Luna's POV
The day had come—the day I had both anticipated and dreaded. It had been one month since Alexander and I entered into our arrangement, and now the end of the contract loomed over us like a dark cloud. I had promised myself I wouldn't get too attached, that I would walk away when it was over, and that I would remain strong. But promises were easier said than kept, especially when emotions had gotten tangled in ways I never expected.
I sat in the quiet of the mansion, my hands folded in my lap, waiting for Alexander. He hadn't said much to me this morning, and I could feel the finality of it all hanging in the air. He'd been distant again, the emotional walls that had once surrounded him firmly in place. It was as if he had already made up his mind, as if he had already prepared himself for our separation.
I had, too. But the thought of walking away from him, after everything we had been through, was harder than I ever imagined it would be.
The clock on the wall ticked louder in the silence, each passing second reminding me that our time together was coming to an end. I couldn't help but replay the memories of the past month in my mind—our arguments, the misunderstandings, the unexpected tenderness that had slipped between us despite the coldness. But most of all, I thought about the way he had changed, the way he had tried, despite everything.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, and I stood quickly, my heart beating faster. It was him.
I opened the door to find Alexander standing there, his expression unreadable, his eyes dark and distant. He looked different today—more solemn, more closed off. I could tell he was preparing himself for the goodbye, just as I was.
"Luna," he said quietly, his voice almost mechanical, as though he had rehearsed the words in his head over and over.
"Alexander," I replied softly, trying to keep my composure. "Are you ready?"
He nodded, stepping into the room without waiting for an invitation. He didn't speak right away, but his presence filled the space between us, thick with unspoken words.
"I've arranged everything for you," he said finally, his voice still distant. "Your payment has been transferred. It should be more than enough to cover your tuition, and I've made sure there won't be any issues with it."
I nodded, trying to mask the sting in my chest at how cold his words sounded. There was no warmth, no emotion, just business. Just the end of an arrangement.
"Thank you," I whispered, my voice catching in my throat. I had to fight to keep the tears at bay, knowing that once they started, I wouldn't be able to stop them. "For everything."
Alexander looked at me for a moment, his gaze hard but with a flicker of something I couldn't quite place. Then he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small envelope, holding it out to me. "This is for you. It's everything we agreed on. There's no need for any further complications."
I took the envelope, my fingers trembling slightly as I did. I had promised myself I wouldn't let this moment break me, that I wouldn't cry. But as I held the payment in my hands, the weight of it felt like the weight of the entire month we had spent together—of everything we had been through, of the bond we had almost formed, and of the distance we would now put between us.
"I guess this is it, then," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Alexander didn't answer right away, his gaze lingering on me. For a long moment, he said nothing, and I could see the struggle in his eyes. As if he wanted to say something, do something, but couldn't bring himself to. Finally, he spoke.
"It's better this way," he said, though there was a hesitation in his voice that didn't match the words. "We were never meant to be more than this."
The finality in his voice cut deeper than I expected. His coldness was both a defense and a lie. I knew he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince me.
"I don't know," I replied, my voice wavering. "Maybe we were. Maybe we just couldn't find a way to make it work."
Alexander didn't reply. Instead, he stepped back slightly, his gaze lingering on me for a moment longer before he turned toward the door.
"I'll be gone in the morning," he said, his voice quiet. "You'll be free to live your life. It's time for both of us to move on."
With that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving me standing there, the weight of his words pressing down on me. I had been prepared for this moment. I had known it was coming. But it didn't make the finality of it any easier to bear.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, the envelope still in my hands. I didn't know what to feel. Part of me wanted to cry, to scream, to ask why things had to end this way. But another part of me knew this was the end we both needed. We had tried, but we were too different, too broken in our own ways, to make it work.
As the hours stretched on, I found myself staring at the envelope, wondering if I had made the right choice. But then I remembered—this wasn't about me or him anymore. It was about the future I had to build for myself, a future that no longer had any room for Alexander Cole.
The contract was over. The money had been paid. And now, it was time to say goodbye.
But even as I told myself that, a small part of me whispered, What if we could have had something more?
That question would remain unanswered, just as it always had been.
Tomorrow, I would walk away.
And I would leave him behind, just like I had promised.