No Longer His Luna

Alexa

The first thing I felt when I regained consciousness was the dull throbbing in my head.

I tried to open my eyes, but the brightness of the room made me wince. My head felt heavy, and my entire body seemed drained of strength.

For a few seconds, I couldn't remember where I was or how I had ended up there.

Then the memories came rushing back.

The bedroom. Shaun and Azula. My broken bracelet.

And Shaun holding me down while Azula hurt me.

My eyes opened fully.

I was back in the infirmary, lying on one of the familiar beds. The faint smell of herbs and medicine filled my nostrils, while the soft rustling of footsteps came from somewhere nearby.

I slowly raised a hand to my head, only to feel a bandage covering the spot where I had hit the bedside table.

"You're awake."

I turned towards the voice. A nurse stood beside my bed, checking the bandage around my head.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"My head hurts," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

"That's expected. You suffered a blow to the head and have been unconscious for some time. Try not to move around too much."

She adjusted the pillow beneath my head before examining the bandage.

"Do you feel dizzy or nauseous?"

"A little dizzy."

"Alright. I'll inform the healer. You should get some rest."

I watched her as she finished her checks. Then a question that had been sitting in my mind finally escaped.

"Has anyone come to see me?"

The nurse paused briefly.

"Not that I'm aware of."

I looked away.

"Has Shaun been here?"

There was a short silence before she answered.

"No, Luna."

I swallowed, trying to ignore the heaviness that settled in my chest.

Of course he hadn't come.

Why would he?

The last time I saw Shaun, he was holding me down while Azula hurt me, insisting I endure it because she was the only one who could save my life. Perhaps he was still with her, too occupied with their arrangement to care that his wife was lying unconscious in the infirmary.

I closed my eyes, but the memory of my broken bracelet wouldn't leave me. It had been my only connection to the parents I had never known, and Shaun had stood by while Azula destroyed it.

I had spent so much time convincing myself that his behaviour was only temporary, that he was doing everything for my sake. But I could no longer make excuses for a man who had watched me suffer and refused to protect me.

When the nurse returned with the healer, I barely paid attention to their examination. My thoughts were elsewhere.

For months, I had fought Bloodbane Syndrome, holding on to the hope that I would recover and return to the life Shaun and I once shared. But now, that hope seemed to be slipping away.

I was still ill, and Azula remained my only compatible donor. But that didn't mean I had to keep accepting their cruelty.

I turned towards the window, wondering how I would move forward without the people I had once depended on.

"Luna?"

The healer's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned towards him, realizing he had been speaking to me.

"Your condition is still unstable," he said. "The blow to your head has made your recovery more difficult. You need to rest and avoid unnecessary stress."

I nodded faintly.

"Is there anything else troubling you?" he asked.

"No," I replied quietly. "I'm fine."

He studied me for a moment before reminding me to get some rest.

The healer gave me one last look before leaving with the nurse, and the infirmary door closed behind them.

Finally, I was alone.

I turned my face towards the ceiling, my thoughts still drifting back to Shaun and Azula. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to escape the memories of what had happened.

But I couldn't keep doing this to myself.

I wasn't going to think about them anymore. At least, not for now.

The healer had advised me to rest and avoid unnecessary stress. I needed to recover, and allowing those thoughts to consume me wasn't going to help.

With a quiet sigh, I closed my eyes and tried to settle into the bed. Gradually, the exhaustion began to pull me into sleep.

But just when I thought I had finally found some peace, faint sounds stirred me from my sleep.

At first, I couldn't make sense of them. My mind was still heavy, and I struggled to understand what I was hearing.

Then I heard it again.

The unmistakable sound of kissing.

My eyes slowly opened, and I turned towards the source of the noise.

Shaun was sitting on a chair near the edge of the room, with Azula seated on his lap, their lips locked together.

For a moment, I simply stared at them, unsure whether my tired mind was playing tricks on me.

But it wasn't.

Shaun had one arm wrapped around Azula's waist while she leaned into him, her arms resting around his neck. They seemed completely absorbed in each other, oblivious to the fact that they were in an infirmary.

My eyes remained fixed on them as I lay motionless in bed.

I couldn't understand it. Hadn't Shaun seen enough of what I was going through? Wasn't this supposed to be the place where I could recover in peace?

Yet here he was, with Azula sitting comfortably on his lap, kissing her as though I didn't exist.

I wanted to look away, but my eyes refused to move. A part of me was still struggling to accept that the man I had loved for three years could behave this way.

I slowly turned my face towards the other side, closing my eyes again.

I didn't want them to know I was awake. Not yet.

A knock on the door suddenly interrupted them.

Shaun and Azula immediately pulled apart, turning towards the door. That was when I finally raised my head from the pillow.

The door opened, and the nurse stepped inside with my evening medications in her hands. She was about to approach my bed when she noticed Shaun and Azula in the room.

After I took my medications, the nurse gathered the things she had brought and gave Shaun and Azula one last glance before leaving the room.

The moment the door closed, Shaun moved towards my bed.

"Alexa, how are you feeling?" he asked, reaching out as though he wanted to hold my hand.

But before he could touch me, I quickly pulled my hand away.

I didn't want him touching me. Not after what I had just witnessed.

Shaun glanced at Azula before turning to her. "Azula, please give us a moment."

Her expression immediately changed. She clearly wasn't happy about leaving, and for a moment, she seemed unwilling to move. She looked between us, then reluctantly walked towards the door and stepped outside.

Once we were alone, Shaun turned back to me.

"Alexa, I can explain," he began. "Everything you saw between Azula and me was just an act. I only did it to make her agree to donate her bone marrow. I had to make her believe—"

"At what cost, Shaun?" I cut him off, my voice trembling with hurt. "How far were you willing to go? Was destroying my heart part of the plan too?"

He fell silent.

"I don't care what your reasons were anymore. I don't want anything to do with you again. Just leave me alone."

Shaun stared at me, but he didn't say anything. After a moment, he slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out my bracelet.

"I had it fixed," he said quietly, holding it out to me.

I looked at it for a moment before taking it from his hand. It was back in one piece, but that didn't change what had happened.

"Thank you. Now, please leave."

This time, Shaun didn't argue. He simply stood up, turned towards the door and opened it.

Shaun had barely opened the door when Azula walked into the room, brushing past him. She made her way towards my bed, a faint smile playing on her lips.

I watched her approach, wondering what else she wanted from me.

She stopped beside my bed and leaned closer.

"There's something you should know, Alexa," she whispered. "Shaun and I are going to have a baby."

My heart sank.

She straightened, giving me one last look before turning towards Shaun. Without saying another word, she walked out with him, leaving me alone in the room.

For a while, I remained silent, staring at the door they had just walked through.

A baby.

The words kept repeating in my mind. I had already lost my husband to her, and now they were going to start a family together.

Perhaps this was the final confirmation I needed. There was no place for me in Shaun's life anymore. I couldn't keep holding on to a marriage where I was no longer wanted.

My eyes fell to the bracelet Shaun had returned to me. It was the only connection I had to the parents I had never known. For years, I had wondered who they were and where they might be.

I was still battling Bloodbane Syndrome, and I knew my condition wasn't getting any better. I didn't even know how much time I had left.

But there was one thing I wasn't willing to give up on.

I was going to find my biological family. I didn't care how difficult the journey would be or how little time I had left.

Even if it was the last thing I ever did, I would find my parents before my illness took my life.