Chapter 178

Freya Isabella watched me with appreciation, and when I handed her the perfectly cleaned shrimp, her smile was genuine. "No one does it like you do, Mom." As I continued peeling shrimp for Isabella, Aunt Emma suddenly paused, her keen eyes focusing on my hands. "Dear Luna, where is your ring?" she asked, her voice carrying across the table. At her words, every pair of eyes—including Silvano's—turned to my bare left hand. The absence of the silver band with its moonstone centerpiece felt conspicuous now, though I'd grown accustomed to its absence. After our mating ceremony, despite our increasingly cold relationship, I had always worn the ceremonial bonding ring Luna Victoria had selected for us. It was tradition, symbolizing not just our union but my position as Luna. My shrimp-peeling motion paused imperceptibly before I responded with practiced casualness, "I was in a rush this morning and left it at home." The truth was more deliberate: I had removed the ring when I first prepared t