MATED TO THREE, DESPISED BY ALL.
The harsh reality pressed back in, I was utterly alone, surrounded by people who despised me, trapped in a role I never wanted, mourning the friend I could never have again.
I let out a long, shuddering cry, my body trembling from exhaustion and heartbreak. My tears continued to flow, a river of sorrow for the life I had lost, for the friend I could never hold again, and for the cruel world that had forced me to become a Luna of shame.
I curled up on the floor, my sobs quieting only slightly, but the emptiness inside me remained, a gnawing void that no title, no crown, no forced ceremony could ever fill. I closed my eyes and whispered one last time before sinking further into despair: