The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation - Chapter 43: Chapter 43
You are reading The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation, Chapter 43: Chapter 43. Read more chapters of The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation.
Analise.
Present day…
I blink away the memory, my fingers trembling as they trace the edge of the black envelope I've kept hidden for six years. The stranger's words still echo in my mind like a sinister warning.
“Just don’t open it. Not unless you absolutely have to. Lives could depend on that.”
His message was cryptic. I didn’t even know if I should take it seriously. But the warning feels very real. Back then, I was scared it was just a prank that would land me in trouble. So, I tucked it away deep inside my closet, under my jewelry box, where it lay forgotten for six years.
Forgetting about it might have saved me. But where am I now? Being kicked out by my ex-husband with absolutely nothing to my name. Then my father lies in a coma, the company he worked so hard to build is being threatened to be dismantled by my gold-digging, ingrate of a stepsister. And my body is still broken from losing the precious life I was nurturing inside me.
‘What have I got to lose?’ I wonder with a heavy heart. ‘Right now, I’m totally maxed out! There's nothing more they can to make the situation any worse.’
The jewelry box rests open on my lap, its soft velvet lining safeguarding the items I cherish. My mother’s pearl earrings. The Luxe Emerald necklace that she designed for me, one of the very first masterpieces that made the company popular. Beside it lies the delicate gold chain with emerald pendant—a gift that my father gave me on my 16th birthday. I touch it, remembering both my parents. Tears run down my cheeks. I realize now, more than ever, how foolish my decision had been to give up everything for Tyler. He was never worth it. My father has been right. He was never good enough for me.
I look around our bedroom. Wait—no. It’s only Tyler’s bedroom now. The room that has felt cold for more years than I care to admit.
‘When was the last time I laughed in his bedroom?’
I can no longer remember.
‘When was the last time we made love here?’
It has been far too long. We got so busy building Tyler’s company that we forgot the most important thing that we should have been working on—our marriage.
Now, I run my fingers over the black envelope’s seal.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” I whisper to myself.
A bomb may go off? A hex? A joke?
My bitter laugh echoes in the empty room. After Tyler's betrayal, after the whispers from Vivian and Tanya behind my back, after being belittled by them, thinking I was nothing but trash, and I was never good enough for Tyler—anything this envelope contains would be a welcome improvement.
I could die tonight, and it would still be better than crawling out of this house like Tyler’s trash.
"Screw it!” I mutter.
I slip my finger under the flap and tear open the envelope. The material is even more luxurious than I remembered, thick and textured like expensive stationery used by people who run the world from corner offices and private clubs.
‘Who could have sent me this?’ I wonder.
Inside is a black greeting card. The front is blank—no message, no design.
My heart hammers against my ribs as I open it. I nearly drop the card when I see what's inside.
A black credit card.
Not just any card—a Visa Infinite. The kind only the likes of my father could afford. I remember not even Tyler has it.
There’s a name inscribed in it in gold lettering:
‘Analise Emerald L. McGregor.’
"What the hell?" I whisper, the card cool and heavy between my fingers.
I haven't used my full name since I left home. Since my father disowned me. Since I became just Analise Lander, and then Analise Lewis, wife of Tyler Lewis, the girl who gave up everything for love.
‘Could my father have sent it?’
Was he secretly looking out for me, despite disowning me?
Below the card is a handwritten message. My breath catches as I recognize the neat, elegant calligraphy. Only one person I know has this very impressive handwriting.
“The world could burn, reducing everything to ashes, but there is one thing you could never lose, one thing that would always be bound to you, against the fiercest infernos and the ravages of time.”
“What the—what does that mean?” I wonder.
There’s no name, no signature. Only a ten digit number. Instantly, I know what it is. A phone number.
My heart pounds loudly, as I realize what he meant with his message. I lost my father when he disowned me. I admit, it had not been easy for me. Jumping from one job to the next. Working extra hours. Doing futile interviews.
For years, I thought I had lost everything from my previous life. But now, if only I had opened this letter earlier, if I didn’t heed that stranger’s warning, then I would have realized earlier than now that there’s still one thing that I never lost:
Sebastian. My stepbrother.
I close my eyes, memories flooding back. Sebastian at our parents' wedding, tall and serious, eyes that never quite met mine. Sebastian at family dinners, watching me when he thought I wasn't looking. Sebastian who kissed me passionately when he knew it was forbidden for him to do so, and then he disappeared from my life forever.
He had been there when I fainted. He took care of me. But then he vanished again and never even showed his face.
“If he didn’t show himself then, would he answer my call now?”
The stranger's words come back to me: "Someone who cares a big deal about what happens to you.”
If he really cares about what happens to me, then I think he will answer once I make this call.
I pick up my phone, fingers hesitating over the keypad.
‘Take it easy, Analise. Just call him,’
I dial the number with shaking hands. My heart pounds loudly inside my chest. I am faced with the unknown, and I have absolutely no idea what to expect.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three rings.
Then silence.
Not a voicemail. Not a greeting. Just someone on the other end, breathing, waiting for me to say the first word.
My heart squeezes painfully in my chest.
"It's me," I say, my voice breaking. "Can you…” I take a deep breath. “Come and get me?"
The silence stretches, and for a terrible moment, I think I've made a mistake. That this isn't Sebastian. That I've called a stranger and embarrassed myself completely.
Then I hear it.
His voice. Deeper than I remember, but undeniably his.
"Stay where you are," he says, each word measured and precise. "I'm coming to get you."
The line goes dead before I can respond. I stare at my phone, then at the credit card still in my hand.
