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• Luna •

"So what do you think about this dress?" Liberty asked Luna as they sat on the studio's rooftop while gazing through a wedding magazine. "They would all look pretty on me."

Luna smiled and nodded, agreeing with her sister to wear a vintage-style wedding dress whenever she gets married to Vikram.

She noticed Chase had been walking up and down the back alley like something was bothering him. Luna knew something was off, but she couldn't figure it out. He'd only glanced their way once since they went to the studio to organize it for the summer. She figured maybe he was worried about work and his clients, but that couldn't be it. There was something more to his demeanor that had her question why he was distant.

"I really like this one, sis." Liberty elbowed Luna as she pointed down to a v-neck dress with a pretty lace design across the front.

"Have you thought about the wedding venue, Lib?"

Luna wanted to say something—anything—to stop her from thinking about what was bothering Chase. She would ask him, but she didn't want to stir up any internal emotions he may have and knew he'd become testy. He was always like that, and he'd never been comfortable with confrontations.

Liberty shrugged and gazed down below at Vikram, who was bringing in red, white, and blue decorations to hang in the studio's front window.

"I think Vikram would like to travel to Delhi and have the wedding ceremony there. I know you wouldn't approve of your only sister being married to an Indian prince—"

"Indian prince? Is that how you think of him?"

She smiled happily and gazed at her engagement ring. "I sure do. He's all mine."

"I'm excited for you, Lib. Why would you think I wouldn't approve of you two?"

"Because some people don't look at someone with his skin tone as a person and will immediately judge him. You did before."

"I only advised you to be careful because he dated Lynette before you. He wanted her to change her party lifestyle, among other things. It had nothing to do with his ethnicity. The way I see it, ethnicity is not as important as one's character."

"Wow. That's deep. You should write a book."

Luna smiled. "I have a plot in mind and will begin writing my book later this week."

"I can't wait to read it. But don't you dare think about writing me as a heroine. I want to be a villain, who has a dark side," Liberty said, giggling.

As Luna wiggled a little in her seat, the sun hit her skin. She couldn't help but ponder over her wedding and the venue she and Chase had picked out. While giving Liberty a tour earlier, she'd also given Amir one since he didn't get to see the entire building.

It was late in the afternoon and Chase leaned against the wall, hunched over. She wondered if it was something she'd done, but she couldn't have. They haven't fought since before their engagement for him being out of town a lot for business trips. They'd stopped arguing over petty things in the past. But lately, he'd been distant. He barely made eye contact with anyone, even the passers-by who walked passed him on the street.

"Muah!" Liberty gushed as Vikram smiled up at her while holding Sarah in his arms.

"Hi, Mommy."

"Hey, baby girl," Luna yelled. "Do you want to get the chalk and we can draw on the sidewalk back here?"

"Please? Uncle Vik wants to draw, too. Right, Uncle?"

Vikram nodded as Chase distracted everyone after walking closer and staring at the ground like he was sad about something.

"Chase! Come up here and get some of this sun! It'll do you good!" Liberty tried to urge him to loosen up, but he seemed reluctant about it.

"Not right now," he mumbled and cuddled Sarah for a moment.

He handed her back to Vikram and stepped in through the back door, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"What's up with him?" Liberty asked.

Luna shrugged. "I'll go talk to him."

"Okay. Good luck."

As Luna stepped over the ladder and climb down slowly, her feet hit the pavement as she passed Vikram and Sarah. She mouthed to him "Welcome to the family." 

Vikram grinned, and Luna continued strolling through her studio to look for Chase. When she finally spotted him, he was lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing. I walked back into the studio and looked for you." She paused for a moment and then caught his stare. "Can we talk? There's something I need to discuss with you."

"I was thinking. Maybe we could move back to Texas. I know Vikram and Liberty would be excited. And there are tons to do for Sarah."

"Baby . . ." Luna uttered, sitting beside him. "That sounds lovely, but—"

"That would be too much, right?"

"We have our lives in New Orleans. Maybe one day we'll move somewhere else."

Nodding, Chase asked, "Where were you thinking?"

"England. To be closer to my mother."

"Is that what you want?"

"I mean, a change in locations isn't a bad idea," she agreed.

"I think that's a perfect place. Your mother can keep an eye on you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying, being around your mother can help you."

Luna hopped up and stepped toward the doorway, then turned around and glared at him. "I don't need any help. Don't antagonize me."

She knew what he meant. He believed she may see Sam again, which she hasn't in years.

Chase cleared his throat, then said, "I wonder if you are okay."

"I am. Mentally and physically."

"Okay. Case closed, Lu."

"There you go again, calling me Lu. I've told you I didn't like that."

He smirked. "Sorry . . . Luna."

"Don't you realize why I hate it, Chase?" she huffed while he rolled his eyes. "Sam called me 'Lu-Lu.' It brings up memories of him."

"Got it."

"I need to use the restroom. I hope your attitude changes before I come back."

