Where the Moon No Longer Shines

Every time Matthew Lawrence hurt her, Cassandra folded a star.

One day, Matthew asked her what the stars meant. With a playful tone, Cassandra replied, “When you’ve hurt me 100 times for your dear Julia, Cassey, who loves you, will cease to exist.”

At first, he laughed it off, thinking it was just one of her silly little games.

But the 100th star came faster than anyone expected.

That day, Matthew had gone to a love hotel with Julia, supposedly to retrieve her lost dog. He left Cassandra, still groggy from anesthesia, alone on the cold operating table. Later, when confronted, he had the audacity to smile and say, “Cassey, don’t be upset. Julia’s just a dog—she’ll never be qualified to compare to you. You’re my Mrs. Lawrence. Now and forever.”

Cassandra responded with an indifferent nod, hiding the storm brewing inside her. Only she knew the truth: she had already arranged for her “death.” She was leaving—for good.

At the engagement party seven days later, the only thing Matthew would receive was the news that Cassandra had been blown to pieces, leaving nothing but ashes and regrets.

“Cassey, are you absolutely sure you want to fake your death and take on this final undercover mission?” Ban Richard’s voice crackled through the phone, heavy with concern.

“Yes, I’m sure,” she said firmly, standing on a desolate, windy street. Her voice sounded as hollow as she felt.

The decision was made the moment she woke up on that cold operating table and saw Julia’s smug post on social media:

Joy is willing to be her master’s loyal dog for the rest of her life, even if it means being trampled on a hundred times, a thousand times, or a million times.

The accompanying photo showed Julia in a provocative maid outfit, her neck wrapped in an erotic leash. The scattered clothes in the background were unmistakably Matthew’s.

The police had been searching for someone to infiltrate a transnational telecom fraud ring and Cassandra’s clean record made her the perfect candidate. She agreed without hesitation. This mission wasn’t just about justice; it was her escape.

Her way to leave Matthew with a lifetime of guilt.

***

When she returned home that night, drenched from the rain and shivering, Matthew rushed to her side. He dropped an important meeting without a second thought, pulling her into his arms with such desperation it was almost laughable.

“Where’s the driver? How could he let you come back like this?” he demanded, his voice trembling. His usually composed demeanor was in shambles. Even the female executives on the video call couldn’t help but remark on how lucky Cassandra was to have a man so devoted to her.

And it was true, in a way. Matthew loved her—or at least, the version of her he believed he loved. He knew her allergies, cleaned her room daily for ten years and once braved a storm to bring her purple roses for Christmas. When she had an accident, he raced through torrential rain, his cries of “Cassey, wait for me!” echoing through the night.

But that same man had betrayed her three months ago. She had walked in on him and Julia, their intimacy undeniable. From that day forward, every time he hurt her, she folded another star.

***

Now, as she stared at the jar filled with 100 stars, she felt a strange sense of closure. The stars weren’t just a symbol of her pain—they were her countdown. And now, the countdown was over.

Soon, Matthew would lose her forever. Not to death, but to the shadows where she could finally find peace. She wasn’t the naive girl who believed in his sweet words anymore. She was Cassandra: resilient, determined and ready to start over.

Even if it meant leaving behind the love that had once consumed her.