Chapter 5 Birthday Invitation

The next morning, Luna returned to Emily's studio early.

When Emily saw her come back, she rushed over with a worried look. "Luna, where did you go? You didn't come back all night — I was so worried about you!"

Luna forced a small smile and shook her head. "I'm fine. Something came up and I ended up staying out for the night."

She didn't go into detail about what had happened. She didn't want to bring up those people or that mess again. She just wanted to work quietly and let the busyness wash away all the hurt she was carrying.

She had just finished setting up the equipment when the studio doorbell rang.

Luna opened the door, and the moment she saw who was standing outside, her eyes lit up with surprise. "Logan? What are you doing here?"

The man at the door was wearing a simple white shirt. He had a gentle, refined look about him — warm eyes, easy manner. It was Logan Garcia, her senior from college.

Back then, it was Logan who first led her into the world of photography. And during the hardest times in her life, he had always been there, quietly supporting and encouraging her.

After she married Marcus, she gradually lost touch with him.

Logan looked at her, his eyes full of concern. He let out a soft sigh. "I heard you were working here, so I came to see how you're doing."

His gaze drifted to her slightly swollen cheek, and his expression shifted. "What happened to your face? Did someone hurt you?"

Luna paused, then shook her head. "It's nothing. I bumped into something by accident."

She didn't want Logan to worry, and she didn't want to bring up any of the unpleasantness.

Logan didn't push further. He just went along with her and started talking about their college days.

The two of them went back and forth — from pulling all-nighters to finish photography assignments, to going out to the countryside to shoot, to the time she won that photography competition. The mood slowly got lighter.

Luna smiled more and more as they talked. It was the first time in a long while that she had laughed like that — so freely, so easily. The light that used to live in her eyes had come back.

Right in the middle of their conversation, the studio door swung open and Marcus walked in with Chloe.

Marcus was dressed in his usual sharp black suit. Chloe had on a pink dress, her makeup perfectly done, her arm looped through his, a sweet smile on her face.

She looked nothing like someone who had just tried to take her own life the night before.

The moment they walked in, they spotted Luna — bright-faced and laughing — and Logan sitting across from her, his eyes soft and warm.

Marcus stopped in his tracks. A vague, unsettling feeling rose inside him.

He had never seen Luna smile like that before. It was like she had broken free from everything — no trace of him in her eyes, no sadness, just pure and simple joy.

His gaze drifted to the pendant at her chest. It was still there, resting quietly against her.

He suddenly remembered — there was a name engraved on the back of that pendant. The name of someone she had loved.

He hadn't thought much of it before. But now, watching her laugh and talk with Logan, and thinking about that name on the jade pendant, something dark and restless stirred inside him.

There was even a flicker of irritation — the feeling of someone else having their eye on something that was his.

It bothered him. But with Chloe right beside him, he let it go.

Chloe noticed Logan too. A quick, calculating look flashed through her eyes.

She put on a perfectly timed look of surprise, tightened her grip on Marcus's arm, and said in a tone that was just a little too casual, "Marcus, look — Ms. Ramirez and this gentleman seem really close. They look like they're having such a good time."

Her words hit like a pin, popping the easy mood in the room. The air went heavy.

"This is my senior from college — Logan." Luna's smile stiffened. She pulled herself together and looked at Marcus and Chloe, her voice flat. "Mr. Graham, Ms. Morris — are you here to pick up the photos?"

Marcus didn't answer. He just looked at her, his expression unreadable.

His gaze was so intense and complicated that Luna felt uncomfortable. She looked away.

Chloe caught that, and the faintest smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She reached over and lightly pulled at Marcus's sleeve, her voice soft and sweet. "Marcus, I almost forgot — today's my birthday."

She turned to Luna and Logan, smiling brightly. "Ms. Ramirez, Mr. Garcia, why don't you both join us for a meal? Think of it as my way of thanking Ms. Ramirez for taking such beautiful wedding photos for us."

Luna didn't even think about it. She shook her head right away. "Thanks, but I still have work to do. I wouldn't want to get in the way."

She really couldn't stand the idea of spending more time around Marcus and Chloe. It would only make her uncomfortable and stir up more grief.

But before her words had even settled, Marcus spoke up — firm, no room for argument. "Come along. We can spare the time for a meal."

Luna was caught off guard. She couldn't figure out why he was doing this.

He was the one who wanted the divorce. He was the one whose heart was full of Chloe. So why was he insisting on dragging her along to Chloe's birthday?