Twins He Chose Twice

Luna's POV — FlashbackThe rain had been falling for almost an hour, but twelve-year-old Luna Vance had nowhere to go.She stood beneath the tiny roof of an old, closed shop, hugging herself as cold water dripped from her hair onto her torn dress. Her bare feet were dirty and scratched from walking through the streets, but the pain barely registered anymore.All she could hear was Aurora's voice repeating in her head.*Get out!*Luna swallowed hard.Her twin sister had locked her out again.This time, their mother hadn't stopped her. She had simply looked at Luna with that tired, annoyed expression before telling her to stay outside until she learned how to behave.Luna still didn't understand what she had done wrong.She had tried explaining. She had tried apologizing. Nobody had listened.So she had left.The rain suddenly grew heavier, forcing Luna to look for somewhere else to hide. She spotted a narrow alley between two old buildings and hurried inside, wrapping her arms around

Luna was halfway through her afternoon shift when she noticed something strange.The diner was louder than usual.Customers were talking among themselves, and several people had their eyes fixed on the television mounted above the counter. Luna barely paid attention at first. She was too busy wiping down a table, trying to finish her work before another order came in.Then the volume suddenly increased.**“Breaking news.”**Luna looked up.A familiar face appeared on the screen.Her hand stopped moving.Ethan Blackwood.For a moment, she couldn't breathe.The boy from the alley was gone.In his place sat a grown man in a dark suit, looking calm and powerful. His features had changed with age, but Luna knew those eyes. She could never forget them.She stared at the screen as the reporter smiled.“Mr. Blackwood, thank you for joining us.”Ethan gave a polite nod.“Thank you for having me.”The reporter leaned forward.“You've been away from the state for fourteen years. What made you decide

For three days, Luna drifted between sleep and darkness.Sometimes she heard voices around her. Sometimes she felt someone holding her hand. Other times, she heard Marcus telling her that she needed to wake up.But whenever she tried to open her eyes, everything slipped away again.On the fourth morning, Luna finally woke.Her eyes opened slowly.A white ceiling came into focus first, followed by white walls and the soft beeping of a machine beside her. For several seconds, she couldn't remember where she was.Then the pain came.Her head throbbed, her body felt weak, and when she tried to move her left hand, it barely responded.She frowned."What..."Her voice came out dry and weak.She swallowed and tried again."Where am I?"No one answered.Luna slowly turned her head.The room was empty.Marcus wasn't there.She tried to remember what had happened. The last thing she could recall was walking home, hearing footsteps behind her, and two men grabbing her.Then darkness.A television