Lunara drew in a sharp breath. Her fingers curled against her palm as she swallowed.

Evan glanced back at Lunara, giving her one more reassuring look before he unlocked the door.

The moment it opened, several angry women shoved past him and stormed into the house. Their eyes swept across the building until they landed on Lunara standing halfway up the staircase.

“You! You!”

A woman who looked so much like Evan that they could have been twins pointed at her and charged.

Evan hurried after her.

“Morgan, stop!”

He reached for her arm, but she shook him off with ease. The other women grabbed the waistband of his boxers and yanked him backward, holding him in place.

“Morgan, stop!” he shouted again, prying their hands away.

The shock finally wore off.

Lunara turned and ran.

She barely made it a few steps before Morgan caught the back of her nightgown. The fabric ripped with a sharp tear. Lunara stumbled, lost her balance, and hit the floor.

Evan struggled to get to her, but the women blocked his path, shoving him back every time he tried to break through.

“If I ever see you with my sibling again, I’ll make you regret it!” Morgan screamed.

She drove a kick into Lunara’s side, then threw the day’s Bulletin onto her.

Silence settled over the stairs.

Lunara pushed herself up with trembling hands. She gathered the torn pieces of her nightgown and held them against her body before reaching for the bulletin.

Her eyes fell on the front page.

There was a photo from the restaurant of the last moonfall.

The headline read:

“Lunara Greens Skipped Her Sibling’s Royal Matebond and Has Already Moved On with Her Sibling’s Ex.”

The paper slipped from her fingers.

Without a word, she turned and climbed the stairs. Tears blurred her vision before she reached the top.

Behind her, Evan shut the front door and hurried after her.

She walked into her bedchamber, closed the door halfway, and sank onto the floor beside the bed.

A moment later, Evan came in and sat beside her.

“Lunara… I’m sorry.”

He reached up to wipe the tears from her face.

She turned away, gently moved his hand aside, and brushed the tears from her cheeks with her own palm.

“We’ve helped each other enough,” she said quietly. “I think it’s time for you to go.”

“Lunara, I…”

She lifted a hand before he could finish.

“Evan, please. I’m barely holding myself together. I need some peace of mind right now. I can’t survive another fight.”

He stepped closer until only a breath separated them. His eyes dropped to her lips as he leaned in.

Lunara turned her face away and rested a hand against his chest, stopping him before he could kiss her.

“Please… stop.”

Her voice never rose, but it was enough.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then let out a slow breath. His shoulders sagged, and he lowered his forehead onto her shoulder.

“The biggest mistake I ever made was ending our engagement,” he murmured. “If I’d known I’d spend the rest of my life regretting it, I never would’ve walked away. When you came to the visitors’ chamber last moonfall… knowing you’re related to Emma made it feel like she was standing in front of me.”

Lunara slowly pulled away until there was space between them again.

“I’m not Emma,” she said. “And I never will be. Besides, she never loved you. Her heart has always belonged to Brandon Oliver.”

A bitter smile crossed Evan’s face.

“I know. But I kept telling myself she was starting to accept me.”

“That doesn’t matter anymore.” Lunara met his eyes, her voice steady despite the exhaustion written across her face. “It’s all in the past now, Evan. I want you to leave.”

He studied her for a long moment before speaking again.

“Can I at least finish making your breakfast?”

She hesitated, then gave a small nod.

“Alright.”

Evan quietly walked out of the chamber.

A few minutes later, he returned carrying a tray and set it on the table. The eggs were slightly overcooked, and the toast had browned more than it should have.

Lunara looked at the food from him. Then she picked up a fork and took a small bite.

“It isn’t perfect,” she admitted, “but… thank you.”

The tightness in Evan’s face eased, if only for a moment.

After Evan left, the house fell silent again.

Lunara wandered from one chamber to another, stopping now and then without knowing why. She tried to think of something that would keep her busy, something that would stop her mind from replaying the same thoughts over and over, but every idea died before it took shape.

No company would hire her. Her name alone would send people away. Even if she started a business, who would want to buy from her?

She stopped by the window and looked out at the quiet street.

Maybe it was time to leave.

The thought settled in her mind and refused to go away. She could sell the house and start over somewhere no one knew her name or cared about her past. Not just another country. Another continent. Somewhere she could breathe without feeling every pair of eyes judging her.

She picked up her device, opened each of her social media accounts one by one, and deactivated them. As each page disappeared, it felt like she was quietly closing the door on the life she had once known.

She was about to call Emma to tell her she wanted to sell the house and leave the country when her device rang.

Emma.

Lunara stared at the screen for a second before answering.

“Lunara, what’s going on?” Emma asked. “I just saw that you deactivated all your social media accounts.”

“A lot,” Lunara replied softly. “Can I come and see you?”

“We’re in Paris for a meeting right now.”

“Oh…” She lowered her eyes. “When are you coming back?”

“I’m not sure yet.” Emma paused. “Tell me what’s happening.”

Lunara tightened her grip on the device.

“I want to leave the country.”

There was a brief silence.

“Where do you want to go?” Emma asked.

“Ireland.” Lunara swallowed hard. “I want to sell the house too… because I’m never coming back.”

The words hung between them.

Lunara pressed her lips together and waited, unsure how Emma would react to the thought of selling the only home she had left.

“Why?” Emma asked softly.

Lunara lowered her eyes to the floor.

“I don’t have a life here anymore. There’s nothing left for me.” Her voice caught for a moment. “I lost my mother… my father… everything.”

Emma was quiet for a few seconds.

“Can you wait until I come back?”

Lunara closed her eyes and let out a slow breath.

“I’ll try.”

After they ended the call, the chamber fell silent again.

Then Brandon’s voice drifted faintly from Emma’s side just before the call disconnected.

Lunara froze.

A small, bitter smile touched her lips as she set the device beside her.

“The most painful thing in the world,” she whispered to herself, “is falling in love with a man who could never love you back.”

—

A month later, Emma invited her to the estate and even sent a driver to pick her up.

Lunara stood outside her house for several minutes, staring at the waiting car. Part of her wanted to turn around and go back inside. She wasn’t ready to return to the place that held so many memories of the life she had once dreamed would be hers.

In the end, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and climbed into the car.

By the time the estate’s automatic gates slid open, her vision had blurred with tears.

The grand mansion stood exactly as she remembered it, untouched by time.

For winters, she had imagined herself living there as Brandon’s mate. She had clung to that dream through nine long winters, convincing herself it was only a matter of time.

Now, looking at it from the back seat of a visitor’s car, she finally admitted the truth.

It had never belonged to her.

She had spent winters chasing a life that was never meant for her.

Taking a slow breath, she followed the driver into the living chamber.

For the first time since the final battle, she would have to face the person she had hurt the most.