Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 45

Eve~

Another warning, my pulse jumped. Why was Cain telling me this? And why did I have a hunch that he was the unknown number that sent the first warning?

I calmed my racing heart before tossing the paper into the toilet and flushing it. I had to keep my head despite the rising dread inside me. Lia would be here soon, and just then the door was knocked.

---

"Who were you before this?" Lia asked. "Before all of this?"

"Before everything went to hell?"

"Yes, before everything went to hell."

I bit my lip, thinking. Everything didn’t go to hell for me when I was made to marry Hades. It went to hell way before that. So it was a valid question, at least to me. Who was I before my life came crashing down?

I leaned back in the chair, my eyes drifting to the window as I sifted through memories like old photographs, each one a little blurrier than the last.

"Before everything went to hell," I began slowly, "I was... different. Not happier, but less guarded. I had dreams of my own. I had plans. I was someone who believed in choices."

Lia nodded, waiting for me to continue, her eyes sharp yet empathetic.

"I used to be carefree, at least compared to now. I laughed more. Trusted more easily. But then... things started changing. People I loved betrayed me, the weight of expectations grew heavier, and eventually, I stopped being that person. I became the version of myself I needed to survive."

Lia’s silence urged me to go deeper.

"Hades didn’t break me. Not entirely. But the world before him? The lies, the betrayals, the countless things I can never undo… that’s what did it. So when I was made to marry him, it wasn’t some sudden shift. It was just... more weight added to what was already unbearable."

I paused, letting the truth settle between us. It wasn’t often I said these things out loud. Lia was quiet for a moment, processing what I’d said.

"You’ve been carrying a lot," she finally said, her voice gentle but firm. "More than most people could ever handle. But you’re still here. You’re still standing."

I gave a small, bitter laugh. "Barely."

"That’s the thing though," she continued, leaning forward slightly. "You don’t have to barely survive. You’ve been in survival mode for so long, you’ve forgotten what it’s like to live. To truly live."

I looked away, the idea almost foreign. "I wouldn’t even know where to start."

"You start by finding that person again. The one you were before all of this. She’s still in there, even if she feels like a distant memory. You don’t have to be her completely, but you can adapt. You can take the strength you’ve gained, the resilience you’ve built, and mix it with the parts of you that still want joy, that still long to feel lighter."

Lia’s words were gentle but cut through the fog. "You’re in a difficult situation, yes. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find joy, can’t find a way to feel... alive again. Start small. One thing at a time. And eventually, it won’t feel so impossible."