Moana’s POV

The silence that followed was unbearable, not to talk of the looks I was getting from everyone sitting at the table.

Placing my glass down with my head bent downwards, I tried to shift the atmosphere back to normalcy.

Snapping my head up, I let out a weak laugh, wiping my mouth with a napkin.

“Sorry,” I muttered, clearing my throat. “It went down the wrong way.”

Relieved, mother chuckled lightly. “You’ve always been clumsy with your drinks.”

“Guess some things don’t change,” I said, forcing a smile that felt brittle.

“But that has to change. You got us scared for a moment,” Father said with a tender look.

“I'm fine." I mumbled and he nodded approvingly.

Lifting his glass again, he said, “Let’s toast again, to family, to peace, and to Ashton and Nadine’s engagement. It’s time to end the old rivalry.”

Everyone cheered lightly and glasses clinked. They were all excited but I wasn't and I couldn't even pretend that I was.

To avoid drawing attention to myself, I raised my glass just enough to play along, my lips barely touching the rim.

My heart was hammering too loud and my chest was tight. The words Ashton and Nadine continued to make rounds in my head like a curse.

He was getting engaged to her.

And for what? An alliance? A merger? A political move dressed as romance?

It was the typical Bravata. In marriage, love had never been part of the equation, everything had always been a strategy.

Biting my bottom lips, I raised my head but I couldn’t hold my gaze for up to a minute.

Ashton didn’t seem moved by the announcement, he didn’t even smile or act like the dinner was all about him.

He just sat there, his hands folded on the table with a calm and unreadable expression. It was like he wasn’t even there.

And maybe that was worse than if he had looked happy because indifference from Ashton was deadly.

It meant finality as nothing was left to say.

While everyone dug into their meals, I tried to eat something but every piece of food was tasteless. I couldn’t tell if it was chicken or air on my plate.

My stepfather’s voice droned on about territory agreements, shipments, alliance and mutual trade routes.

Pretending to listen, I was staring at my plate. But in the real sense, my mind was a mess of different scenes.

Right there, I imagined Ashton walking down the aisle with Nadine who was grinning in excitement.

Seething, I grabbed the edge of the table and was going to start tugging the table cloth but I quickly snapped myself back to the present.

It was just my imagination but still, my chest ached like I was watching a HD movie of their wedding.

I must have zoned out completely because my stepfather’s voice suddenly broke through, startling me in the process.

“What do you think?” He asked with a warm voice.

I was going to push a chunk of meat into my mouth when I gasped, “Sorry, what?”

Chuckling, he said, “It’s about your brother’s engagement. You haven’t said a word yet.”

All eyes turned to me again. My mother’s eyes were expectant while Ashton's gaze was sharp.

Leaning forward slightly, I swallowed hard. “I think it’s… great,” I lied, my tone too flat to sound convincing.

“If it helps the families, then it’s a smart move.” I added with a little nod.

“You have spoken like a true Bravata,” he said proudly, patting Ashton on the back.

With a stiff smile, I placed my napkin on the table. “Please, excuse me,” I said, standing up abruptly. “I… I’m not feeling so great. It must be the flight catching up to me.”

“Are you all right, darling?” Mom asks with a worried look.

“I’m fine,” I assured her. “I just need to lie down a bit.” It did the magic because no one said something else or tried to stop me as I turned and walked out.

But I could feel Ashton’s eyes burning into my back the whole way to the door.

The moment I reached my room, I shut the door and pressed my back against it, exhaling shakily.

The silence hit me first, then the weight of everything else.

Engaged. — The word wouldn’t stop echoing in my mind no matter how hard I tried.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, I sank into the bed. My chest felt heavy and my throat was dry.

I wanted to scream, cry, throw something but nothing came. I was numbed.

“So this was what it felt like to break without a sound.” I mumbled, biting my button lips.

After a while, I tried to convince myself it didn’t matter. Ashton was my stepbrother and so he would never be mine.

It wasn’t supposed to hurt but the ache in my chest said otherwise.

Burying my face in the pillow, I turned on my side. I was going to get some sleep so I could escape the thoughts circling like vultures in my head with the hopes that by tomorrow it wouldn’t sting so much.

But sleep didn’t come.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw them together; Nadine’s perfect smile, Ashton’s steady expression and the way she touched his arm like she had every right to.

Minutes turned into hours and when the silence became unbearable, I gave up.

Throwing my feet off the bed, I quickly pulled on a sweater and slipped out of my room quietly.

The house was silent as most of the guards had changed shifts, and the rest of the family had gone to bed.

My bare feet padded softly against the floor as I climbed the stairs to the rooftop terrace.

It was my favorite spot when I was younger. It was a place to breathe and feel small under the stars when everything else felt too heavy.

The night air was crisp and the city lights glittered like scattered jewels below. The full and bright moon hung low.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes.

For a moment, I almost felt calm but then I noticed movement near the far end of the rooftop.

My pulse spiked instantly. I didn’t need to see his face to know it was Ashton.

He was standing near the railing, his hands in his pockets and head tilted slightly upward as if he was lost in thought.

The soft glow of the city lights caught the edges of his profile, sharp, perfect, and haunting.

Of course he was here. This had always been his spot too.

Every instinct screamed to turn around and leave since he hadn’t seen me yet but I was frozen in place.

Holding my breath, I took a cautious step back but the moment my heel brushed against the metal frame of the door, the faintest clink echoed through the still night and he turned.

His eyes met mine, catching me in the act.

“Damn it.” I groaned under my breath.

For a moment, neither of us said anything. He just stood there, looking at me in the way he always did.

But there was something else flickering behind his eyes tonight. Something I couldn’t name.

Parting my lips, I tried to say something but before I could, his lips curved into the faintest smirk.

“You’re terrible at sneaking,” he said. His voice low and smooth, like velvet and danger rolled into one.

And just like that, my heart started racing all over again.