Chapter 3 She Committed Suicide!

"Ms. Ramirez?"

Chloe's voice broke through Luna's daze.

Luna snapped back to reality, her chest tightening with fresh waves of pain. She kept her voice low. "I'm sorry. The photographer isn't available today. We can't take your booking."

Chloe's eyes flickered. She smiled sweetly. "That's fine. You can do it. Actually, it'll be more comfortable since we all know each other."

"I—"

"Luna, you'll handle it."

Luna opened her mouth to refuse, but Marcus cut her off.

His tone was gentle yet unyielding. "This is a photography studio. There's no reason to turn away clients. I'll pay double if that helps."

Money. Always money.

A wave of irritation surged through Luna's chest. Before she could respond, Chloe chimed in with a mocking smile. "Exactly. What kind of studio turns away customers? At this rate, you'll run out of business."

Luna stayed silent. Marcus spoke again. "Luna. Be good."

The words hit her like acid, burning through her throat. She swallowed the lump rising there and forced herself to nod.

"Fine. Go get changed."

Chloe's face lit up. "Thank you so much, Ms. Ramirez."

She disappeared into the dressing room, leaving Marcus standing outside.

Luna kept her head down, adjusting equipment and rearranging the set. She forced herself not to look at him. But his presence was overwhelming—every breath she took seemed to carry traces of him.

"Why haven't you been home lately?" Marcus asked, breaking the silence.

Luna froze. After a long pause, she answered quietly. "I've been busy with work. It's not convenient to go back."

It was a lie, of course.

Summit Villa, their marital home, was luxurious and secluded but still close to the city center. There was even a driver on call twenty-four hours a day.

But Luna didn't want to go back. She couldn't bear to face the divorce. And she couldn't stand the thought of witnessing—or even hearing about—Marcus and Chloe's happiness.

"Luna..."

Marcus sighed, about to say something, when Chloe suddenly emerged from the dressing room. "Marcus, what do you think of this one?"

Luna looked up.

Chloe stood in a strapless wedding gown with a long train, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders. The studio lights were too bright, and Luna found herself squinting against the glare of Chloe's smile.

Then she heard Marcus's voice, soft and warm. "It's beautiful."

Luna's heart sank into an abyss.

She didn't know how she managed to start the shoot. Through the endless flashes of the camera, Luna was bombarded by images of the two of them together.

Chloe leaning into Marcus's arms. The two of them gazing sweetly at each other. Marcus holding Chloe close.

Each image pierced her like a thorn, leaving her numb and hollow.

What she didn't see was Marcus's gaze landing on her several times. When he noticed her calm, unaffected expression, his eyes turned cold and dark.

She doesn't care about the divorce at all, he thought bitterly. It was all an act.

Otherwise, how could she stand there so calmly, photographing him with another woman in a wedding dress?

His gaze drifted down to the crescent moon pendant around her neck. The sight of it only deepened his irritation.

The shoot dragged on for over two hours.

When it finally ended, Luna felt like she could breathe again.

But then Chloe spoke up. "Ms. Ramirez, I think the zipper on this dress is stuck. Could you help me check?"

Luna's brow twitched, but she didn't refuse.

The two of them went into the dressing room together. The moment the door closed, Chloe's tone turned sharp and mocking.

"How does it feel, watching your husband hold another woman while shooting wedding photos?"

Luna's hands stilled. She kept her voice even. "I don't feel anything. After all, you're not his wife."

She looked up, her expression calm. "Ms. Morris, you don't actually think a couple of photos make you husband and wife, do you? Let me remind you—legally, I'm still Marcus's wife."

Chloe's smile vanished. She glared at Luna. "Luna, do you have no shame? You're only here because you look like me. You think you can steal my place forever? Let me tell you something—fake is fake. You'll never be real."

Luna knew that.

But today, some stubborn streak inside her refused to back down. She met Chloe's glare head-on. "Real or fake—it's all just what people say. And right now, at least... I'm still Mrs. Graham."

Chloe raised her hand to slap her.

Luna was faster. She caught Chloe's wrist mid-air, her voice cool. "Ms. Morris, this is a photography studio. Not a place for you to throw tantrums."

Chloe's chest heaved with rage. She stared at Luna, her voice shaking. "You just wait."

She yanked her hand free and stormed out.

Luna stood there, drained.

She didn't know how long she stayed in that dressing room. By the time she finally stepped out, Marcus and Chloe were already gone. Luna let out a quiet breath of relief, packed up her equipment, and headed home.

The events of the day had left her shaken. She skipped dinner and collapsed into bed the moment she got back to Emily's place.

She slept fitfully, her dreams fragmented and uneasy.

Then came the pounding on the door.

Luna jolted awake. She hesitated, her voice groggy. "Who is it?"

"It's me."

Marcus's voice cut through the silence like a blade. Luna's drowsiness vanished instantly. She got up and opened the door.

Marcus stood there, radiating a cold, dangerous energy. His eyes were dark and unforgiving.

"What did you say to Chloe in the dressing room today?" His voice was ice.

Luna's heart sank.

So this was why he'd come all the way here in the middle of the night. To defend Chloe.

"I didn't say anything," Luna said quietly, her chest tightening painfully. "Did you really come here just to interrogate me?"

"Luna!" Marcus grabbed her wrist, his grip bruising. His eyes blazed. "This isn't the time for your attitude. What happened in that dressing room? I want the truth."

Luna winced at the pain shooting through her wrist. Anger flared in her chest. "The truth? What truth do you want to hear? Do you want to know how Chloe mocked me? Or how she humiliated me?"

"You came all the way here in the middle of the night to accuse me, so you've already decided I'm the one who hurt her, haven't you? So what now? Do you want me to grovel? To apologize on my knees?"

"Luna, Chloe tried to kill herself!"

The words exploded like thunder, freezing Luna in place.

Suicide?

Chloe had tried to kill herself?

She couldn't believe it. The same woman who'd been gloating over her wedding photos just hours ago—how could she have tried to take her own life?

The pain in her wrist intensified. Luna frowned. "All I said was the truth. I told her we weren't divorced yet. That she was the other woman."

Marcus released her wrist and shoved her hard against the wall. His voice was a low, dangerous growl.

"Luna, I'm warning you. If anything happens to Chloe, I will never forgive you."