All Chapters of OUR MOON HAS STRINGS: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Days later...By the time the sun came out, the first storm had passed. Ryan responded to treatment, though he appeared so frail that there were speculations he wouldn't make it through the night. Yet after two days of slumber, he opened his eyes.His vision was blurry at first. His throat was sore, his head a mess, and something was strapped to his face. When the fog in his eyes cleared, Ryan discovered he wasn’t alone. Valery was there, reclined on the couch not far from his bed. Her elbow rested on the window frame, her head tilted in an uncomfortable position.Ryan sighed, his chest relaxing. He stared at her a little longer, baffled that such a day had come- where he would be at the receiving end of Valery's attention as he possibly lay on his deathbed. Time may have altered their bodies, but it certainly hadn’t changed their hearts- at least, not his.‘Forget it. This won’t last,’ Ryan thought, convinced that Valery would break her promise, leaving him to wallow in misery again

High SchoolDerrick's fingers dug into the pliant flesh beneath the girl's uniform, his breathing ragged against her neck. His hips stuttered forward in urgent rhythm, chasing release.The door handle rattled. They froze mid-motion.Derrick's shoulders relaxed when he saw the intruder. "Riley." He withdrew, zipping his jeans with practiced ease as the girl scrambled to adjust her skirt. She fled without meeting Riley's gaze, her shoes clicking sharply against the floor.Riley entered slowly, struggling to process the scene he'd just witnessed. "I thought you were in a committed relationship," he said."I am." Derrick turned to the fridge, grabbing a drink. "Valery isn't big on intimacy, and I don't want to force her.""So, you chose to cheat on her? How old was that girl?""Of legal age. I can't starve myself just because my girlfriend is difficult. Stop making a fuss over nothing. Valery ought to be grateful someone else handles her job."Riley was speechless."Come on, don't look at

High SchoolRyan had always been a rebel. Living with an illness didn’t tame his spirit, it only made him fiercer, more defiant. If his days were numbered, he sure as hell wasn’t going to spend them trying to please anyone.He didn’t pick fights, but he never walked away from one either. And every time, he made sure to finish what someone else had started.After his fifth school suspension in a single year, his mother, Hecate, had finally made the difficult call. Homeschooling. It wasn’t just about his record; it was about survival. Ryan’s condition had shown little progress, and every morning he left for school felt like a gamble. Worse, his identical twin Riley was constantly dragged into his mess.So when Riley finally got into a new school without him, Hecate clung to the hope that her calmer son might thrive. Riley was thoughtful, rational - the kind of kid teachers liked. But even he couldn’t avoid trouble. One evening, he came home with bruises, hidden beneath long sleeves and

The longer she stared at him, the harder her memory broke. It dragged her back to her greatest loss - Riley. The quiet beeping of monitors echoed the hollow silence that followed his final breath. They were supposed to have forever. But hope… Hope is a liar. Sweet on the tongue, cruel in the fall. “Temp’s at 41.3°C! BP’s 78 over 32. Oxygen’s crashing, 82% and falling!” Nurse Eva’s voice snapped Valery to the present. Ryan was burning up, his skin hot under the pulse oximeter. His chest heaved, as if his lungs were forgetting how to breathe. Dr. Linda stormed in, assessing the vitals with a practiced eye. “He’s rejecting the drug. Shut it down. Prep for sedation now.” “No.” Valery stepped forward, shoulders squared, voice steel. The room froze at the sharpness of it. Her heart thundered, but her mind was cold and clinical. “This isn’t rejection. It’s cytokine release. He’s in the middle of a full-blown immune storm.” “Valery, if it’s systemic inflammation-” Dr.

Days later..."I'm home," Derrick announced as he entered the house. Day in and day out, he had gradually added more staff - more eyes to watch over the precious treasure locked within these walls."Baby? Violet?" he called, exhaustion evident in his voice. The bedroom was dim, curtains drawn shut. For a moment, he thought she wasn’t there. Then he flicked on the lights.Valery was still in bed - exactly where she had been when he left that morning."Hey," he said gently, rubbing her shoulders and planting a soft kiss. "I thought we agreed - you weren’t going to do this today.""I called the hospital," Valery murmured, voice brittle. "He’s still not awake.""He will wake up.""You don’t understand, Derrick. I’m… I’m scared. What if I was wrong? What if my decision ends up killing him?”Derrick pulled back, his tone icing over. "So you’d rather kill yourself before he croaks?"Valery’s eyes widened. Her head lifted. "What did you just say?""Nothing," he muttered, jaw tight as he turne