Forgotten Luna: I'm Done Playing the Substitute

Chapter 8

Isabella

Morning came quietly. This time, there were no alarms hurrying me up to make breakfast, no voices and most importantly, no reason to stay.

I opened my eyes before the sun had fully risen, the room still dim, and shadows stretched long across the walls. For a moment, I lay still, listening. William’s breathing was steady beside me, like he was completely unbothered with everything that had happened.

I turned my head slightly, looking at him.

Nothing about him looked different,nothing about him felt different, and somehow, that was the problem.

I pushed the blanket off slowly and sat up, careful not to make noise. My leg ached as it always did in the mornings, stiff from the night, but I ignored it.

I had gotten used to ignoring pain.

Reaching for my cane, I stood, steadying myself before moving toward the wardrobe.

I didn’t think too much as I packed. I only took a few clothes, my essentials and nothing sentimental, especially the gifts William had given me all through the years.

I made sure not to make a single noise,and luckily for me, the room remained silent behind me and William didn’t stir.

Of course he didn’t.

I paused briefly by the bedside. Just for a second, I thought of actually giving him anotjer chance, but I immediately remembered Elisa, and that thought disappeared.

Then I turned away, without a note or explanation for him and I walked out of the room

The air outside felt different. It was cooler and lighter, and fate must have been smiling on me because the driver just happened to get standby.

“Good morning ma'am.” He greeted, walking towards me with a smile. His eyes glanced from my bag to my face and back again. “Are you going somewhere? I'll help you get into the car.”

“Yes.” I nodded once,accepting his help. “thank you.”

It didn't take too long before we got into the car. He got in after me, and the driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror before he asked. “Where to, ma’am?”

“Sally’s.” I hesitated only briefly. “The five star restaurant that's downtown.”

The car pulled out of the driveway immediately, and I pressed my eyes shut to rest a bit. We arrived in no time, and the familiar scent of the restaurant's signature dishes and dim lighting greeted me the moment I stepped inside.

“Bella?” Amelia looked up from the table she'd reserved for us, surprise flashing across her face before it softened into concern.

“You’re here early,” she said, standing quickly. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything's fine.” I offered a small smile as I walked in. “I needed to see you.”

That was enough, it always was. She guided me to sit, her eyes scanning my face carefully like she was trying to read what I wasn’t saying.

“You look tired,” she murmured.

“I didn’t sleep much.” I shook my head slowly.

“That’s obvious,” she replied dryly, crossing her arms. “What happened?”

I let out a quiet breath, my fingers tracing the edge of the table.

“A lot,” I said simply and she didn’t push immediately. Amelia was good like that. Instead, she shifted slightly, her tone gentler now. “Is your leg worse?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Same as always.”

“We should order first.” She added slowly, immediately flagging down the nearest waiter. “I'm sure you'd feel better once you get a taste of your favorite meal.”

The small smile on my face didn't falter as she ordered for the both of us. Amelia and I had been friends for the longest time, so I trusted her to order something I could actually eat.

While we waited for our orders to arrive, she studied me for a moment longer before speaking again.

“You know,” she said slowly, “there might be a way to fix that.”

“What?” My fingers stilled. “What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

“The northern territory has the best specialists.” She leaned forward slightly. “Advanced treatment, newer methods… things we don’t have here.”

I blinked, caught off guard, but she clearly wasn't done.

“They’re far ahead when it comes to cases like yours,” she continued. “If you go there, there’s a real chance your leg could fully recover.”

Fully recover.

The words echoed in my mind, unfamiliar and almost unreal. For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. I felt a wave of hope slam into me. It was small, fragile but dangerous

“You should talk to William about it,” Amelia added. “If he supports it, we can arrange everything properly.”

William. The name landed heavily as I looked down at my hands.

“I’ll… think about it,” I said quietly.

She frowned slightly, clearly not satisfied with that answer, but she didn’t press.

“Fine,” she sighed. “But don’t take too long. Opportunities like this don’t wait forever.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I know.”

None of us spoke up after that, and luckily for us, the waiter came back with our order. A few minutes later, I excused myself.

“I’ll be back,” I said. “Restroom?”

“Second door on the left,” Amelia replied, already returning to her meal. I walked down the hallway slowly, my cane tapping softly against the floor.

The restaurant was packed than usual today, with voices drifting from different corners, conversations drifting by but I barely paid attention.

Until I did.

The restaurant was a huge one, so it only made sense that there was a VIP section in the corner. The door that led to it was slightly ajar and voices spilled through the gap, loud, casual, but familiar.

I would have walked past, I should have, but then, I heard his name.

William.

And my steps slowed immediately. Without meaning to, I stopped just outside the half open door.

“…I’m serious, William,” a male voice said, laughter lacing his tone. “If things had gone differently, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

I felt a pang in my chest then. Everything in me screamed to walk away, because a gathering like this couldn't even lead to something good, but the other part, the stubborn part of me,insisted I stayed back.

I snuck a peek inside and I saw William, Eliza and two men, sitting and talking animatedly. William hadn't seen me when he woke up this morning, and he hadn't bothered to check up on me.

“I agree.” Another voice chimed in, pulling me back to the present. . “You mean if they hadn’t broken up?”

“Exactly,” the first voice replied and I recognized him as Jason. My grip tightened slightly around my cane, while inside, there was a shuffle, and the clink of glasses.

Then Jason spoke again, louder this time, with a hint of amusement, and a careless demeanor

“If Elisa and William had never broken up, she’d be his Luna by now.”

Laughter echoed all around him, and something inside me went still.

“That way,” he continued, his voice dripping with mock logic, “William wouldn’t have to keep bringing a Beta to those formal events.”

“And let’s be honest….”More laughter followed as Jason added, not even bothering to lower his voice, “who would want to show up with a disabled Luna anyway?”