Love In Disguise: Rebirth of the Heiress
Chapter 124

Chapter 124: Chapter 124

The morning sunlight streamed through the windows, bathing my room in a soft golden glow. I blinked awake, my mind already buzzing with the to-do list for the day. Work, the kids, figuring out what to do about this ridiculous mansion situation—there was too much to handle and not enough coffee in the world to help.

As I swung my legs over the side of the bed, I paused. A soft, familiar sound drifted through the air, sending a chill down my spine.

"Lacrimam tuam effunde,

Et dolorem tuum dimitte.

Lux tua in stellis est,

Numquam obscura, numquam amissa."

The words, haunting and melodic, seemed to float from the hallway. My heart stopped.

No.

It couldn’t be.

I rushed out of the room, following the sound to Luna’s bedroom. My hands trembled as I pushed the door open.

There she was, sitting on the edge of her bed, her small feet dangling as she hummed the tune softly to herself.

"Luna?" I said, my voice cracking.

She turned to me, her innocent face lighting up with a smile. "Morning, Mummy!"

I stared at her, my chest tightening. "What... what are you singing?"

"Oh, just that song," she said casually, swinging her legs. "I hear it in my head every night before I sleep."

My blood ran cold. "What do you mean you hear it?"

She shrugged, her curls bouncing. "It’s like someone’s singing it to me. It’s pretty. Don’t you think?"

"No," I said quickly, my voice rising. "No, Luna. You can’t sing that."

Her smile faltered, her brow furrowing. "Why not?"

"Because it’s—" I stopped myself, my heart racing. How could I explain something I didn’t even understand? "Just don’t. Do you hear me? Never sing that song again."

"But why?" she asked, her voice small and confused. "I like it. It makes me feel calm."

"I said no!" I snapped, my fear bleeding into anger.

Luna’s eyes filled with tears, and her bottom lip trembled. "But Mummy—"

"No, Luna!" I interrupted, my tone harsh. "Never. Not ever again!"

The room fell silent, her soft sniffles the only sound.

Then her face twisted, and she stood, her tiny fists clenched at her sides.

"I hate you!" she screamed, her voice piercing. "I hate you, Mummy! You never let me do anything! I hate you!!"

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I couldn’t find the words to respond. I just stood there, frozen, as she threw herself back onto the bed, sobbing into her pillow.

"Luna... I—"

"Go away!" she yelled, her voice muffled by the pillow. "I don’t want to speak to you!"

I hesitated, taking a step closer. "I just... it’s not right, Luna. That song is too much for you. You’re only six."

She turned over abruptly, her tear-streaked face glaring up at me. "You don’t understand! It’s just a song! Why do you have to ruin everything?"

"I’m not ruining anything," I said, my voice trembling as I tried to reason with her. "That song—it’s not normal. It’s more than advanced for someone your age."

"I don’t care!" she screamed again, sitting up. "Go away! I hate you!"

"Luna..." I started, but my words trailed off as her eyes flickered.

For a moment, they weren’t her soft, curious eyes. They glowes. Blue rings surrounding her pupils.

"No," I whispered, stepping back. "No, no, no."

Luna’s hands gripped the blanket tightly, her small frame trembling as if she could feel something too.

"I’ll be right back," I said quickly, trying to keep my voice calm as I turned and bolted out of the room.

---

In the hallway, I grabbed the nearest jacket, clutching it around me like armor as I leaned against the wall, my heart pounding.

Her eyes. The image of their glow was burned into my mind.

It can’t be happening now. I gave her the amount of doses.

I knew I had to go back. She was my daughter, and I couldn’t leave her alone like this. Wrapping the jacket tighter around me, I forced myself to step back into her room.

She was standing in the middle of the floor now, her fists clenched at her sides. Her face was still red from crying, but her glare hadn’t softened.

"No!" she screamed as soon as she saw me. "I said go away!"

