She’s covered in a blanket, her gaze fixed out the window. In this position, she has a clear view of the front of the house, where End just dropped me off. There’s no doubt in my mind she saw what happened. I would think she’d be excited. She’s the one who’s always pushed for me to try my luck with him, but she seems quiet and reserved tonight. Almost pensive. As if something heavy is weighing on her mind.
“What are you still doing up?” I ask, taking the seat next to her. She finally turns to look at me. The lines around her mouth are deep as she purses her lips.
Something is definitely wrong.
She searches my gaze, looking for something. But I have no clue what.
“I want you to be honest with me if I ask you something.”
My heart drops at her tone. Something is most definitely off here. My heart pounds and a stone settles in the pit of my gut.
“Okay,” I say, my voice trembling with wariness.
“Who’s Luna’s father?”
My heart does something weird at that moment. As panic fills my chest, my heart stops beating, yet pounds a violent rhythm all at once. It’s almost like I’m having an out-of-body experience. I can see the moment happening, but I can’t grasp it. I can’t grasp anything. Dread settles, cold and heavy over my shoulders, digging its claws into my skin.
I can slowly feel the blood drain from my face when she starts speaking again, obviously realizing I’m not going to answer.
“While you were at work earlier, I took Luna to the park with your father. We ran into Freya, Endymion’s sister. Her daughter…her daughter is the spitting image of Luna. It was all we could talk about—Freya and me—just how much they look alike.”
A sinking feeling enters my stomach. It feels like all the walls are closing in around me. Like someone is quite literally stealing the air from my lungs, making it impossible to pull in a single breath.
“That’s…that’s…” I trail off, unable to form a coherent thought. I have no more lies. I have nothing left.
My mom gives me a look. It’s one that’s filled with disappointment and something else I can’t quite put my finger on. That look alone has my heart shriveling, dropping onto the carpet between us and shattering. I place a trembling hand over my mouth, trying to hold in the impending sob.
I collapse into a heap next to her, dropping my head into my hands. The dam finally breaks free. A sob tears from my chest, and I feel my mom’s warm hand slide around my back, trying to comfort me.
“Talk to me, Selene. What’s going on?” she implores.
“Before we left for Pasadena, I was at the creek one night. I just wanted one more night there before I left because I wasn’t sure if I’d ever come back. That night, Endymion came by the creek.” I pause, replaying the events of that night. My heart squeezes uncomfortably as I replay it all, frame by frame. I was so dumb. I was just a stupid girl in love. “That was the first night I felt like he finally saw me. We talked, and it was…it was different. I-I don’t know how, but one thing led to another, then…”
My mom clears her throat, obviously understanding where I’m going with the story. Tears trail down my cheeks when I look back up at her.
“The next day, I went over to see him and talk to him. I thought that night had changed things. I was so caught up in him that I considered leaving the idea of college behind just to be with him.” My mom’s lips thin into a grim line. She obviously doesn’t like that—doesn’t like where my head was. It’s crazy; the things love will make you do. “He didn’t even remember. He was so drunk that night that he didn’t remember me or what we did. I saw him with Holly, and it felt like…it felt like a betrayal. I felt like I had given him every piece of me, and he wasn’t even of sound mind to notice.”
Pity enters my mom’s eyes, and I hate it. I hate that she pities me. “Oh, honey,” she whispers.
“In Pasadena, I didn’t notice the symptoms at first. It wasn’t until my roommate talked me into taking a pregnancy test that I realized what had happened. I was pregnant with Endymion’s baby, and he didn’t even remember how it happened. I