Page 94 of A Sinful Gravity

I sat at the table, gripping an unopened financial paper, but my eyes stayed locked on Luna across from me like she was magnetic.

She wore a simple white silk blouse today, the collar slightly open, revealing the elegant line of her neck.

She stirred her oatmeal absently, the silver spoon clinking against the porcelain bowl in an uneven rhythm that gave away her restlessness.

"Mommy?" Laila called out.

No response.

"Mommy!" Laila raised her voice.

Luna snapped back, the spoon jerking in her hand. "Hm? What is it?"

"Mommy, is your spoon fighting?" Laila asked, tilting her head while stuffing half a fried egg in her mouth. "Can I have some jam?"

Luna blinked, her movements stiff for a moment, then forced a pale smile and reached over to ruffle Laila's golden hair. "Sorry, sweetheart. I was thinking about a move for this afternoon's rehearsal. Got distracted."

She passed the jam, her movements mechanical. Then went back to staring at her bowl.

I watched, something sinking in my chest.

These past days, even though we lived under the same roof, even though we'd been as intimate as two people could be, something was missing.

And lately Luna was always like this, sitting right in front of me, but her soul somewhere a thousand miles away.

What was weighing on her? Work? Laila? Or... me?

I couldn't read her.

After breakfast, Laila dragged me to the living room for braiding—her latest obsession was making me try different braid styles.

I wove her a fishtail braid with practiced hands. Laila ran to check the mirror, nodded approvingly, then dashed upstairs to change.

I stood and walked over to Luna. She was looking at Laila's picture book, but she'd been on the same page forever.

"Luna," I called her name.

She turned. "Yeah?"

"You... okay?"

She smiled. "I'm fine."

That smile wasn't like before. Her mouth curved, but her eyes didn't.

I looked at her, wanted to say something, but finally just nodded.

"Alright then."

She got up to leave. I stood there, watching her walk away. Slender, almost fragile. Her shoulders slightly tense, not relaxed like usual.

Something twisted in my chest.

By the time I got to the office, it was almost ten.

I sat in my oversized chair, mountains of documents in front of me, and couldn't read a single word. Luna's expression this morning had me rattled.

Chloe's words surfaced again—"You've never really known her."