The wife he gave away

Untitled EpisodeChapter8

It seems I've lost

I didn't remember most of the drive home.

The road stretched endlessly before me, disappearing beneath the headlights while my hands remained locked around the steering wheel. My eyes were open. I knew I was driving. I knew I was following familiar roads that I had traveled hundreds of times before. Yet everything felt distant, like I was watching someone else's life unfold through a fogged window.

Alpha Alaric's final words refused to leave me alone.

‘Because it'll destroy you.’

The sentence repeated itself over and over inside my head.

Part of me hated him for saying it. Another part hated him because I knew he was right.

If I had confronted Dominic tonight, I wouldn't have gotten answers. I would've gotten lies. Excuses. Manipulation. Maybe even anger. Whatever game Dominic and Valeria were playing, it was bigger than simple cheating. Even Alpha Alaric had sensed it. And if the Alpha of the pack wasn't rushing to confront his own wife, then maybe there was a reason.

That thought was the only thing that stopped me from turning my car around.

By the time I reached home, the lights in the living room were still on. For several moments, I remained seated inside the car, staring at the house. My house. The place where I had built my life. The place where I'd raised my son. The place that suddenly felt unfamiliar.

Eventually, I forced myself to move.

The front door opened quietly beneath my hand. The familiar scent of home greeted me immediately. Dinner. Laundry detergent. The faint smell of the candles I liked to burn in the evenings.

Normally, those scents comforted me. Tonight, they made me want to cry.

The moment I stepped inside, I found Dominic sitting on the couch. He looked up immediately.

For one terrifying second, panic surged through me.

Did he know? Had he somehow sensed I was there? Had he seen me?

But his expression remained relaxed. Casual. Comfortable. It was the expression of a man who had absolutely no idea his entire secret had just been exposed.

"You're back." His voice sounded normal. Perfectly normal.

The realization made my stomach twist.

How was he acting normal? How was he sitting there like nothing had happened? Like he hadn't spent part of his night wrapped around another woman?

"Where did you go, Seraphina?" he asked.

The question came so naturally that I almost laughed. Instead, I forced my face into something resembling calm.

"I couldn't sleep."

The lie slipped out effortlessly.

"I went for a drive," I continued.

Dominic nodded.

That was it. No suspicion. No concern. No guilt.

Nothing.

He accepted the explanation immediately and leaned back against the couch.

For a moment, I simply stared at him. The man I'd loved for years. The man I'd trusted completely.

I wondered how many lies I'd missed. How many nights like tonight had happened while I sat here believing my marriage was safe. The thought made my chest ache.

"I think Kael is still awake," Dominic said casually. Then he stood and stretched. "I'm heading to bed."

I watched him walk away… watched him disappear down the hallway. I watched the same man who had sworn loyalty to me crawl into our bed as though he deserved to sleep peacefully.

Something inside me cracked a little more. I remained standing there for several seconds before forcing myself toward Kael's room.

A warm glow spilled beneath the door. I knocked lightly.

"Come in!"

His cheerful voice immediately answered.

The sound alone nearly broke me.

I pushed the door open.

Kael sat cross-legged on his bed surrounded by books, toys, and what looked like half his bedroom scattered across the blanket.

The moment he saw me, his face brightened. "Mom!"

The familiar greeting eased some of the pressure crushing my chest. At least until the next words left his mouth.

"Auntie Valeria says I might start advanced classes soon."

The smile froze on my face. "Oh?"

He nodded excitedly. “She says I'm smarter than most kids my age."

My stomach tightened, but Kael didn't notice. He just kept talking, words pouring out of him faster and faster.

"Auntie Valeria taught me this really cool memory trick."

He demonstrated immediately. Each sentence felt like another tiny cut. Not because there was anything wrong with what he was saying. It was more because of the excitement in his voice. The admiration. The affection. The hero worship.

How can a mother be made to feel this way?

I sat beside him quietly while he talked. Listening. Watching. Hurting. At some point, he grabbed a notebook from his desk.

"Auntie Valeria bought me this." Then he held a pen. "She bought this too."

Then a backpack. "And this."

His excitement was genuine, innocent, which somehow made everything worse.

Children loved easily, trusted easily, and apparently, they could be influenced easily too.

I forced a smile every time he looked at me. Forced encouragement into my voice. Forced myself not to ask the questions burning inside me.

Eventually he yawned, the long day finally catching up with him. I tucked him into bed exactly the way I always had… the same way I'd done hundreds of times before.

For a brief moment, as I pulled the blanket higher around his shoulders, he smiled sleepily at me.

My heart squeezed.

"Auntie Valeria says she's picking me up tomorrow," he spoke.

The words hit harder than they should have. I carefully smoothed his hair back. "We'll see," I managed to say.

His eyes immediately opened wider. "But she promised."

I swallowed. "I'm sure she did."

He frowned slightly.

The expression reminded me so much of Dominic that it hurt.

Then he rolled over and closed his eyes. "Auntie Valeria always keeps her promises."

The room suddenly felt very small, very quiet. I sat there long after he'd fallen asleep, just watching him, the little boy I had carried. Protected. Raised. The little boy who had no idea his world was standing on the edge of a cliff.

Eventually I left.

I tried to sleep, but it never came.

Morning arrived anyway. The sunrise painted the kitchen gold while I prepared breakfast. Everything felt normal, painfully normal.

Kael ate happily. Dominic acted like nothing had happened. And I felt like I was drowning.

Then the doorbell rang.

Every muscle in my body immediately tightened. I already knew who it was.

Kael practically launched himself out of his chair. "I'll get it!"

Before I could stop him, he was already running. The front door flew open. And there she was, Valeria… beautiful, elegant, perfectly dressed. Her smile appeared warm enough to fool anyone… anyone except me.

"Good morning."

Her gaze found mine immediately.

There was nothing unusual about her expression. Nothing suspicious. Nothing that revealed she'd spent the previous night in another woman's husband's arms.

She looked completely composed, as if betrayal was simply another part of her morning routine.

Kael rushed toward her instantly. "Auntie Valeria!"

She laughed and hugged him. I swear to the moon goddess, the sight made my stomach churn.

"I'm ready for school," he announced happily.

"Already?" she teased.

He nodded enthusiastically.

Valeria smiled. Then she looked toward me. "I'll take him."

The words were polite, friendly, reasonable, which was exactly why they irritated me.

I stood. "No."

The smile remained on her face. "No?"

"I'll take my son myself."

The emphasis happened naturally.

My son.

For the first time, something flickered behind her eyes… gone almost immediately, but I saw it.

Unfortunately, so did Kael.

His excitement vanished instantly. "What?"

He looked between us, as confused as I've ever seen him. Then he shook his head. "No."

I blinked. "No, Kael?"

He grabbed Valeria's hand. "I want to go with Auntie Valeria."

The words struck harder than any slap ever could. For a second, I couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe. I couldn't think… because there was no anger in his voice. No rebellion. No cruelty. Just honesty. Simple honesty.

And somehow, that made it infinitely worse.

"Kael—"

"I want Auntie Valeria."

The room fell silent.

Dominic suddenly became very interested in his coffee. Valeria remained standing quietly, watching, waiting, and observing.

I looked at my son, my beautiful boy. I took the longest look at the child I'd spent years putting before myself.

And for the first time in my life, I felt afraid of losing my place. My role. My importance.

But above all, my son.

As though Valeria somehow sensed the exact moment that realization hit me, her head tilted slightly.

A small smile touched her lips.

Then she asked softly, "Seraphina... are you scared of losing your son?”