• Luna •

[ P A R T  S E V E N ] 

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Still staring at Amir, Luna was completely aware the whole room was watching her, except for him. But why wouldn't he look at her? A razor-sharp pain etched its way down her body, slicing the middle of her chest. This couldn't be real. This has to be a dream, a hallucination. He couldn't have been physically, mentally, and emotionally separated from her. 

Her body moved before she could stop herself. From the corner of her eye, she saw Nurse Smith laughing with pride on her face and one of the scientists stepped forward, trying to block her from touching Amir. But she was determined to prove to herself that her worse fears were not coming true. 

After all, they still had their connection, but then she thought of what the nurse had said, and how she had behaved with her. What if they truly did erase Amir's emotional link to her? What if they turned him into something callous and soulless? He would've connected to her thoughts to let her know he was okay. 

That still didn't stop her. 

Please, Luna pleaded in her mind repeatedly, willing for him to recognize her again. 

With shaky legs, she moved across the room and walked straight up to him, her hands trembling as she reached for his, placing them against her chest. 

"Amir?" she mumbled, voice cracking.

His neck whipped toward Dr. Kim, and then toward Luna, suddenly staring into her eyes. Their gazes stayed locked for a few seconds as she saw something raw and real but also painful in those beautiful eyes. And then his large hands wrapped around her arms, his stare becoming colder. She hoped he'd embrace her, hold her, and tell her everything was all right, but he didn't.

He sucked in a heavy breath, his eyes flashing an intense caramel color, and physically lifted her away from him, setting her back down next to Nurse Smith. 

Luna stared at him and cried, with her heart breaking. "Baby? It's me. It's your Moon." 

"So . . . awkward," murmured Nurse Smith, smirking. 

Luna turned around and slammed her foot on the nurse's opened toe, snarling at her in the back of her throat. 

Opening her mouth, Nurse Smith yelped, "You wench!" 

"That's what you get for being a malicious tramp!"

Amir said nothing as his posture stayed upright and his gaze focused on the wall in front of him. 

Glancing between him and Luna, Nurse Smith added, "Look who's talking. Sarah has had three daddies in her life. Such a poor way for a girl to grow up." 

That did it. Luna twisted her body so rapidly and brought her hands up to the nurse's neck, almost choking the living daylights out of her. Then she reached for Nurse Smith's wrists and threw her arms back with one hand, and slapped her across the face. 

Strong hands pried Luna off the woman, and she turned her neck around to see all the men in the room, including Amir, yanking her backward, nearly tossing her against the wall. She peeled herself off the floor, heaving under her breath, staring at her.

"You can talk about me, my work, my mental health problems, but damn you, you will not talk about my daughter." 

Nurse Smith held her hand over her sore jaw and scowled at Luna. Then one of the other women gripped her arm and ushered her outside the door. 

"I've never seen this much entertainment in my life," commented Alisha. "What do you think, Amir?" 

One shoulder rose in a careless shrug. "It's not my fight." 

Luna's mouth opened, but there were no words. His voice, his tone, was . . . was empty. If he was in there, like really in there, he'd hurt Nurse Smith for saying hurtful things about his daughter. Something happened to him, and she couldn't recognize the same man she fell in love with. He was . . . gone. 

The rift in her heart deepened.

"Is the drama now over, Ms. Khan?" Dr. Kim asked as tears streamed down her face. "Luna? I'm talking to you." 

She didn't want to look at him, but she had to. "No, Dr. Kim. The drama is not over. It will never be over until you and your band of psychos here are behind bars. I didn't start the drama. You did." 

The doctor smiled as he walked back around the desk. Luna's gaze flickered to Amir as he shifted toward her, drawing the attention of one of the female scientists. "Do we . . . know each other?" he asked. "Have we met before?"

What the hell did they do to you?

Everyone's eyes were on Luna, like a predator, waiting for her answer. A terrible burning sensation rose in the back of her throat as the memory of their first meeting flashed into her mind. How could he forget it . . . again? Unable to look away, tears formed heavily in her eyelids. 