‘God, is this really happening?’
Present day…
I blink away the memory, my fingers trembling as they trace the edge of the black envelope I've kept hidden for six years. The stranger's words still echo in my mind like a sinister warning.
“Just don’t open it. Not unless you absolutely have to. Lives could depend on that.”
His message was cryptic. I didn’t even know if I should take it seriously. But the warning feels very real. Back then, I was scared it was just a prank that would land me in trouble. So, I tucked it away deep inside my closet, under my jewelry box, where it lay forgotten for six years.
Forgetting about it might have saved me. But where am I now? Being kicked out by my ex-husband with absolutely nothing to my name. Then my father lies in a coma, the company he worked so hard to build is being threatened to be dismantled by my gold-digging, ingrate of a stepsister. And my body is still broken from losing the precious life I was nurturing inside me.
‘What have I got to lose?’ I wonder with a heavy heart. ‘Right now, I’m totally maxed out! There's nothing more they can to make the situation any worse.’
The jewelry box rests open on my lap, its soft velvet lining safeguarding the items I cherish. My mother’s pearl earrings. The Luxe Emerald necklace that she designed for me, one of the very first masterpieces that made the company popular. Beside it lies the delicate gold chain with emerald pendant—a gift that my father gave me on my 16th birthday. I touch it, remembering both my parents. Tears run down my cheeks. I realize now, more than ever, how foolish my decision had been to give up everything for Tyler. He was never worth it. My father has been right. He was never good enough for me.
I look around our bedroom. Wait—no. It’s only Tyler’s bedroom now. The room that has felt cold for more years than I care to admit.
‘When was the last time I laughed in his bedroom?’
I can no longer remember.
‘When was the last time we made love here?’
It has been far too long. We got so busy building Tyler’s company that we forgot the most important thing that we should have been working on—our marriage.
Now, I run my fingers over the black envelope’s seal.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” I whisper to myself.
A bomb may go off? A hex? A joke?
My bitter laugh echoes in the empty room. After Tyler's betrayal, after the whispers from Vivian and Tanya behind my back, after being belittled by them, thinking I was nothing but trash, and I was never good enough for Tyler—anything this envelope contains would be a welcome improvement.
I could die tonight, and it would still be better than crawling out of this house like Tyler’s trash.
"Screw it!” I mutter.
I slip my finger under the flap and tear open the envelope. The material is even more luxurious than I remembered, thick and textured like expensive stationery used by people who run the world from corner offices and private clubs.
‘Who could have sent me this?’ I wonder.
Inside is a black greeting card. The front is blank—no message, no design.
My heart hammers against my ribs as I open it. I nearly drop the card when I see what's inside.
A black credit card.
Not just any card—a Visa Infinite. The kind only the likes of my father could afford. I remember not even Tyler has it.
There’s a name inscribed in it in gold lettering:
‘Analise Emerald L. McGregor.’
"What the hell?" I whisper, the card cool and heavy between my fingers.
I haven't used my full name since I left home. Since my father disowned me. Since I became just Analise Lander, and then Analise Lewis, wife of Tyler Lewis, the girl who gave up everything for love.
‘Could my father have sent it?’
Was he secretly looking out for me, despite disowning me?
Below the card is a handwritten message. My breath catches as I recognize the neat, elegant calligraphy. Only one person I know has this very impressive handwriting.
“The world could burn, reducing everything to ashes, but there is one thing you could never lose, one thing that would always be bound to you, against the fiercest infernos and the ravages of time.”
“What the—what does that mean?” I wonder.
There’s no name, no signature. Only a ten digit number. Instantly, I know what it is. A phone number.
My heart pounds loudly, as I realize what he meant with his message. I lost my father when he disowned me. I admit, it had not been easy for me. Jumping from one job to the next. Working extra hours. Doing futile interviews.
For years, I thought I had lost everything from my previous life. But now, if only I had opened this letter earlier, if I didn’t heed that stranger’s warning, then I would have realized earlier than now that there’s still one thing that I never lost:
Sebastian. My stepbrother.
I close my eyes, memories flooding back. Sebastian at our parents' wedding, tall and serious, eyes that never quite met mine. Sebastian at family dinners, watching me when he thought I wasn't looking. Sebastian who kissed me passionately when he knew it was forbidden for him to do so, and then he disappeared from my life forever.
He had been there when I fainted. He took care of me. But then he vanished again and never even showed his face.
“If he didn’t show himself then, would he answer my call now?”
The stranger's words come back to me: "Someone who cares a big deal about what happens to you.”
If he really cares about what happens to me, then I think he will answer once I make this call.
I pick up my phone, fingers hesitating over the keypad.
‘Take it easy, Analise. Just call him,’
I dial the number with shaking hands. My heart pounds loudly inside my chest. I am faced with the unknown, and I have absolutely no idea what to expect.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three rings.
Then silence.
Not a voicemail. Not a greeting. Just someone on the other end, breathing, waiting for me to say the first word.
My heart squeezes painfully in my chest.
"It's me," I say, my voice breaking. "Can you…” I take a deep breath. “Come and get me?"
The silence stretches, and for a terrible moment, I think I've made a mistake. That this isn't Sebastian. That I've called a stranger and embarrassed myself completely.
Then I hear it.
His voice. Deeper than I remember, but undeniably his.
"Stay where you are," he says, each word measured and precise. "I'm coming to get you."
The line goes dead before I can respond. I stare at my phone, then at the credit card still in my hand.
‘God, is this really happening?’
End of The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation Chapter 43. Continue reading Chapter 44 or return to The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation book page.