Chapter 252

Luna Whitaker burst into the house, her vision blurred by tears. She slammed the door shut and slid down against it, her back pressed to the wooden surface. For the first time in over twenty years, she allowed herself to appear this disheveled.

Her nails dug deep into her palms, but she felt no pain. She remembered Ryan Wallace's words when he first held her hand: "Luna, you deserve the best in this world." Now, all she tasted was bitterness.

"Big sis?" Luna's younger sister, Iris, called from outside the door.

Luna hastily wiped her face, only to find her cheeks drenched. She hadn't realized she'd been crying so hard.

"I'm fine," she forced out, her voice hoarse and broken.

The door creaked open. Iris stepped in with a cup of hot tea, pausing when she saw her sister's red-rimmed eyes.

"You saw everything?" Luna gave a bitter smile.

Iris set the tea down and crouched beside her. "Saw what? That my sister was bullied into hiding and crying in her room?"

The words broke the dam. Luna covered her face, her composure crumbling. "They called me shameless... said I was seducing men right after my divorce... Iris, am I really that despicable?"

"Bullshit!" Iris yanked Luna's hands away. "Who said that? I'll tear their mouths apart!"

Luna shook her head, tears splattering on the floor. "The whole village is saying it... Ryan's mother publicly called me a homewrecker today..."

"So what?" Iris shot to her feet. "Are you going to give up your happiness because of some gossiping busybodies?"

Luna froze. She looked up at her sister's flushed, furious face and suddenly remembered the rainy night when Ryan had waited for her outside the factory, an umbrella in hand, his eyes shining just like this.

"But—"

"No buts!" Iris knelt and gripped her hands tightly. "Big sis, you divorced to live like a human being, not to become someone else's punching bag!"

Luna's hands trembled. She recalled her ex-husband's drunken fists, her mother-in-law's cruel words, and then Ryan's gentle fingers as he carefully applied ointment to her wounds.

"I'm afraid of dragging you and the kids into this..."

"Afraid of what?" Iris scoffed. "Since when have the women of our family ever feared idle gossip?"

A loud thud came from outside. Iris yanked open the curtains to see Ryan standing in the yard, a half-empty sack of flour at his feet.

"I... I brought this..." he stammered, his ears burning red. "L-Luna, my mother's words don't count! I'm marrying you, no matter what!"

Luna burst into laughter, though her tears fell harder. Seeing Iris's teasing grin, she suddenly felt lighter than she had in years.

"Hear that?" Iris poked her forehead. "Someone's waiting to marry you, and here you are wallowing in self-pity."

Luna wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and stood. She smoothed her clothes and lifted her chin as she strode toward the door.

"Sis?"

"I'm going to have a little chat with Ryan's mother," Luna said, turning back with a smile, her eyes still wet but blazing with determination. "Can't let her insults go unanswered, can I?"

Iris stared for a second before bursting into laughter. She hurried to loop her arm through Luna's. "Let's go. I'm with you!"

Outside, Ryan fidgeted nervously. When he saw the sisters approaching, his face lit up, though his hands still twisted anxiously. "Uh... my mother, she—"

"Lead the way," Luna cut in, tilting her chin up. "I'm going to have a proper talk with her."

The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground. Iris watched her sister's straight-backed figure and suddenly saw the same big sister who'd once fought off village boys to protect her.

This was catharsis. This was how life should be lived.