Elyse pov
I cried until there were no tears left.
Seraphina held me through all of it. Didn’t speak. Didn’t try to fix anything. Just held me while I broke apart.
“He chose her,” I sobbed into her shoulder. “He didn’t even tell me she was there.”
“He made a mistake. A terrible one. But Elyse…”
“I saw them together, Mom. Saw how comfortable they were. How happy he looked.” The word slipped out again. Mom. It felt right now. Natural. “What if he regrets marking me? What if he wishes…”
“Stop.” She pulled back and gripped my shoulders. “That man loves you. I saw it in his eyes. Felt it in the way he looked at you.”
“Then why…”
“Because he’s an i***t. A well-meaning, protective, but ultimately stupid i***t who thought he was shielding you from stress.” She wiped my tears. “Men do fooli
