The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation - Chapter 59: Chapter 59

Analise.
I study Sebastian’s face under the moonlight. He’s quiet, but somehow, I can see the struggle playing across his face.
I get the feeling that he’s fighting a battle, not physically, but emotionally and mentally. And whatever war he is fighting, he is doing it on his own.
I want to reach out to him, offer some comfort, but my hand hovers in the space between us, uncertain. His walls are so high, his defenses so well-constructed. What right do I have to try to scale them?
"Sebastian," I whisper, my voice barely audible above the night breeze. "You don't have to carry everything alone."
He doesn’t answer. He just continues staring into the garden below.
Finally, after a long, stretched silence, he turns to me. His expression hard—desperate but yearning. I can tell that he’s made a decision that he doesn’t particularly like. And he didn’t do it for himself. He’s doing it for the sake of someone else.
‘But who?’
“Right now, we cannot tell anyone that SB Capitals is mine. I can transfer everything to you for safekeeping. But for now, everything must be kept a secret. Everything.”
He puts an emphasis on the word ‘everything’. It’s loaded with implication. Is he talking about SB Capitals—or something else entirely?
“Nobody can know about my connection to SB,” he continues, his voice lower now. “And we cannot be seen together. Not like this.”
I raise an eyebrow, masking my unease with sarcasm.
"Is that it?" I ask, anger suddenly flaring within me. "You're embarrassed to be seen with me? Is that what this is about?"
His eyes widen slightly, the only sign that my accusation has landed. "Analise—"
"Trust me, I get it. After all, Tyler did the same to me. Many of the people in our office didn’t even know that I was married to him." I continue, unable to stop now that the words have started flowing.
“The heir to Blackwood Conglomerates can't possibly be associated with someone like me. Might tarnish that perfect image you've built. Heaven forbid anyone think you actually care about your stepsister."
“But I do care about you!” He snaps, his voice slightly raised. He takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Then he adds, “Everything I’m doing is actually for you, Analise. Believe it or not. It’s just that… I cannot be seen with you. It’s for your sake, not mine.”
I stare at him blankly. “What could be so bad that you cannot be seen with your stepsister? We’re technically family, you know? Step-siblings by the miracle of our parents’ marriage.” I say sarcastically.
His jaw flexes. “This isn’t about our parents.”
“Then what is it about, Sebastian?” My tone sharpens. “Because I’m getting tired of the cryptic riddles.”
He steps closer. The air thickens. “It’s about keeping you safe, Analise.”
“Safe?” A laugh escapes me. “What is this, a spy novel? You’re a businessman, not James Bond.”
“There are things you don’t understand.”
“Then help me understand.” My voice rises. “You hand me control of a company you built in secret, then tell me it’s dangerous to be seen with you? How does that even make sense?”
He sighs heavily. I can see the frustration in his face. “I just… want to protect you.”
“By avoiding me?” I shake my head, incredulous. “Here we go again!”
He frowns. “What does that mean?”
“It means this isn’t the first time you’ve done this.” I step closer. “Push me away to protect me? Sound familiar?”
His mouth tightens. “This is different.”
“Really? Because last time we were alone on a balcony, you kissed me. Then told me that you… you reject me. Was that for my ‘protection’ too?”
Silence.
The memory between us rises like smoke. It was the last time we saw each other before he completely disappeared. No proper goodbyes. No proper explanations.
Sebastian flinches as if I've struck him. The memory washes over me in vivid detail – that night almost a decade ago in the balcony in my room. The stars had been out just like tonight, I found Sebastian standing in my balcony.
I can still picture it perfectly—Sebastian's face draining of color as the moon rose higher. His hands trembling as he gripped the railing. The way he kept glancing over his shoulder at the woods beyond the estate.
Then without warning, he just kissed me. Like really kissed me. Kissed like I’ve never been kissed before.
But just as quickly as that magical kiss ended, his face turns sullen, like he did something so horrible, he felt he had to pay dearly for it. Then he said, “I reject you.” And his face looked like he’s going to die or something. And then, before I could even open my eyes completely, he disappeared. Like a puff of smoke.
“That night shouldn’t have happened,” he says quietly.
“But it did.”
“And I regretted it.”
‘Ouch!’ The words land like a slap. He regretted kissing me, too?
“Then why are we here again, Sebastian?” I press. “Why the secret company? And why did you choose to make me CEO?”
His voice cracks slightly. “Because I trust you.”
“Funny,” I say bitterly. “Trust usually involves telling the truth.”
“I can’t tell you everything right now.” He runs his hands through his hair. I can see frustration written all over his face.
“Why the hell not, Sebastian?”
“Because it’s not just about me,” he says, pain flashing across his face. “There are others involved. Stakes you don’t know—and can’t know.”
“Try me.”
“I can’t.” He shakes his head.
We stare at each other in silence for a long moment. Below us, the garden glows faintly in the moonlight. Everything is calm. A huge contrast to the chaos that Sebastian and I are entangled in.
“Is this what it’s going to be?” I ask. “Me guessing while you guard your secrets like a dragon hoarding gold?”
“Analise!” He hisses desperately. “You have no idea what’s at risk. The less you know, the safer you will be.”
“Don’t you think it’s up to me to decide that? You are just like Father. You don’t trust me enough to make my own decisions. You just love deciding for me.”
“Analise, this is beyond you and me. Just trust me when I say that I CANNOT tell you!”
The words echo, sharp and final.
I swallow, breath shaky. “Do you even want me involved in SB Capitals? Or was that just a move on your chessboard?”
“I meant it.”
“Then you’re asking me to trust you blindly.”
He rakes a hand through his hair, suddenly looking undone. “You deserve more than this, I know. I should not have let you involved in the first place.”
“That’s not your choice to make.” I shake my head.
We are again enveloped by silence. Thick. Heavy.
He looks at me with pleading eyes. “I don’t want to hurt you, Analise.”
“Well, unfortunately, you already have.”
We stand there, on the edge of something that could destroy us both. The past looms between us. The future crouches in shadow.
“You have to decide, Sebastian,” I say firmly. “If you want me in your world, you’re gonna have to trust me with your secrets. You just have to trust that I can take it. And I can take care of myself.”
He continues to stare at me silently.
“I can trust you. But I cannot blindly trust anyone. That’s just not the way I’m wired.” I take a deep breath. Uncertain that what I’m about to say will matter to him at all. “So, if you can’t trust me with your secrets, Sebastian, then I can’t keep doing this with you.”
The silence stretches between us.
Long.
Heavy.
And unfortunately, enough to give me the answer I’m asking for.
“Fine!” I turn and walk toward the door. “I’m done playing this game.”
I don’t look back.
He doesn’t stop me.
And somehow, that hurts the most.