The Luna's Revenge

Chapter 5: A New Path

The next morning, sunlight poured in through the high tops of the Sterling Manor dining room, its light weak but gold on the dark table where we breakfasted. There was a sense of tension in the air, yet no one was voicing it. I sat at the end of the table, my back straight, my eyes steady. That was such a stark contrast to the hunched, timid posture that I had carried for so many years. Everyone in the room knew something was different about me.

At this point, Magnus Sterling, the head of the family, cleared his throat loudly, his way of commanding attention. His imposing figure sat at the head of the table, his back to the high-backed chair that always felt more like a throne. To his right was Seraphina, her eyes darting back and forth between him and me. Calista sat on his left, smug as ever, delicately sipping her coffee and acting like she didn't see me. The youngest, Orion, scrolled through his phone like he didn't give two shits.

Taking the toast in front of me with clear, slow movements—as if I had all the time in the world. Magnus's voice cut the silence like a blade.

“Elara, pass the butter.”

It wasn’t a request. It never was. His tone said everything: command; immediate compliance. My hand hovered over the toast, and I froze for a moment. I turned and slowly faced him, not letting any expression touch my features.

I said calmly, “Get it yourself.”

The room fell silent. Orion too looked up from his phone, eyes as wide as they could go. Calista's smirk faltered momentarily, taking half a beat to recover before she set her cup down with exaggerated grace. I could see a vein throbbing at his temple, and Magnus’s jaw tightened.

He asked, his voice dangerously low, 'What did you just say?'

I met his gaze, unflinching. “I said, get it yourself.”

My words hung in the air with audacity. I had done what I was told for years, taking the taunts, the cold shoulders, and the punishments in silence. However, this morning, something had changed. I wasn’t that woman anymore, the one who had been broken and left to rot in the basement. I was filled with fire, and the resolution was unsurmountable once more.

He slammed his fist on the table, rocking the dishes with force. How dare you speak to me like that? “After everything I’ve done for you?”

I laughed dryly, a sound so foreign in this room that Seraphina flinched. “Everything you’ve done for me?” Ignoring me, beating me, and locking me away like some stray dog." I sat forward, my voice steady but bitter. “Don’t pretend you care about me, Magnus.” ‘You’ve never cared about anything but control.’”

Calista rested against the back of her chair; her eyes narrowed in amusement. “Elara, honestly, you’re embarrassing yourself,” she spat, condescendingly. “Perhaps you should return to... wherever it is you vanished to."This family isn’t your place, clearly.”

I looked at Calista, my lips curling into a cold smile. “Don’t worry, Calista. I’m planning to leave. I’ll make sure everyone here knows exactly what you’ve been up to,” I said, but not before.

She stopped her smirk, and for the first time I saw the slightest sign of apprehension on her face. Magnus cut her off before she could respond.

“Enough!” His voice boomed, though it resonated off the high ceilings. His face was a mask of fury; he turned back to me. “You’re not going anywhere. You will stay in this house and do as you are told, or else. Do you understand me?”

Slowly I stood, pushing my chair back with a loud scrape that sounded louder than it was. I stood up to him, chin held high.

“No, Magnus. I’m tired of taking orders from you. I’m done living in this house and pretending to be part of this family. I can keep your lies, your manipulations, and your precious Calista. I’m leaving, and you can’t do anything to stop me.”

For a moment, no one spoke. Rage flared in Magnus’s face; his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. Seraphina seemed to want to say something, yet she wouldn’t. Then, Calista looked positively gleeful, with amusement in her eyes.

Calista clapped mockingly together. “Oh, this is rich.” Do you think you can survive out there on your own? You’re nothing without this family, Elara. Absolutely nothing.”

I looked at her, my eyes ablaze. “We’ll see about that. But you mark my words, Calista, the next time you see me, you’ll regret underestimating me.”

She smiled, but it wavered for a second. She tilted her head, smug once more. She said goodbye with a false sweetness dripping from her voice.

I didn’t respond. Stepping out of the dining room, I walked out on steady, deliberate steps. I grabbed the small bag I had packed the night before as I passed through the grand foyer. There wasn’t much—barely any clothes, a little bit of cash I had hidden away, and a photo of myself when I was younger, a reminder of the girl I was and had been and vowed never to be again.

Behind me, Magnus’s voice roared. “Don’t ever think about coming back if you walk out that door!”

I stopped with my hand on the doorknob. I turned my head slightly, making sure my voice carried back to him.

“Don’t worry. I won’t.”

I opened the door and stepped outside. The slap of cold morning air hit me, but I welcomed it. I was free for the first time in years. The world was astonishing and uncertain, and it spread out in front of me, but I wasn’t afraid. I had everything to gain and nothing to lose.

The door slammed shut behind me, and I drew a deep breath and walked down the long and winding driveway from Sterling Manor, its ghosts behind me. I was a mix of fear and excitement; one feeling wins, the other dies, but one thought carried my feet onward.

This is just the beginning.