Chapter 24

Luna gets into the car, her heart heavy. The driver carefully places her luggage in the trunk. She rests her head against the car door, watching her father and brother at the door, silent tears streaming down her face. The farewell is inevitable, and the pain overwhelms everyone. The car slowly pulls away, and as it moves farther, Luna breaks down in tears. The driver looks in the mirror and asks compassionately, “Are you okay, Miss Luna?” She shakes her head, unable to articulate words. The journey to the Morgan residence is long, marked by the solitary sound of crying echoing through the deep sadness of the farewell.

After four hours of travel, Luna falls asleep in the back seat. Upon arriving at the Morgan residence, the driver exits the car and carefully opens the door. Calling Luna, she rises.

“We’ve arrived at the Morgan house, Miss Luna. You can wake up.”

Luna, groggy: “Where are we? What place is this?” She wipes the tears from her face.

“We’re at the Morgan residence. We’ve arrived.”

Luna: “How long did I sleep?”

“About four hours. It was a long trip. How are you feeling?”

Luna, sighing, said, “I'm still a bit dazed, but thank you for bringing me here.”

“If you need anything, I’m here to help. Have a good stay at the Morgan house.”

“Thank you.”

Luna gets out of the car, and the driver kindly takes her luggage to the door. Observing the property with slight apprehension, Luna hesitates while the driver encourages her: “Come on, Miss, they’re expecting you.” She finally walks to the door, where the driver opens it, revealing Mrs. Laura Morgan in the living room, waiting alongside her husband, Eddie Morgan.

Mrs. Laura Morgan expresses her thanks to the driver, followed by appreciative words from Eddie. Laura, addressing Luna kindly, says, “Come in, dear, don’t be shy. Let’s sit in the kitchen; you must be hungry after that long trip.” Luna, still apprehensive, remains still, but Eddie reassures her: “There’s no need to be afraid.” Luna then decides to follow them to the kitchen.

Luna settles into a chair next to Eddie and Laura. They ask her how the trip was while Laura serves hot soup and a cup of tea to face the chilly night.

“How was the trip, dear? Make yourself at home,” says Laura.

“Yes, tell us everything. We’re here to help,” Eddie asks eagerly.

“Here’s some soup to warm you up and tea to calm you. How are you feeling?”

(Luna sips the tea and starts to cry.)

“Calm down, Luna. You’re safe here,” Laura says, showing concern.

“How can I be safe when the only way out seems to be marriage to avoid something worse?” Luna becomes upset while crying.

(Eddie and Laura exchange worried glances, trying to understand Luna’s distress.)

“My dear, I know this is hard for you, but please calm down. Things aren’t as bad as you think,” Laura tries to soothe her.

“Calm down, drink the tea. We’ll explain everything; there’s no need to be anxious.” Eddie also tries to calm Luna.

Luna, finishing her tea, begins to calm down. Eddie, noticing her improvement, says they will explain the situation.

Eddie starts, “We’re happy to help. Your father was our friend for years; we studied together.”

Laura agrees, “Your mother was always dear to us. I met Eddie because of her.”

Eddie continues, “Your father told us you were in danger. Dom Carlo didn’t want to fight with his son, demanding that you marry to keep the peace.”

Luna interrupts, “What do you mean? Vincenzo told me they weren’t in on it.”

Laura replies, “Vincenzo had his reasons for lying. He was interested in you, and your father wanted you to marry to resolve the situation. We’re here to help. Our son, Owen, agreed to marry you on paper, just to calm Dom Carlo and ensure your safety.”

“This is very confusing for me; I don’t know what to believe anymore. My father and brother lied to me my whole life. I saw my father as an honest man, and in the end, he sold his soul to that wicked man. How can a father accept a son working for the mafia and another marrying to avoid death? Why didn’t he protect us? He could have found another way.” Laura speaks about her disappointment.

“Dear, I don’t know why your father hid this from you. Perhaps it was out of shame since, to him, you were always his little princess, and he didn’t want you to see him differently. But know that he did everything for your mother.” Laura tries to ease Luna’s pain.

“As parents, Luna, we will make many mistakes, but our love for our children is real. Your father may not have found the right means, but imagine someone about to lose the love of their life. He didn’t want to leave his children without their mother; he couldn’t accept losing her.” Eddie expresses what a father would do for his children.

“I know it was hard for him; I never thought it was easy. I remember him checking on my mother all the time to see if she was still alive. He barely slept. What upset me was that he hid it from me. Hearing it from someone else and not from him made it feel like I lived a lie all these years,” Luna reluctantly shares her feelings.

“Dear, what happened is in the past. We can’t go back in time, but know that he did what he could, and we’ll help you. Don’t worry. As you know, we have two children, Owen and Rhana.”

Before Laura can finish, Owen arrives in the kitchen, startled to see everyone there at that hour.

“Wow, what a shock! What the heck are you all doing here at this time?” Owen says, startled.

“Watch your language, Owen,” Eddie reprimands him.

“I’m sorry, I was startled. I thought you’d be asleep by now,” Owen apologizes.

“Son, as we mentioned, Luna was coming here. The trip was tiring, and she just arrived,” Laura explains everything.

Owen approaches Luna and is immediately struck by her beauty. He extends his hand to greet her.

“Nice to finally meet you. I hope you feel at home,” Owen says, blushing.

Extending her hand to shake his, Luna says, “Thank you for sacrificing yourself for me.”

“Don’t mention it. It won’t be a sacrifice. I know it might be strange to marry like this, and you probably planned your dream wedding with someone you love, and I’m not part of that. But I want to help you and don’t worry, I know this is just a formality on paper. But I’d like us to be friends if that’s okay with you,” Owen speaks shyly.

“It would be a pleasure, and once again, thank you. Thank you all. I’d like to rest a bit; today has been quite exhausting,” Luna says.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to your room,” Laura invites Luna.

Luna says goodnight to Eddie and Owen and goes up to the room with Laura.