Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20

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While Meadow chopped vegetables in the quiet kitchen, her mind spiralled through every dark corner she’d been avoiding. The rhythm of

the knife against the board should have been soothing, but instead it made her thoughts louder, sharper.

Anger simmered beneath her skin.

Anger at her parents

,her only family,

who should have protected her, cherished her, defended her… yet handed her off like an unwanted parcel.

She was their only child.

Their miracle.

Their responsibility.

And they abandoned her to this fate because she struggled with speech.

Because she wasn’t “perfect”.

Because she wasn’t convenient.

She scraped the carrot with more force than necessary, and tears blurred her vision until the orange slice wavered into nothingness.

Turned into a live-in nanny.

A caretaker.

A womb.

A silent vessel for someone else’s bloodline.

The cruelty of it burned.

Her throat tightened so painfully she had to set the carrot and scraper down. Her shoulders trembled as flashes of the incident that stole her voice tore through her mind, the night she wandered outside, the wrong place, the wrong time… terror sinking claws into her throat until it closed around her words forever.

A night she could never outrun.

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Chapter 20

If only she had stayed indoors.

If only she hadn’t crossed that path.

If only fate had spared her voice.

She inhaled shakily and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. She couldn’t break down here. Not now.

The cabin was quiet, beautifully quiet, and the distance from Amber’s shadow felt like borrowed air. For the first time since her wedding day, she could think without someone watching her, judging her, reminding her of what she was not allowed to be.

Now that she was alone with Ethan, she would have to ask him something important, something she’d been afraid to request in the

mansion.

She needed contact with Victoria.

She needed someone who loved her.

She needed… sanity.

If Ethan allowed her to text from his phone, even once, she could breathe again.

She pushed herself to continue cooking, chopping onions until her tears blended seamlessly with the sting of the vegetable, stirring the pot until steam warmed her face. The aroma of vegetable soup filled the cabin, earthy and comforting, and she felt a small spark of accomplishment.

When she finally placed the warm meal on the table, she exhaled softly, a momentary relief.

Then she wiped her hands, squared her shoulders, and went to get her husband.

She stood at Ethan’s door for a long time. She didn’t knock loudly; she didn’t dare. Instead she waited, silently, patiently, until his voice

came through.

When he finally answered, she stepped in.

And froze.

Ethan’s eyes were swollen.

He had been crying.

That realisation hit her harder than she expected. He carried so much weight, his injury, his loneliness, his mother’s cruelty, Cynthia’s abandonment, and yet he showed none of it to the world. But here, away from the mansion and all its toxins, the façade had cracked.

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Chapter 20

The air in the room smelled faintly of alcohol.

Her gaze slipped to the floor where a shattered picture frame lay scattered. The blonde woman’s face, Cynthia, stared up at her through

broken glass.

His past.

His heartbreak.

His prison.

Her chest tightened painfully.

“Food is ready, Alpha. Let me serve you and come and clean the mess,” she signed quickly, not wanting him to sit in the wreckage of memories that clearly tortured him.

Before he could argue, she moved behind him, gently took the handles of his wheelchair, and pushed him toward the kitchen.

Ethan could have snapped. He could have barked at her. But he didn’t. He let her guide him.

It surprised him, how easily he allowed her to.

In the kitchen, Meadow served him the warm soup. She placed the bowl before him with care, then stepped away, unsure if he would like

He tasted the first spoonful cautiously.

Then another.

Then another.

The moment the flavours hit his tongue, the soft vegetables, the perfectly balanced spices, the comforting warmth, something inside him loosened. He hadn’t realised how hungry he was until now. Or how comforting a simple meal made with care could be.

He didn’t speak, but he didn’t need to. The speed at which he ate said enough.

Meadow slipped away quietly and returned to his room to clean the mess. She knelt and picked up the shattered glass, her movements gentle and reverent. She lifted the photo from the floor, brushed off the shards, and placed the picture back into the frame without the glass.

She didn’t judge him.

She didn’t pity him.

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Chapter 20

She didn’t intrude.

She simply restored what she could and left.

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When she returned to the dining room, Ethan was almost done with his meal. The empty bowl warmed her heart. She had done one thing right today.

And it gave her courage.

She approached him cautiously.

“Alpha,” she signed softly.

He looked at her, and she noticed that his eyes were clearer now. The alcohol haze had faded, replaced by something sharper… gentler.

“What is it?” he asked, though not unkindly.

Meadow swallowed and signed quickly, hoping he would understand how important this was.

May I text my best friend with your phone? My phone is with Luna Amber. I just want to say hello.

Ethan stared at her.

How could his mother…?

Taking her phone was cruel, unnecessarily cruel, and he realised now it wasn’t about discipline or control. Amber was hiding something. Preventing Meadow from reaching out. Preventing her from being grounded, supported, guided.

Ethan’s jaw clenched.

His mother would pay for this, one way or another.

He exhaled slowly and nodded.

Reluctantly, but sincerely.

He handed his phone to her.

Meadow’s eyes softened as she accepted it, gratitude radiating from her posture. After making him the best soup he had tasted in years, after quietly fixing his emotional mess without a word, she had earned the gesture tenfold.

Ethan decided something silently:

He would get her a phone.

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Chapter 20

A private one.

One she could use in secret.

No one, not even his mother, would silence Meadow again.

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14:49 Sat, Jun 13

Underwater: The Silent Luna