Can You Be My Luna

Chapter 5 THE WEIGHT OF THEIR SHADOWS

I woke up that morning with my body aching and my mind still raw from the previous day’s humiliation. My face still bore the faint sting where Lucas had struck me, and my stomach churned remembering the taste of the food I had been forced to eat.

The mansion was quiet, the kind of silence that made every creak of a floorboard sound louder and every breath feel too loud. I had hoped that Aunt Locia would be nearby, but she had disappeared somewhere in the maze of servants’ corridors.

It was Vanessa’s voice that broke the stillness.

“Silver!” she called, loud and sharp. “Lucas’s room. Now!”

I froze. My heart sank, dreading what awaited me.

Vanessa’s footsteps approached, rapid and deliberate, each one a warning. When she appeared in the doorway, my chest tightened at the sight of her. She was the picture of careless luxury, a messy robe draped around her body, hair falling in wild strands around her face, eyes sparkling with mischief and cruelty.

“You’ve really got your work cut out for you today,” she said, brushing her hair back with a careless hand. “We made quite the mess last night….”

I swallowed hard, my stomach twisting. She was talking about Lucas and her… intimacy, I realized, and the thought made my chest constrict.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said quietly, my voice barely audible. My hands were trembling as I followed her down the long corridor, my steps echoing on the polished floors.

When we arrived at Lucas’s bedroom, Vanessa stepped aside, smirking at me. “I’ll leave you to it. Try not to break anything,” she said, her laughter trailing behind her as she left.

I stood at the doorway for a moment, my gaze sweeping the room. The sight was overwhelming sheets crumpled, clothing scattered across the floor, glasses and empty bottles carelessly tossed on tables. It looked as if a storm had passed through, leaving only chaos in its wake.

I bit my lip and took a deep breath, reminding myself I had no choice. The work was mine, and every movement I made would be watched.

I started with the bed, pulling the sheets and blankets into my arms, folding and tucking them with careful precision. My hands were shaking, but I moved steadily, focusing on the task. I picked up discarded clothing, folding what I could and placing the rest in a basket. I wiped down surfaces, rearranged chairs, and carefully collected every stray item.

It felt endless. Every surface I cleaned reminded me that I was stepping into a world that wasn’t mine, a world where I existed only as a servant, an object, a plaything for people who had no respect for me.

And then I heard the door open.

I froze, my hands clutching a pillow mid-fold. Lucas entered, his presence filling the room instantly. He stood in the doorway, his dark eyes scanning me as if I were nothing more than a piece of furniture he was judging.

“Well, well,” he said, his voice dripping with amusement.

“What do we have here? Silver, cleaning my bedroom… how quaint.”

I swallowed hard and lowered my gaze, my chest tightening. My hands trembled, but I continued working, hoping he would leave.

But he didn’t. He stepped closer, leaning casually against the dresser, watching me with that same cold amusement that had haunted me since the day we married.

“You’re so small,” he said, almost to himself. “Do you always move like you’re afraid someone will notice you?”

My fingers faltered for a moment. I could feel my face heating, the familiar mix of shame, fear, and anger bubbling inside me. I wanted to disappear, but something deep in me refused to shrink anymore.

I straightened slightly, my voice trembling but firm. “Why… why are you so cruel to me?” I asked, my eyes finally meeting his.

“What have I ever done to you?”

For a moment, his expression froze. His dark eyes narrowed, and I thought I saw a flicker of something behind them.

Then he said nothing.

He didn’t answer. He simply turned and walked out of the room, the door clicking shut behind him.

I stood there, frozen, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn’t understand it. He had never spoken to me like that before, not without mockery or orders. And yet… he had left. Without another word.

I sank to the floor, the cleaned sheets sliding from my arms. My body trembled, tears threatening again, but this time, they weren’t just from fear or humiliation. They were confusion, frustration, and a strange, unexplainable relief all tangled together.

“What… was that?” I whispered to myself. “Why did he leave?”

The room was quiet again, the only sound my ragged breathing. I felt exhausted, more than I had ever been, and yet, beneath the heaviness in my chest, there was a small pulse of something unfamiliar.

I had confronted him, dared to speak, and he hadn’t struck me down. He hadn’t mocked me this time.

I pressed my palms against my face, trying to steady my thoughts. Maybe… maybe that spark of defiance, buried under years of fear and abuse, was starting to wake. Maybe the fire Aunt Locia had hinted at wasn’t gone after all.

But even as that tiny ember flickered, I couldn’t ignore the shadows lingering in the mansion. Vanessa and Lucas were upstairs, probably laughing about what I had just done. I could imagine them now her leaning against him, smirking, his dark eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of control. I shivered, remembering their cruelty.

And yet… despite the fear, despite the humiliation, I felt something shift inside me. For the first time, I had spoken, and I hadn’t been punished.

I bent down, picking up the final discarded items and placing them neatly where they belonged. My hands still shook, but there was a steadiness in my chest that hadn’t been there before.

When I finally finished, I stood in the middle of the room and looked around. Everything was in its place, neat and orderly, a stark contrast to the chaos of my own life. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to imagine a different life, one where I wasn’t afraid of every glance, every word, and every step.

Lucas’s absence had left me confused, shaken, but also… curious. Something inside me wanted to understand why he had walked away, and it also wanted to test this spark of courage to see if it could grow into something more.

I pressed my hands to my chest and took a deep breath. My mind was still spinning with fear and questions, but a single thought stayed with me: I would not be broken. Not today.