All Chapters of The Human Luna's Goodbye: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Elara's POVWe all turned to stare at Bonnie. Celeste's expression tightened instantly, her smile vanishing to reveal something much colder underneath.Ulcliffe stepped forward first. He gave Bonnie a sharp, professional nod and told her plainly that whatever proof she had, she needed to bring it forward now."If anyone tries to retaliate against you for this, the Council will protect you," Ulcliffe said, his voice dropping into a tone of absolute authority. "You have nothing to fear here."Bonnie nodded, her hands still shaking as she pulled out her phone and dialed."Miles. You said you record all our calls so you can listen to them when you miss me. Did you record the one from that day?"A pause, his voice coming through tinny over the speaker. "Which day?""The day I called you and overheard that woman planning a murder before I could even say hello. We were still on the line.""Oh god, yeah. I remember," Miles's voice sharpened with protective instinct. "You went totally silent.

Elara's POVHe said I'd suffered that day. Just that one day.Even with the proof staring him in the face, he still couldn't see the full scope of it. It wasn't just one day; it was years of them.I had nothing left to hope for from this man. And I certainly had nothing left to fight for."It's fine," I said, my voice flat. I didn't want to give him another syllable.He stepped closer anyway, invading my space. "Elara, please. I know I've failed you. I know that now more than I've ever known anything. Just give me a chance to make it right. Let me earn your forgiveness.""Stop."He froze."Don't you dare ask for my forgiveness right now, Orion. Not while our daughter is still fighting for her life. If you have a single shred of a father left in you, care about her. Not yourself. Not what you need from me to feel better."Whatever he'd been about to say died in his throat. He just stood there, his jaw tight, looking like the words were backed up behind his teeth with nowhere to go.But

Orion's POVCeleste scrambled to find her footing."I never doubted Elara loves Mia, Ori. I wouldn't—any more than I'd doubt my love for Lily." Her voice steadied, the tears vanishing, replaced by a cold, hard certainty. "But look at the facts. Did Mia die? No. She's safe. No damage, no madness, nothing broken that won't heal. That proves the whole thing was controlled from the start. Mia only looked like she was in danger. Mia was never in real danger, but she walked away with a father drowning in guilt and a husband who'll forgive Elara for anything now out of pure sympathy. From here on out, Elara gets two men devoted to her instead of one. You and Samuel. Both."It was blunt. Uglier than anything I'd ever heard from her. Celeste rarely spoke without softening her words first.Part of me recoiled, but my mind was already turning the logic over, checking the seams.I couldn't say for certain if Elara had betrayed me. But I knew this: she had always been willing to torch her own life

Elara's POVSamuel stood and pulled me into his arms, his chest heaving with emotion."Fifteen years." His voice broke against my hair. "Fifteen years I've waited to find you again. And now... I finally get to marry you."I pulled back, searching his face. "Fifteen years? Samuel, did we know each other before?"Samuel wiped at his eyes and shook his head. "It's nothing. We have plenty of time for that later."Something crossed his face before he looked away, some words he'd almost let out and pulled back at the last second. I let it go, for now.He reached up and started to pin the medallion to my chest. I stopped his hand."This is yours, Samuel. It's the mark of your rank." I pressed the cold metal back into his palm. "If the Golden Crown has something that belongs to a Luna—something meant for me—I'll take that instead."A wry, half-amused, half-frustrated look crossed his face. "There has to be one. There has to be, somewhere. But there's never been a woman in my life before you,

Elara's POVI used to think Orion was the only man who could make my body respond.Then I kissed Samuel.My heart slammed against my ribs. My skin warmed everywhere his hands touched. I wanted him just as much as he wanted me. Neither of us was holding back anymore.His hand slid along my jaw, tilting my face up, and I felt the low sound he made against my mouth more than I heard it.Everywhere he touched felt too warm, too alive. Like something in me had been asleep for years and just woke up.I curled my fingers into his shirt and pulled him closer. He went still for half a second, like he couldn't believe I wasn't stopping him.The kiss deepened. The words rose in my throat, right there, ready to come out. Yes. We can.Then a door opened behind us, and everything stopped.I jerked out of Samuel's arms, my face burning."Am I interrupting?" Fiona stood in the doorway, one hand still on the handle, grocery bags hanging off her other arm."No. Not at all." It came out way too fast and