Chapter 4 His Other Family, My Broken Heart

Elara’s POV

In the end, I chose a pair of matching rings.

“Beautiful choice, Luna,” the sales associate said. “We have the matching set at our other location. It'll only take a few minutes to have it brought over.”

“That's fine,” Damon said. “We'll wait.”

Across the boutique, Vanessa was finishing her purchase. She handed over Damon's black card without hesitation. Once everything was packed, Vanessa approached us with several shopping bags.

“Well, I'd better get these two home.” She smiled at me. “It was lovely seeing you again, Elara. Enjoy the rest of your shopping.”

She took the children's hands and walked out.

Damon watched them leave, then he turned back to me,“Are you hungry? We could get lunch after this.”

He had just watched his mistress spend a fortune on his card, and now he wanted to take me to lunch.Before I could answer, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and immediately declined the call. A few seconds later, it rang again.

Damon silenced it. Then a third call came through.

“Who's calling?” I asked.

“Just something from work.”

“Then why don't you answer?”

“I don't want work ruining our day.” He slipped the phone into his pocket. “We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves.”

Enjoying ourselves? I wondered which part of this morning had given him that impression.

The children calling him Dad? Vanessa waving his black card around? Or discovering that my anniversary necklace had come from the same collection he'd bought for another woman?

I managed a faint smile, “You should take it. It might be important.”

The phone rang again. Damon hesitated, then stood, “I'll be right back, sweetheart. Wait for me, okay?

I nodded. He hurried outside. Not long after he left, my phone buzzed with a new message.

Come to the parking lot. There's something you should see.

I read the message twice. I already knew who had sent it.

For a moment, I considered deleting it. What else could Vanessa possibly show me? But then I changed my mind. I needed to see just how far Damon would go to keep his other family happy.

The parking garage was quiet. I heard Damon's angry voice long before I saw him.

“How many times do I have to tell you, Vanessa? Stay away from Elara! What part of that don't you understand?”

I stopped behind a concrete pillar. A few parking spaces away, Damon stood beside Vanessa's car, his face dark with anger. Vanessa was facing him with both children at her side, looking as though she were on the verge of tears.

“I understand, Damon, but the children don't!” Vanessa protested, her voice trembling as she wiped at the corners of her eyes. “They just know they miss their daddy. Your daughter cried all morning because she wanted to see you. Do you have any idea how heartbreaking it is for me to watch our children suffer like that?”

The little girl couldn't possibly understand what her parents were arguing about. All she knew was that her father was angry with her mother, and that was enough to frighten her.

She suddenly burst into tears, reaching toward Damon with both arms. “Daddy, please don't fight with Mommy! It's my fault. I wanted to see you.”

The anger on Damon's face faded almost instantly.

He crouched in front of his daughter and carefully gathered her into his arms. “Hey, sweetheart, don't cry. You haven't done anything wrong.”

The little girl sniffled and buried her face against his shoulder, clinging to his shirt as though she were afraid he might disappear again.

Her older brother, however, wasn't so easily comforted.

“Daddy, why did you tell Mommy we shouldn't come here? Is it because of that lady you were with in the store? Is she why you never come home? Is she the other woman?”

Damon's expression changed immediately.

“No, she's not!” he said sharply, before turning his gaze toward Vanessa. “Where did he learn to talk like that? Vanessa, have you been putting these ideas in his head?”

Vanessa’s eyes filling with tears again. “Damon, the children have spent their whole lives wondering why their father can't live with them. Even their preschool teachers have noticed how sensitive they've become. Is it really so surprising that they're starting to ask questions?”

At the mention of school, the little girl began crying even harder.

“Daddy, the kids at school say I don't have a daddy!” she sobbed, her small hands clutching his collar. “I told them I do, but they said I was lying because they've never seen you. ”

The boy lowered his head, blinking rapidly as he struggled to hold back his own tears.

“I heard about the other woman on TV,” he admitted. “There was a little boy whose daddy never came home because he was spending time with another lady. I thought maybe that was why you don't come home to us.”

Damon stared at his children, and I watched the last traces of anger disappear from his face. Whatever Damon felt for Vanessa, these were his children. And faced with their tears and accusations, he couldn't bring himself to remain angry.

He pulled both children into his arms, holding them close as he spoke in a gentler voice.

“Daddy hasn't been around because work has been keeping me busy. But that doesn't mean I don't love you.” He kissed his daughter's forehead, then brushed a hand over his son's hair. “How about this? The next time your school has a family day, I'll come. I'll make sure all your friends know you have a daddy who loves you very much.”

The boy immediately lifted his head. “Really? You promise?”

“I promise.” Damon nodded firmly, giving him a reassuring smile. “I'll be there.”

His daughter wrapped her arms around his neck and began swaying happily in his embrace. “Can Mommy come too? All the other kids have their mommies and daddies together. ”

“Of course, sweetheart. Daddy and Mommy will both be there.”

The little girl giggled through her remaining tears. “And you have to hug Mommy, just like the other daddies!”

Damon laughed softly, his earlier anger completely forgotten. He kissed her cheek and smiled at Vanessa.

“All right, princess. Whatever makes you happy.”

I couldn't bear to listen anymore. I knew that gentle, patient voice. For years, I had believed that tenderness belonged to us. Now I was watching him give it to another family.

I was about to turn away when Vanessa spoke again.

“Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you.Those rings Elara picked out earlier.”

My stomach tightened. She was talking about the rings I'd chosen for our bonding anniversary.

Damon frowned. “Vanessa…”

“What?” She tilted her head, looking wounded. “I'm not asking for much. You buy Elara whatever she wants. Can't I have something nice too?”

Damon glanced at the children, then back at Vanessa. He looked thoroughly fed up with her, but after a moment, he gave in.

“Fine. I'll get you the rings.”

Vanessa's face brightened immediately. “And I want something engraved inside them. Something special, just for us.”

“Whatever you want, just tell the jeweler.”

Vanessa smiled, “Thank you, Damon.”

I couldn't listen anymore. I turned and walked away.

“Luna.”

I was almost outside the boutique when someone called after me.

One of the sales associates hurried toward me, carrying a shopping bag，“Your rings just arrived. We've packed everything for you.”

“Please don't call me Luna.”my voice trembled despite my best efforts. I was barely holding myself together.“I don't want any of it.”

I walked past her. For years, being Damon's Luna had meant everything to me. Now even hearing the title made my stomach turn.

My phone vibrated again. Another message from the unfamiliar number. This time, there was a photograph.

Damon was sitting on a sofa with the little girl curled against his chest. His son sat beside him, grinning at the camera.

Below the photograph was a message.

Damon and I have two beautiful children together.

You might be his Luna now, but how long do you think that will last?

Sooner or later, he'll leave you for his real family.