"Luna, it’s for the best," I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the panic building in my chest. "Okay, darling? It’s for the best."

"You don’t know what’s best for me!" she yelled, her voice breaking.

I took a step closer, but before I could say anything else, the door behind me opened with a sharp click.

"Briar."

I turned to see Kai standing in the doorway, his towering frame and piercing blue eyes making my breath catch.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice calm but with an edge of warning.

"I’m handling it," I said quickly, pulling the jacket tighter around me.

"Does this look like handling it to you?" he asked, stepping further into the room. His gaze flicked to Luna, who was still trembling with anger and fear.

"She needs to calm down," I said, my voice rising defensively.

"She’s a child," Kai said coldly. "And you’re scaring her."

"I’m trying to protect her!" I shot back, my voice breaking.

"You’re failing and it’s looking obsessive," he replied bluntly.

The words stung, but before I could respond, he moved past me and knelt in front of Luna.

"Come here," he said softly, holding out his arms.

"No!" I said, my voice panicked as I stepped forward. "She’s my daughter!"

Kai’s icy glare snapped to me. "And you’re about to make this worse."

Luna hesitated, her wide eyes darting between us.

"It’s okay," Kai said, his tone softening as he looked at her. "You’re safe."

Tears welled in her eyes, and before I could stop her, she stumbled into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder.

"No," I whispered, my heart breaking as I watched him scoop her up effortlessly. "No, you can’t just take her."

"I can," Kai said firmly, his voice returning to its usual authority. "And I will. Until you’ve calmed down enough to think clearly."

"Kai, don’t," I pleaded, stepping forward, but he turned and walked out of the room with Luna still clinging to him.

"Kai!" I called after him, my voice shaking with desperation.

"Let it go, Briar," came a voice from behind me.

I spun around to see Kylan leaning casually against the doorframe, his expression uncharacteristically serious.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, my hands trembling.

"Keeping you from making a bigger mess," he said simply.

"Kai took my daughter!" I snapped, my voice rising.

"And he’s doing what’s best for her," Kylan said, stepping closer. "Now come on."

He reached out and grabbed my hand gently but firmly.

"Let go of me," I said, trying to pull away, but his grip tightened.

"Briar," he said, his voice low but steady. "You’re spiraling. And that’s not going to help anyone."

I glared at him, my anger warring with the fear bubbling in my chest.

"Come with me," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Reluctantly, I let him guide me down the hall and into another room. It was smaller and dimly lit, with a plush armchair in the corner and a large window overlooking the garden.

"Sit," he said, motioning to the chair.

I hesitated, my legs trembling beneath me. "She needs to take her medicine. She...she isn’t fine."

Kylan frowned. "What do you mean by that? What...what are you doing to your daughter, Briar."

Chapter 28

My face changed, "What do you mean what am I doing to my daughter?"

Kylan didn’t flinch, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. "Exactly what I asked, Briar. You’re talking about medicine like it’s the only thing keeping her from falling apart. What’s really going on?"

"You wouldn’t understand," I muttered, shaking my head.

"Try me," he pressed, his voice calm but firm.

I stood abruptly, pacing the room as my mind raced. "It’s nothing, okay? Just something the doctor prescribed to... keep things normal."

Kylan arched a brow. "Normal? You’re talking about glowing eyes and a song that no six-year-old should be humming. There is no way for a six years old to know Latin and surprisingly she does. None of that screams normal to me."

I froze, my back to him, my fists clenched at my sides. "It’s under control."

"That’s what you call control?" he shot back, gesturing toward the hallway where Luna’s muffled cries could still be heard. "Because from where I’m standing, it looks like a ticking time bomb."

I turned to face him, my voice trembling. "What do you want me to say, Kylan? That I don’t know what’s happening to her? That I’m scared out of my mind every time she looks at me with those... those eyes all of a sudden? She is too young for her wolf to be showing. Her eyes are hazel, not flowing blue and when she is angry it happens and I don’t know why."