Can You Be My Luna

Chapter 6 WHEN THE BODY BREAKS

It has been weeks since I got married and things were getting worse by each passing day. I woke up with fire in my veins. That was the first thought that crossed my mind as my eyes fluttered open. My body felt unbearably heavy, as if someone had tied stones to my limbs during the night. Every breath scraped my throat, dry and painful, and when I tried to move, a sharp wave of dizziness forced me to lie still.

The ceiling above me swam in and out of focus. Get up, I told myself. You’re not allowed to be weak. Weakness had never been tolerated in my life. Not by my father. Not by Susan. And certainly not by Lucas.

I forced myself to sit up, biting my lip as my head spun violently. The room tilted, and for a moment I thought I might be sick. I pressed my palm to my forehead it was burning. My skin felt too tight, too hot, as if something inside me was trying to tear its way out.

But none of that mattered. Breakfast had to be made.

I slid off the narrow servant’s bed, my legs trembling beneath me. The floor was cold, grounding me just enough to keep me upright. I washed my face with water that did nothing to cool my fevered skin, then changed into the same worn dress I always wore. The fabric hung loosely on my frame, thin and faded, clothes my stepmother had deemed “good enough” for someone like me.

By the time I reached the kitchen, my vision was already blurring at the edges. I moved mechanically lighting the stove, fetching ingredients, cracking eggs with fingers that refused to steady. The smells of food churned my stomach. Sweat trickled down my back despite the cool morning air.

Halfway through stirring the porridge, the room suddenly lurched. I grabbed the counter just in time, gasping as darkness pressed in around my vision.

“Silver?” A voice cut through the haze.

I turned slowly and saw Aunt Locia standing in the doorway. Her brows furrowed the moment she took me in, my pale skin, my unsteady stance, the way I leaned heavily against the counter as if it were the only thing keeping me upright.

“What’s wrong with you, child?” she asked, crossing the room quickly.

“I’m fine,” I lied automatically.

She didn’t believe me. She never did. Her hand came to my forehead, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re burning up.”

“I can finish breakfast,” I said quickly, fear flooding me. “I just need a moment.”

“Silver,” she said gently, “You’re sick. You should lie down. I’ll finish this.”

I shook my head, panic clawing at my chest. “No. Please. If I don’t serve them myself, they’ll punish me.”

Her face tightened with pain. “They won’t—”

“Yes, they will,” I whispered, my voice breaking despite my efforts. “Please. Just let me finish.”

She searched my face, clearly torn. I knew she wanted to help. I also knew how powerless she was in this house.

After a long moment, she stepped back slowly. “At least sit while I finish plating.”

“I can do it,” I insisted, though my hands were shaking now.

Stubbornness had kept me alive this long. I wasn’t about to let it fail me now.

I carried the tray to the dining room myself. Each step felt like walking through water. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, and my vision pulsed with each breath. Lucas and Vanessa were already seated.

Vanessa leaned back in her chair, sipping tea lazily, her lips curling into a cruel smile the moment she saw me. Lucas didn’t even look at me at first, too busy reading a newspaper with deliberate slowness.

“Well, look who decided not to die overnight,” Vanessa said lightly.

I said nothing. I never did. I set the plates down carefully, terrified my hands would fail me. Sweat dripped down my temple, and my knees buckled slightly as I straightened.

“Is that trembling I see?” Lucas asked at last, his dark eyes lifting to meet mine. “Or are you just that pathetic?”

“I—I’m sorry,” I murmured.

Vanessa laughed. “She looks like she’s about to collapse. How disappointing. I was hoping she would last longer.”

They laughed together, the sound sharp and piercing, like knives slicing into already wounded flesh.

The room spun. I turned to leave before they could say anything else and before my body betrayed me completely.

But I didn’t make it far.

The world tilted violently, my vision going black at the edges. My ears rang, a high-pitched sound drowning everything else out. I tried to take another step, but my legs gave way beneath me.

Then nothing. Darkness swallowed me whole.

Voices dragged me back. “She can’t die,” Lucas was saying, his voice firm. “Not like this.”

“I don’t care,” Vanessa snapped coldly. “If she dies, she dies. One less burden in this house.”

My eyelids fluttered open slowly. The first thing I noticed was the softness beneath me. This wasn’t the servant’s bed.

I blinked, disoriented, and realized I was in the guest room. Sunlight streamed through sheer curtains, warm and gentle against my skin. My body still ached, but the crushing weight had eased slightly.

Vanessa stood a few steps away, arms crossed, her expression irritated rather than relieved.

“She’s awake,” she said flatly, glancing at Lucas.

He stepped closer. The air in the room shifted instantly.

Lucas loomed over me, his face dark, unreadable, his eyes cold as they bored into mine. I tried to sit up, but my body refused to cooperate.

“Do you want to die on me?” he asked quietly. The question chilled me more than any shout ever could.

“I—I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears slipping from the corners of my eyes despite my best efforts. “I didn’t mean to—”

He straightened abruptly, turning away as if disgusted.

“Don’t collapse again,” he said coldly. “Next time, I won’t bother bringing you back.”

Vanessa scoffed. “Such a fragile thing. How boring.”

They left without another word. The door closed softly behind them.

I lay there staring at the ceiling, my chest tight, my body aching, my heart breaking in ways I didn’t yet have words for.

I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I only knew one thing with terrifying certainty. My life here was only beginning. And somehow… it was going to get worse.