Chapter 13 Headlines
1148 Words
Noel woke to the sharp pounding inside his skull and the stale taste of whiskey still clinging to his mouth.
For a few seconds, he lay still, staring at the ceiling of the flat that suddenly felt colder than it had ever been before. The silence pressed in around him. No movement from the kitchen. No sound of Luna making coffee. No irritated muttering when he had left his shoes in the hallway again.
Nothing.
Because Luna was gone.
The memory of it all hit him like a punch to the chest. Her face when she found out. The disgust in her eyes. The way she had walked out without shouting, which somehow felt worse than if she had screamed.
He rolled onto his side and grabbed his phone from the bedside table. Three missed calls from work. Two messages from Mira. One final demand from his mother asking if he had “fixed the mess yet.”
He ignored them all.
For days, he had called Luna over and over again. Messages. Voicemails. Apologies. Begging when pride had failed him. Nothing. She had ignored every single one.
Noel ran a hand through his hair and sat up. He hated this feeling. Hated not knowing where she was, what she was doing, who she was with.
Especially who she was with.
He opened social media without thinking, scrolling aimlessly through headlines, football clips, gossip, anything to distract himself from the ache building in his chest.
Then he froze.
There she was.
Luna.
His thumb stopped dead against the screen as the article filled his phone.
CEO Adrian Vale Makes Rare Public Appearance with Mystery Brunette at Harrington Foundation Gala
Underneath the headline was a photograph.
Luna stood beside Adrian Vale in a black gown that moulded to her body like it had been made for her. Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, her posture straight, her face glowing under the camera flashes. Adrian stood beside her in a black tuxedo, one hand placed firmly at the small of her back as if she belonged there.
As if she belonged to him.
Noel’s stomach dropped so fast he thought he might be sick.
“No.”
He clicked the article. More photos loaded. Luna smiles up at Adrian. Adrian leaned down to speak in her ear. The two of them were walking side by side, as if they had done it a hundred times before.
Noel gripped the phone so tightly his knuckles whitened.
How the hell did Luna know Adrian Vale?
He knew exactly who the man was. Everyone did. Vale Global Holdings. Billionaire. Ruthless. Untouchable. The kind of man who could ruin careers before breakfast.
And Luna was on his arm.
His chest burned.
This had to be some kind of joke. Some publicity stunt. Some random coincidence.
Because there was no way Luna had gone from crying over him to standing beside one of the most powerful men in the country within days.
But the proof was in front of him.
He zoomed in on one photo, jaw tightening. She looked… happy.
No. Not happy.
Confident.
That was worse.
There was no trace of the woman who had pleaded with him to be honest, who had tried to hold their life together while he destroyed it behind her back. This Luna looked composed. Desired. Untouchable.
Noel threw the duvet back and paced the bedroom.
“She’s doing this to hurt me.”
The words sounded weak even to himself.
Because Luna had never played games. That had always been Mira’s style. Luna was straightforward. Honest. Loyal to a fault.
Which made this real.
His phone buzzed in his hand. Mira.
He stared at the name before answering. “What?”
“Well, good morning to you, too,” Mira said coolly. “Have you seen it?”
Noel said nothing.
“I’m guessing that means yes.” Her voice sharpened. “She’s with Adrian Vale, Noel.”
“I can see that.”
“How does she even know someone like him?”
He clenched his jaw. “I don’t know.”
“This is embarrassing.”
Something in him snapped. “Embarrassing for who?”
“For all of us,” Mira shot back. “People know you were with Luna. They know she left. Now she’s in the papers with him looking like—”
“Looking like what?”
“Like she upgraded.”
The room went silent.
Noel’s grip tightened on the phone.
“Watch your mouth.”
“Oh, please.” Mira gave a bitter laugh. “You think I’m the problem? You’re obsessed with her. You have been since she walked out.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is. You barely look at me now.”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “Mira, not now.”
“No, now is perfect.” Her voice rose. “You chose me, remember? You risked everything for me. And now the second Luna appears beside some billionaire, you’re acting like you’ve been cheated on.”
“I said enough.”
There was a pause. Then Mira’s voice dropped cold.
“If you still want her, just say it.”
Noel didn’t answer.
Because he didn’t know what he wanted.
He had wanted excitement. Ego. Someone wanted him enough to risk things for him. That had been Mira.
But Luna had been home. Stability. The person who knew how he took his coffee, reminded him of appointments, and believed in him before anyone else did.
And now someone else had her attention.
Someone bigger. Richer. More powerful.
Mira scoffed softly. “Thought so.” Then she hung up.
Noel barely noticed.
He dropped onto the edge of the bed and looked again at the article.
Another image, this time. Adrian’s hand was on Luna’s waist while she looked up at him with surprise in her eyes.
Noel felt something ugly twist inside him.
Jealousy.
Not just because another man had touched her.
Because Adrian Vale could give her everything Noel never had. Money. Security. Power. Opportunity.
And Luna deserved those things.
That truth landed harder than anything else.
He had spent years taking her loyalty for granted while offering scraps in return.
Now, another man had noticed her value immediately.
Noel stood abruptly.
No.
This was not over.
Luna was angry. Hurt. Rebounding. That was all this was. She was making a mistake with a man like Adrian Vale.
She needed someone who actually knew her.
Someone who loved her.
Someone like him.
He grabbed his keys from the dresser.
If Luna wouldn’t answer her phone, then he would make her listen in person.
As he headed for the door, the article remained glowing on the bed behind him.
Luna smiling beneath camera flashes. Adrian Vale stood beside her like he had every intention of staying there.
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