ALEX.
The words new wife landed like a slap I hadn’t seen coming.
I froze where I stood, my hands gripping my dress tightly like I needed to have a hold of myself as Madam Katarina’s voice continued, smooth and sharp and utterly unconcerned and oblivious to the way my chest suddenly felt too tight to breathe. I didn’t understand why it hurt so much. I didn’t understand why my heart reacted as if something precious was being ripped away when I had never truly owned it in the first place.
Niko looked just as stunned as I felt. “What new wife?” he asked, his brows pulling together.
His mother waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t act surprised, Niko. The photos. Your approval. My visit last spring. You agreed that the children need stability. A mother. Didn’t you?”
“I never approved anything