Evidently, now wasn't the right time to tell Chase about her ability. He had already decided that Luna was having a hallucination, so telling him that she sees someone he doesn't see wouldn't go well. She figured she could talk to him about it again when he was calm and ready to talk.

Shortly after stepping through the bathroom door, he pulled Luna close against his body and rubbed her shoulders, then ran a hand down her arms, kissing her neck. "What are you doing?"

"I want to make love to my fiancée. What's the harm in that?"

"Now?"

He nodded and pressed his lips against hers, making it difficult for her to break away.

"Chase, stop it. Please."

He kept touching her body and grinned wickedly against her cheek.

Pushing Luna against the back wall and raising her shirt above her arms, he said, "Why? I want to be with you."

"No. This isn't the place to do this."

"Don't you love me, Lu?"

"Of course, I love you."

"Let's have a quickie."

"No!" Luna screamed, hoping someone from outside the room heard her.

Before she could object anymore, Chase yanked her pants down and tried to plunge himself into her, pulling their bodies to the floor.

"Stop!" 

Chase continued going until Luna pushed against his chest with her fists, beating him.

"Am I not good enough for you?"

"What you're doing is wrong!" she screamed.

"But when you want to, it's okay?" He pushed and forced himself harder, pinning Luna down to where she could hardly move an inch.

"You have that all wrong! Help!" she cried, realizing the bathroom door was closed.

Chase finally pulled himself off her and stood back up, jerking his jeans up to his hips. "You're always loose when you aren't sober. That is the only time I get to have my way."

Yanking herself off the floor and stepping close to his face, Luna brought her hand out and slapped him hard across his cheek.

He held his left hand next to his skin and huffed. "I knew it. I just knew it."

"Knew what?"

"You're wanting somebody else!"

Chase stormed out of the bathroom, buttoning his shirt, and she followed behind him, sobbing. "No, I'm not. I've been nothing but faithful to you, even after I'd caught you in our bed with Nia!"

She couldn't understand where he'd gotten that moronic idea of his. She and Amir kept a platonic friendship this whole time. She had never grown deep feelings for him. But Chase forced himself on her.

"I told you that it was just one time," he pleaded, coming closer to her. "Nia didn't mean anything to me."

"What you said and what you did in there was wrong. I'm about to tell Liberty and Vikram everything and call the cops!"

She paced quickly down the hall to the back alley so she could scream for her sister to come down the ladder. But as she opened the back door, she felt a tight grip around her arm. Chase yanked her around the corner just as Sarah was seen drawing a butterfly on the ground near the window with Liberty and Vikram watching over her.

"Luna, I'm sorry I did that. I love you, and I didn't mean it. Please do not call the cops or tell anybody what happened. We don't want to ruin what we have with Sarah, do we?"

Luna shook her head, playing along with him. In her heart, she wasn't going to tell someone he knows, but there will be someone else who will know. Amir had access to her memories and will find out what happened. She was frightened to do anything now because Chase was aggressive and controlling, an act she'd never seen from him before.

When Vikram stepped toward the door, Chase slid a finger over his lips to keep her quiet. She'd put on a fake smile as she approached her sister, small tears slipping down her cheeks.

Liberty stared at her sister. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah . . . yeah. My stomach aches from the baloney sandwiches we ate, and my head hurts. Could you lock up for me?"

"Sure! But Luna — "

"She's fine," Chase remarked, shifting his stare to Liberty.

"Do you want us to watch Sarah for a while?" Vikram said, standing close to Luna, gazing down at her bare feet.

"Yes, please. I'll be okay. Come back to the house when you guys are done," Luna said, her throat dry.

"We've got to go," Chase said, ushering Luna away from them after she sobbed in her sister's arms.

She was so hurt and almost stayed silent because of the situation that occurred between them. What Chase did was so cruel and unforgivable. He had never acted this way before to her, but now she had seen his true colors.

Once things had died down for them that evening, Luna planned to pack up Sarah's things and have Liberty and Vikram take them to the police station where she could make an official report. Chase had scared her with his behavior, and her shoulders stayed hunched as her limbs trembled. She had been blindsided by the one person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Several minutes later, both of them finally got onto the highway to head home. Chase drove and stopped to fill up on gas and to get some beverages. After taking a small sip of her tea, Luna's head had become foggy, like the moments when alcohol had taken her into oblivion. But she hadn't drunk a drop of that. Every eyelash weighed more than it should and gravity had been turned up tenfold. It was as if she'd been drugged.

Did he . . . drug me?

Has he drugged me before and I never knew it?

Luna couldn't keep her head up any longer and ended up lying it against the cold window, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Darkness had now . . . taken over.

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   So now the scene with the medication from earlier in the "Blessed" chapter is explained. The pills Luna had swallowed weren't what she believed they were (why they were not the right color), and Chase wasn't as innocent as he portrayed himself to be. He'd been drugging people for years, especially Luna. And maybe he was the reason she imagined Sam. Chase has always been behind the scenes controlling things . . . for everyone.