The whole atmosphere at the dining table was gloomy. No one spoke, no one looked at each other; instead, they focused on their breakfast.
Suddenly, the sound of utensils being put down made everyone raise their heads.
"Finished your food?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow at Lunara in confusion.
"Madam, about being a model for the campaign... Was it ntioned that I need to have long hair?"
Regina tilted her head slightly, her gaze shifting to Eryx, who froze at Lunara’s question.
"Hmm... first of all, you should change the way you address . After all, you’re already married into the family, and—"
"I’m sorry, madam," Lunara interrupted, shaking her head imdiately. Her voice wavered slightly, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "Actually, to be clear, our marriage is not..." She trailed off, struggling to find the right words. How was she supposed to explain it when Eryx himself wanted to keep it a secret? When he made it sound like sothing that shouldn’t even be acknowledged?
"Is not...?" Regina pressed, her gaze shifting back and forth between Eryx and Lunara.
"I an, I believe the marriage shouldn’t have happened, so we decided to proceed with the divorce."
The mont the words left Lunara’s lips, the entire dining room fell into silence.
"What do you an...?" Naomi asked, her voice laced with concern as she reached for Lunara’s sleeve, tugging gently to make her look at her. "Explain, please."
She then shifted her gaze to Eryx, who finally lifted his eyes. As usual, his expression was unreadable, cold and indifferent.
"Did I ever ntion divorce?" His voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it, a warning beneath the surface.
Lunara took a deep breath, forcing herself to et his gaze. "No, you didn’t," she admitted, her tone steady despite the tightness in her chest. "But you also made it clear that this marriage shouldn’t exist."
She leaned back slightly, tilting her head as if challenging him. "Or did I misunderstand when you told to keep it a secret? When you acted like it was sothing that shouldn’t even be acknowledged?"
Her fingers clenched against her lap, but she refused to look away. She was afraid, she always was when he put on that cold, unreadable expression but that didn’t an she would back down.
Eryx remained silent, his gaze locked onto hers. His expression didn’t change, but sothing in his eyes flickered.
Regina, who had been watching the exchange with mild amusent, finally spoke. "Well, this is interesting." She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "Eryx, dear, I don’t recall approving any divorce."
He raised his cup of tea and took a sip. "I wasn’t aware that I needed your approval for a divorce." Setting the cup back on its saucer, his gaze t Regina’s, unwavering. "She’s not going to Grandma’s house tomorrow." Then, shifting his eyes to Lunara, he added coldly, "And you... don’t ever ntion divorce so recklessly."
Lunara’s fingers curled into fists on her lap. Of course. As usual, decisions were made for her, without her input, without a single thought about how she felt. She wasn’t surprised, perhaps just tired.
She lifted her chin slightly, forcing herself to et Eryx’s gaze despite the chill in his eyes. "Right," she said, her voice steady but laced with sothing unreadable. "Because I have no right to decide anything, do I?"
Eryx’s eyes darkened, but Lunara didn’t look away. She knew she was stepping into dangerous territory, but after everything, after the way he had made her believe, even for a second, that their marriage was sothing worth fixing, only to turn around and reduce it to a shaful secret. She couldn’t just swallow her frustration.
Her lips curled into sothing that wasn’t quite a smile. "I’ve finished my breakfast. Thanks, Madam." She pushed the chair and stood up, "Oh..." she looked back at Regina, "About the hair, "Can I cut it short?"
Regina raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by Lunara’s sudden shift in deanor. She studied her for a mont before glancing at Eryx, whose expression remained unreadable.
"You may do whatever you like with your hair," Regina finally said, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. "But are you sure that’s really what you want?"
Lunara’s fingers brushed against the ends of her hair as she held Regina’s gaze. "Yes," she said firmly.
Eryx didn’t say a word, but his grip on the cup tightened slightly.
"Very well," Regina mused, resting her chin on her hand. "I’ll make the arrangents for a stylist."
Lunara gave a polite nod before turning away. Without looking back, she walked out of the dining room, her heart pounding in her chest. Cutting her hair wasn’t just a whim, it was a statent. If she couldn’t control anything else in her life, at least she could control this.
"Wait for !" Naomi shouted, hurrying after Lunara.
Although irritation burned inside Eryx, he remained composed, calmly picking up a napkin to wipe his lips. "Mila, did she return yet?"
Regina let out a soft chuckle, tilting her head as she regarded him with amusent. "Oh? You still rember your daughter?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "How touching."
Eryx’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t react beyond that. He simply placed the napkin down and t Regina’s gaze with cold indifference. "Her family has the right to et her."
Regina ate the last bite of her toast, "I told you a lot of tis, they didn’t really want to take care of her, just want to gain her trust then..." she flicked the remaining crust on his fingers, "You know what will happen."
"I’ve t Vivienne’s sister plenty of tis, and she never seed like the type to manipulate a child for her own benefit," Eryx said, his tone firm.
Regina sighed, shaking her head as if disappointed. "You always choose to believe what you want, don’t you?" She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "Tell , do you really think she wants to take responsibility for Mila out of pure goodwill? You shouldn’t have taken her in the first place. You’re too busy to handle her, and in the end, you just push the responsibility onto soone else."
Eryx’s fingers tightened around the cup, but his expression remained unreadable. "I didn’t push the responsibility onto anyone. Mila is my daughter."
Regina let out a dry chuckle, shaking her head. "Oh? And what exactly have you done as her father?" She tilted her head mockingly. "Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like all you’ve done is let others take care of her."
Eryx finally set his cup down with a quiet clink. "Vivienne’s sister isn’t what you think," he said, his tone controlled but firm. "She cares about Mila. She’s been there for her more than you have."
Regina scoffed, arching a brow. "I don’t know how you manage an entire company with this kind of mindset. If you let emotions cloud your judgnt, you’ll only end up regretting it."
Eryx t her gaze, his expression as cold as ever. "I know what I’m doing, Mom."
She smirked. "No, you don’t. If you did, you’d understand that trust is a luxury. One you can’t afford to give so freely." She picked up her napkin, dabbing the corner of her lips before rising to her feet. "But go ahead, do as you please. Just don’t co crying to when she disappoints you."
Eryx remained silent. It wasn’t that he disagreed with her, there were just too many thoughts running through his mind.
Regina paused, her gaze sharpening. "One more thing. Do you really think hiding Lunara is protecting her?"
His eyes flicked up, eting hers.
She tilted her head slightly. "If I could find her this easily, what makes you think your grandmother won’t?"
Eryx’s grip on his cup tightened.
Regina gave a small, knowing smile. "A word of advice. Protecting her in the dark won’t keep her safe. Sotis, the only way to shield soone is to let the world see exactly who they are."
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