Sobbing, she muttered, "No. We've just met," and at that moment, she was too heartbroken with the realization those animals had done something to her husband's mentality, and he was . . . like a stranger.

Amir extended his hand as if it was the first time they'd met. Shaking it as painful tremors scattered throughout her veins, she nodded, whispering, "I'm Luna." 

"Nice to meet you, Luna. I'm Amir Khan." 

Luna's lips wouldn't stop trembling, even though she knew crying solved nothing. She closed her eyes for a moment, waiting for the knot of messy, raw emotions to flutter away. 

The next thing she knew, she jolted, her heart pounding and mouth dry. A strange tingle moved over the nape of her neck as she dragged in a deep breath, spotting a tall blond figure walking through the doors. Chase.

Every muscle in her body seized as her eyes landed on him, and the tiny hairs on her neck rose.

Her brain clicked off, and something primal and hostile took over. The horrible sinking sense of betrayal and anger crawled its way out from the depths of her soul, and her right hook began swinging at his face. 

Luna's fist connected to Chase's cheekbone, and she ended up making him fall back into the other room. Every bit of pent-up hatred and rage she'd ever felt for him was packed into that punch. 

In the corner of her eye, Dr. Kim had warned his people back, allowing her to get a few more hits in for her worst nightmare. Alisha Bankole pulled out her phone, filming the momentous occasion. Luna was sure this fight scene with Chase was going to be a hit on YouTube later, and she didn't care, because he was holding back. It seemed like he wanted her to get her revenge.

"Lu —"

"Don't Lu me! I am not Lu!" 

Luna slammed another fist on his left cheekbone, making them match. 

"You hit like a girl," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Jesus." 

"You have no right to say His name!" She swung again, her knuckles slamming underneath his chin this time.

"I'm sorry," he pleaded.

"Screw you!" 

"You have. Many times, in fact." 

After Chase said that, she heard snickers from the crowd and noticed Amir still standing alone in the office as everyone else was in the hallway, watching her beat the snot out of him.

"You need to calm down. For Sarah." 

"Never say her name again!" 

He caught her fist and twisted her wrist. A sharp pain shot up her arm, and she adjusted herself to free her other hand. When he was distracted, she rose her hand and punched his face, shocking everyone who was watching, including Chase.

"Dr. Kim," he whined. "Phase One has begun. Do something."

"Oh, you did something to me, to my husband, and to my family! You will pay, Chase!" 

Throwing her fist up and breathing heavily, she yelled, "This is for my family!"

He flinched. "I didn't want any of this." 

She shook her head, not caring to listen to his lies.

"No one screws with me and gets away with it! Nobody!" With one final blow to his face, she fumed, "You've just woken the beast!" 

To be continued . . .

━━━─── • ───━━━

Author's Ending Note:

Wait! Is it over? Is Tethered Souls: Book One over? What a story, eh? 

I am planning to REWRITE this series and slim down chapters, as well as fix several mistakes. These books are drafts, but the storyline and characters matter the most. I may update the new books in this book series or create another book and unpublish this one. Either way, the series will be rewritten and tightened.

The purpose for this ending was to push the story forward and help Luna's character grow. She got fed up with Chase and her villains, so she fought back. A happy ever after for her, Sarah, and Amir will happen. Just be patient. Book Two's ending will leave you breathless. Trust me. Whee!!

Thank you for reading, 
voting/commenting, and for showering me with your support. I appreciate it wholeheartedly.

  The Tethered Trilogy . . .
  · Tethered Souls - Book 1
· The Tethered Ones - Book 2
· Tethered - Book 3

There are a few spin-off books being developed. One story will be in Chase's POV,  set before Tethered Souls -- a prequel. "Darkened Souls" is the working title and will feature how he became a villain. Other books will feature Cami, Faisal, Vikram, and Liberty in different timelines.

I finished my revision in TWO MONTHS! AHH! It is now September 30th, 2021. 📖

Over 8,000 reads! Dated December 2021. Thank you readers!

💫